full house

My boss is away all week, and half the next. I was quick to seize my opportunity. Pointing out that I didn't have much to do in the office (yet) if she wasn't there, didn't it make better sense for me to take the week off unpaid and save her the expense?

Perfect timing, too, with most of the ewes' due dates in that ten day stretch, and shearing happening right at the beginning.

So I have been on kinda vacation since Friday. Friday was cooking and other preparation for shearing, Saturday was shearing and lambing, Sunday was recuperating, Monday was cleaning and running errands and food shopping, plus dealing with a sick kid (Primo).

BUT I am not complaining! What a luxury to have time to get these things done. I never truly appreciated it before now.

This morning, I decided to offer a bottle to the white triplet ram. He wasn't gaining weight like the other two.

Gotta keep that milk warm on the way out!

Most of the time, if a lamb has been nursing off its dam, it takes a little convincing as to the merits of the bottle. Not this one. He sucked down three ounces in no time flat. Same thing with the bottle I took out at noon.

So now we have a semi-bottle baby. He doesn't need the bottle to live, because he is still getting some milk from Holly, so midnight trips are not necessary. Just three trips a day to supplement what he is getting. Thank goodness for that, and especially thank goodness that I am home to do it.

Things seemed to be under control tonight, and we were ready to head out for our nieces' play performance, when Secondo burst through the front door, with the news that Jasmine was in labor. Bursting through the front door seems to be a hallmark of this lambing season.

Sure enough, he was right. By the time they got out there, the black ram lamb was born and the white ewe lamb was just behind him.

YES!!! You read right. A ewe lamb, finally. Three cheers for Jasmine!

Now all three lambing jugs are full; from left to right, Holly, Lambykins and Jasmine. Technically the first two don't need to be in the jug, but it can sometimes be tricky with ewes that still have to lamb beating up on the babies when they come into the barn at night.

Current tally: three ewes delivered, three to go, with a score of five ram lambs and one ewe lamb. Next due date is Saturday, maybe. We'll be keeping a close eye.