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Cold weather lambing


Laura L
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Here's a couple of pictures from over the weekend. The air temp was about 10 degrees when these 2 lambed. Both had twins, but with the waste hay down, being out of the wind and in the sunshine helps a lot. It's the ones that lamb at night that make life harder. Once they've lambed they get moved into the barn and I'm up to 55+ lambs right now.

 

Laura

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Julie, probably 60 more ewes. These are the "oops" lambs. You would think by now, I'd know.

 

Kristen, I like the black ones too. Since I had 2 black rams last year, there should be plenty more lambs like that. Here's some in the barn. They do like to be in the sunshine (sorry about the quality of the pic-still haven't got the hang of both sun & shade). Believe me I could feel the cold, I feel like I spent more time putting clothes on & taking them back off than anything else all weekend. I like winter just fine, I'd rather be in by the wood stove though.

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Laura

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What cute lambs!!!!!

 

What I would not give to have a nice big barn like that! mine is barely between 600 and 700 square feet, and the of course Hubby has his "junk" in there, so it makes it for really tight quarters!

I have 6 little Jugs (I think thats what you call them) - 5 of them are already taken with new moms. that leaves the other 8 ewe's plus Hubbies "Mini-Angora" goat. I really don't know where to stick them all :rolleyes::D:D:D

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I had a black ram down in AR. I sold him to a lady that used him then sold him on. With in a few years I had a neighboring sheep guy that I didn't know call me (got my name from the feed mill) to ask if I wanted a beautiful black ram. We quickly figured out he was mine originally. Small black ram world down in AR.

 

I love the little guy in the middle with lots of white on his head.

 

We haven't lambed out in CO, don't plan to this year. We've lambed in MO and AR. I have to say...I started out with juggs and barn lambing but quickly found out it was way more trouble than it was worth with my small sheep operation. I can see it if the lambs are going to be with 100's of ewes where there's a chance of getting lost but I've never had more than about 40 breeding ewes so it really wasn't an issue.

 

In AR I didn't have way to keep the ram seperate but it wasn't a problem. I had hair sheep and always had lamb available for butchering or sale. Here in CO I think it will be a do or die situation. Still don't have a barn but won't plan lambing till March or later, if I ever get back to lambing again.

 

I really miss the lambie smell. I might be strange though

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Claudia --

 

You ewes and lambs shouldn't need to be jugged more than a day or two -- three at the most.

 

Kristen --

 

The mark of a true shepherd is that she or he will pick up a new lamb and sniff it deeply. About this time of year I develop an urge to visit a lambing barn. Not to run one, mind you, but visit one for a few hours. Watch some races. Sniff some lambs. Go home.

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Thanks Bill...I feel better!

Hadn't even thought of the races I used to watch. Yep I sure miss that smell and the races!

Fall, when I get my winter coat and other winter items out I will find old gloves in the pocket that smell of lambing. You can find me walking around sniffing my gloves.

 

Like an old drug addict that can't let go.

 

Maybe I can find a lambing barn around here and offer to sniff I mean help with lambing chores.

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Well here's an open invitation. Anyone who would like to come to the lamb races, they are happening daily at my farm, stop on in. They are one of the things that keep me going. I've been kicking the group of ewes with lambs out of the barn to feed hay, but you can't get all the lambs to go out. It's like they know that there's more room to run like maniacs when I'm feeding. And when they have the opportunity to jump up on the bales of hay, that just makes it more fun.

 

Bill I guess that my "real" shepherdessness (spell check doesn't like that as a word!) is showing. I've never smelled a new lamb on purpose. :rolleyes: I know what they smell like, I'd just rather smell a dry one.

 

Farmville on Facebook is one of those things that annoys me. My sister, nephews and some friends do it. I got mad yesterday and sent my version of Farmville to one of those friends-just part of a day in my life thing. Oddly enough, I wasn't harvesting tulips and daffodils at the same time as grapes (could that be any less realistic?) and I don't have 20 different species of animals to take care of. My time doing chores involved a lot of physical labor, some thought, and some enjoyment from a job well done. I was tired when I went to bed last night. You won't find lamb races or any of the physical stuff on Farmville which is their loss.

 

Laura

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You can even smell Angora Kid

hmmm never smelt that one before. Do they smell different...better??

Still a far piece for a sniff but you got me thinking!!

It'd be easier if I just had my own lambs. But with no ram, that'd be a hard one! :rolleyes:

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hmmm never smelt that one before. Do they smell different...better??

Still a far piece for a sniff but you got me thinking!!

It'd be easier if I just had my own lambs. But with no ram, that'd be a hard one! :D

 

 

Okay, I give where is Rifle CO?

 

After you spent a couple hours around the sheep I think Angora Kids sort of smell the same as lambs LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

 

:rolleyes::D:D

 

You can always come down, I will "loan" you my ram!!!!!! You just need to trailer him!

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Rifle CO is about 45 minutes west of Aspen CO. on the western slope. About 45 minutes east of Utah.

Not sure I know what "wet" lambs smell like. I think it's the dry lamb smell that I miss.

I need a ram but I'm thinking of selling the cheviots and switching back to some hair crosses. These Cheviots are mean and crazy. Well, maybe I'll keep these girls for older dog training and get some hair crosses for the young ones.

Darn...I need lots of different sheep. My old flock was built out of hair ewes but with Cheviots mixed in. I didn't know how nice I had it till they were gone!

It's taken me over 9 months to get these ladies to calm down enough to even get my hands on them without causing them to take my fences down. Lord forbid a dog looks at them closer than 100 feet. They think they're gonna die! And my dogs aren't maulers either!

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Rifle CO is about 45 minutes west of Aspen CO. on the western slope. About 45 minutes east of Utah.

Not sure I know what "wet" lambs smell like. I think it's the dry lamb smell that I miss.

I need a ram but I'm thinking of selling the cheviots and switching back to some hair crosses. These Cheviots are mean and crazy. Well, maybe I'll keep these girls for older dog training and get some hair crosses for the young ones.

Darn...I need lots of different sheep. My old flock was built out of hair ewes but with Cheviots mixed in. I didn't know how nice I had it till they were gone!

It's taken me over 9 months to get these ladies to calm down enough to even get my hands on them without causing them to take my fences down. Lord forbid a dog looks at them closer than 100 feet. They think they're gonna die! And my dogs aren't maulers either!

 

 

I have 4 muflon ewes that are extremely flighty, so flighty that they are going to a game ranch in Texas as soon as the lamb and the lambs are weaned! 1 had a ram lamb and is in the barn with the baby, we let her out last weekend and had to rope her to get her back in the barn

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