A quick check this morning out in the sheep shed suprised me with my first lamb of 2009. Annie and Dot were both licking clean a little black and white lamb that had obviously just been born and was already standing up. I didn't know who the mom was. Dot is the first one I've been expecting to have her lamb and she is big enough to have 2, but there was only 1. Annie I wasn't expecting yet. Turns out Annie is the mom, so I tried to move her alone to the lambing pen with her lamb, but Dot thought it was her lamb and wouldn't be separated. I finally got Annie alone with her lamb and Dot has been crying for "her lamb" all day. I had to work downtown today, so I quickly trimmed the umbilical cord and put iodine on it and left thinking it was a sweet little ewe lamb.
Benjamin and his mom Annie.
I got home late afternoon to check on the lamb and new mom and everyone seems content. I got a scale to weigh my lambs this year (thanks Dr. Carl) and the little lamb weighs 3.4 kg (7.5 lbs), but when I turned it over to look at the umbilical cord, I was suprised to see its a little ram lamb and yes, there are little horn buds on top of the head. Brianna has named him Benjamin. Last year, each lamb was named with the first letter of the mother's name. Annie had her very first lamb last year and his name was Anakin. This year, the lambs will be named with the next alphabetical letter of the mother's names.
My sheep are Shetlands. They are a small, hardy, slow growing breed of British sheep mainly prized for their wool. Their wool comes in a variety of colours and a number of patterns. Having Shetland lambs is like opening a present...you never know what you'll get. I have 8 more girls to go with their lambs...feels like Christmas!
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