A River Runs...I Mean..Lambs.....

Three Ring Just Jack x Fairlight River

Yes, this little lamb was five days old before I took his picture. Somebody shoot me now. I do have excuses--involving teeth, root canals, blah blah---but still, it smacks of the old 'last baby born' syndrome. (You know---all the pictures taken of the first kid, and by the time the third or fourth comes along there are what, like two baby pictures taken?)

No wonder the poor little tyke thinks that his bed is a feed pan. So anyway, a little late, but here is introducing River's single ram lamb---Freddie Fender! Ta da! Yes, he is a solid little moorit with some white head splashes. (This may seem like deja vu all over again). He is a nicely built little guy, well maybe not so little. His entry into the world was (as far as I know) uneventful and River had him cleaned up and he had nursed by the time I came home from work. River and I had some misunderstandings over the next few days, but she has since mended her ways. (Wherein I had to steal her baby and hold him hostage to get her to change her mind about getting put up for the night).

This little guy is very friendly. Tonight he rammed me. Yup all, what, 10 pounds of him? Little turkey. It's hard to take seriously, but as we well know this won't be cute at 100 pounds, so his tough love starts now. For starters I simply lift his chin and let him enjoy attention that way. The next attempt, the correction starts. I do enjoy having friendly lambs, instead of wild snots, so will encourage them to be friendly and civil.

On the same subject, in the next stall over, friendly little Conway has suddenly decided that he is deathly afraid of me. I'm not sure why. He is really heart pounding, run for your life afraid, poor little sod. I've been sitting with him and his mom in their stall at night, since this started, to get him used to me handling him. I don't force it, but I do touch him, and scratch him, while he huddles next to mom.

Up in the main barn, Eve continues to love scritches and scratches after she and her mom get put up for the night. She is such a pretty little girl. Rosemary and her twins are finally able to join everyone else out on pasture during the day. Her babies are now about typical newborn size, and do a fine job of hustling to stay up with mom. Her little ram, Marty Robbins (I'm sorry, ..somehow this boy name theme just happened!) is something else. That boy loves to be held and scratched and he will cock his head around like some poodle on meth trying to be as cute as possible so he will get more attention. Meanwhile his shy sister peeks out from behind her momma and tries to figure out what all the fuss is about.

Want to hear something a little...odd...? Every lamb born this year to date has been born on a Monday! Defying lambing dates, high pressure systems, moon phases, whatever, when Monday rolls around, lambs arrive. Very bizarre. Monday number one was Eve. Monday number two was Rosemary's twins and later in the evening Luna. Monday number three was Freddie Fender. I have another ewe that could be due anytime, but I figure it'll be Monday before she decides to lamb......