Well I haven’t written in my blog in a long time and trying out a new computer is as good a time as any. I like getting new things like this but it is such a hassle setting everything up. I have two computer s running at my desk now as I try to change files over and it is very crowded. I do like my new wireless keyboard- at least so far. I am wondering how long the batteries work.
We are having a major snow storm outside today. On Friday it was sunny and relatively mild and we had a set of twin lambs born. We have one older lamb that was born the week before Thanksgiving. There were no babies at noon but when I went out to feed about 4 pm there was a baby by a tree and one in the run in barn with it’s mom. The one outside was in the sun and dry and alert so I carried him to the barn. Mom and sibling huddled to the back and I didn’t want to spook mom into running so I set the little boy down at the entrance. He was reluctant to proceed any further, it was darker in there but finally he went over to the other two, the other lamb came up to him and he followed it back. It looked like everything would be ok so I left.
Next am I carried some hay and grain to the barn because mom didn’t want to bring the little ones out and I noticed the little male I found was up by the front of the barn and the other lamb was with mom in the back. That didn’t look right, and sure enough as I stood and watched the ewe wouldn’t let the male lamb any where near her. So reluctantly I carried him inside. We put him in the big dog carrier in the kitchen to protect him from the dogs. That’s the problem, we have every room allocated to something now. Old Sarah, [ a Jack Russell dog], had to be brought inside after she had her teeth cleaned and her gums were infected, then she was so old and weak acting we let her stay in the spare room after that. Ginger surprised us with 4 puppies last Thursday and she is set up in our bedroom. Of course here in the office I have my two dogs who don’t play well with others. So we are animal crazy right now.
Anyway little Taco as I named him, is as cute as can be, wooly chocolate brown with a big white spot on top his head and a broad blaze. I was a bit worried at first because he didn’t want to suck the $25.00 a bag milk from the $3.00 nipple I had to go and buy, but he decided this morning to suck finally and chugged a bottle down. He is good sized, bigger than the one left with mom, who I do not know the sex of yet. It is more red brown, with the same spot and blaze and some spots on the legs. They stayed in the barn today and I carried hay to them through the snow.
Taco thinks I’m mom now and will follow me around the kitchen. I have actually never bottle fed a lamb before, although I have fed plenty of baby goats. Our sheep usually don’t need any help with things. Goat kids usually take to a bottle real fast, but Taco took several feedings of me dribbling milk down his throat before he decided to suck.
He is so cute but a big headache. I can’t trust most of the dogs around him and I have to lock them out of the kitchen to give him some time to walk around. When he gets more active in a day or two he won’t be happy in that carrier. And a ram lamb that’s bottle fed turns into a dangerous ram when he’s older. They have no respect for humans and will try to knock you down, we had one that really hurt both of us at various times until we got rid of him. So he will have to be neutered and become a pet or become meat. And it’s hard to turn something into meat you bottle raise.
I do need a white elephant gift for work- what’s better than a baby lamb?
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