Ursula...

I was out all day today giving a Fibre Preparation Workshop downtown at the Ottawa Valley Weavers and Spinners Guild. It was a fun workshop and I made some new converts to wool combing. By the end of the day, I felt I was needed at home rather than go out again to watch Brianna play her first soccer games. I had had a funny feeling that morning, that Ursula was close...I've been way wrong most of the time this year. Sure enough, as soon as I drove up, I looked for my 2 last girls still waiting to lamb. Thelma was out in the field eating what little grass she could find, but Ursula was nowhere to be seen. As I was about to walk into the door, I heard the telltale noise...someone in labour, and it didn't sound good. Its the same sound that I got from the ewes with badly presenting lambs. I started to panic and got in my farm clothes and rushed to the sheep barn. Ursula was already in the lambing pen (clever girl) and her water had broken, so definitely in labour. I put up the gate quickly and gave her some water. She wasn't pleased by anything. I kept looking to see if her lamb was coming out well, nothing yet. I couldn't stand waiting and watching, so I went into the house to refill the other water buckets. When I got back to the barn, I could see 2 feet...good!!! But Ursula was still in distress. I remember her mother Thelma was a real moaner too when she had her first few lambs. I tried not to panic again...I started trying to visual my sheep book's pictures of mispresenting lambs, and wondered if it could be 2 back feet...not good! Eventually I looked in again and thank you, I could see the nose. OK, she's not happy, but it will be over soon...looks like a big lamb. The head cleared, but she was lying down, so I helped guide that lamb all the way out. She changed her tone quickly after that and started cooing at her lamb. Her lamb is a white ram lamb with interesting facial markings. She is already proving to be a great mom, because he was up and I saw her nursing her lamb within an hour. She's also quite calm. I'll weigh him tomorrow and find a name for him (Whitlock). I can't wait to see him when he dries up some more. His fleece looks very nice and even.



Ursula and her ram lamb Whitlock, which is English for "white lock of hair"...this just fits. He came in at a nice big size of 2.84kg for a 1st time lambing.

One more girl yet...and I saw her pawing the ground and behaving bizarrely tonight...maybe I'll wake up to 2 more lambs and an end to this big lambing season.