So How Are Those Lambies?

The lambs are growing very fast right now, having good pasture and mom and some creep feed when they want it.

The Gang of Six (bottle babies) are really developing their own personalities.  They do all hang together in a little group so when the whole flock goes out to pasture in the morning they usually go with the flow and don't look for me too much.  This morning the youngest one, Flopsy, got sidetracked by something and didn't stick with the other five.  She thought she'd stay with me but when I stepped back into the barn she got positively frantic, poor thing, so I trooped out to the pasture to find the rest of the Gang for her.

The sheep saw me right away and thought I was going to open a gate into a south pasture so they all started to run toward me.

Then they thought I was going to go down the hill and open the east gate into the big, lower pasture.

After a while they gave up wishing for better and went back to grazing their perfectly nice pasture.  It was a beautiful morning and I could have happily stayed out there all day.  It did give me a chance to take some pictures. 

Fortune is the big sister of the group.  She's my C-section baby and doing very well.  She was born March 20, so is the oldest.

But still wants to come to momma whenever she sees me.

She's losing the baby lamb look and changing into a big kid.  She waffles between wanting petting and hugs and loving, and shrugging off attention to go eat or see what the other lambs are doing.

Daisy is the next oldest.  She was the last, smallest triplet from Shasta this year and needed to be in the house for about 2 days to gain some strength.  Mom almost took her back but then decided that the two she had was plenty.  Daisy is Miss Independent.... which is why I have no good picture of her yet.  She is always wandering ahead by herself looking for the best grass.  Here she's between Fortune and Snubby.

Then there are the three sisters - triplets from a mom with one functional teat and a case of mastitis.  Poof - you are bottle lambs.

Nugget, the solid tank who likes to have her chest scratched.

Fawn, with pretty dark ears and a delicate face, who is quiet but very alert to where you are....and if you might call for her to come.

 

And Snubby, (AKA Snubby-wub or Snubby-luv) who was born with a bit of a squashed face.  It's as though her nose was pressed up against something hard while she was developing, but it's more likely a bit of a genetic goof rather than a mechanical effect.  Her mouth is a little odd, but doesn't seem to impair her ability to eat, thank goodness.

She is the sweetest of the three siblings and loves to be petted and talked to.  Her expression is really quite endearing.  She perpetually looks like she's thinking, "Well, hmph.  I just don't know about that."

And then there's Flopsy, named by That Andy because of her ears.  She is the youngest by a couple of weeks.  Born to an old ewe, she was very weak and in the house for several days before being strong enough to go to the barn. 

She is still a Very Baby Lamb who wants a bottle and her momma and attention. right. now!  She loves to be petted also, and after being Abandoned! this morning she was especially clingy and stuck to my legs like velcro.

Eventually her shattered nerves quieted enough that she could nibble some grass with Snubby.

Eventually the sheep started to work their way back up toward the barn for the mid-morning drink and sit-down.

The lambs stayed grouped together so Flopsy had a definate 'family' to stay with.

I stepped back a bit and off to the side, then back some more and could finally climb over the fence into the next pasture and slink back up to the barn unnoticed.

IF there weren't so much to do I really could have stayed out there in the sun all day.