Finally!

After all the waiting the first lambs of the season have arrived!

Amelia gave birth to twin ram lambs this morning. Most of the family was there to watch the births, and the pregnant ewes looked on through the stable doorway. Ram lambs this year will be named starting with the letter V (ewes will be E). So without further ado here is RF Valiant.

He's more of a lover than a fighter right now (hopefully it stays that way) he is the oldest by about 10 minutes and weighed in at six and a half pounds.

And here's his twin brother RF Valentine.

A little more shy but with a wonderfully soft fleece. He weighed in at six pounds.

Mother and babies are doing well. I think Jewel will be next and she could be very soon.

A lovely spring day

Today was one of those days weather wise where spring feels like it is in the air here in New England. The mom's to be were enjoying the sunshine and nice warm temperatures after all of the rain and snow we have been having, and I think maybe it feels like fresh green grass is just right around the corner finally.

Amelia looks like she is carrying twins at least.

Jewel always gets very large.

Even Sunny looked on sporting his wonderful ram shield and soaking up the rays. He's all alone now and doing very well with it. Hopefully grass will arrive soon and he can go back out with the non-bred ewes.

The garden is also showing signs of spring with buds on the trees.

And the start of bulbs emerging.

Oh yes, and the flooding of the back pasture. What we affectionately call Lake McCann. If you look closely you can see Miss Kitty one of our barn cats sitting at the waters edge.

Although with the water beaded on the bush it sure looked pretty this morning.

I hope everyone is having wonderful spring like weather where they are. We of course will probably get rain tomorrow, but for today at least all of the sheep got to sunbathe.

Finally an update

It's been very busy here with lambs all leaving to go to their new homes and the flock finally getting back to normal. So of course I'm beginning to think of breeding groups.

This is Sunny he's a 2 year old ram and from Painted Knoll farm in New Hampshire.

He will be bred to Cammie a 2 year old ewe lamb who had twin ram lambs this year I'm hoping for twin ewe lambs this year lol.

And Jacqui this Fall. Jacqui is yearling and this is her first breeding.

Griffin is a April ram lamb from Windswept farm in Michigan and I am very excited to see what he produces this year.

He will be bred to Amelia a home bred 3 year old who had a single ewe lamb last year and a ewe and ram lamb the year before.

And Jewel a 3 year old from Bluff Country who had a single ram lamb and then twin ewe lambs. She had last year off as a break and I am looking forward to seeing this breeding combination.

Groups will be formed probably by the end of this month before I fly to Kentucky for the World Equestrian Games. Although I am hoping that lambs won't be born until March/April. Our back pasture was mowed yesterday and all of the flock are enjoying going back there to graze. We have had very little rain this summer so it's not as green here in Massachusetts as the sheep would like.

I did manage to grow 2 sunflowers this year. The tallest easily tops 10 feet! They are starting to form their seed heads now and droop but still look wonderful.

Hopefully it won't be so long between updates again.

Naked sheep

The sheep were sheared on Monday afternoon and unfortunately for them it got cold on Tuesday. Today it was sunny (but windy) so everyone went outside and got to show off their do's.

Sunny looks wonderful and the shearer remarked what a great fleece he had especially for a ram. He has kept a good weight over winter and breeding season.

Dreamer looks very good too and spent most of the day stretching out in the sun. Dreamer is leaving us in the summer to go to a new great home. I am on the look out (and wait list) for a ram lamb lol.

Daisy Mae looked taller with her fleece off. And still skinny but not as far off height wise from Jacqui as I thought. Hopefully the spring grass will do her some good and she'll look better by the summer. That's Jacqui in the background her fleece was awesome. Can't wait to skirt it.

Jewel is looking good but plump. She is not supposed to lamb this year, I guess I know who has been eating Daisy Mae's food!

Amelia and Derry are doing well although I hope more lambs arrive soon for Derry to socialize with.

Lambing game for the pregnant girls will go up tomorrow. I need to think of a prize :)

A nice surprise

Well this morning Amelia surprised me with the first lamb of the season here at Ridgeway Farm. A little ewe lamb that we have finally decided to call Derry (all girls are D's this year and boys will be W's) as she is a St. Patrick's day baby. I checked all the girls last night ironically and thought I was safe from lambs until the shearer arrives on Monday. Amelia didn't feel like she had very much milk so I am wondering if Derry is a little premature. My dates have her a week early.

Anyway mother and baby are doing very well. I am interested by the number of single lambs people are getting this year. Amelia had twins last year her first time out so I was expecting 2. That being said I am very happy with one little girl.

Better pictures will be taken in a few days when they can go outside.

Sheepy post

The girls are all doing very well. Hopefully in a few months or even weeks lambs will be on the ground.

Sabrina is getting to be an old hand at this being my oldest sheep in the flock. She's just happy that she gets animal crackers every other night when I sit with the girls as Daisy Mae eats.

Amelia is becoming a lot like her mom Hermione and comes over for attention now instead of trying to run away.

The single girls are doing well too. Daisy Mae has put on another 2lbs, and although she still looks smaller than Jacqui she is continuing to grow nicely. Any ideas on how to put extra weight on her though would be good.

Dreamer just wanted to make sure I paid attention to him to, he's such an attention seeker and loves it all.

I go back to college this week. But I need to spend some time coming up soon pulling hay out of everyone's fleeces and trimming hooves. Almost time to contact the sheep shearer :)

What a nice day

The weather is lovely here in Massachusetts today. Not hot or humid, and not cold or rainy. If I was Goldilocks I would think it was just right. The geese are migrating, and in the evening they fly over the house calling each other.

The chickens run to the front of their pen every morning (or time I walk past) to see what I will drop in for them.

Miss Kitty (one of the barn cats) caught me a mouse today and then sat in the shade after she had eaten it...she was kind enough to leave the head on the barn floor. 

The sheep are happy enjoying the grass. After all the rain we had last month everything sort of exploded and grew. Amelia is mid-ear wag.

Daisy Mae is doing well and growing. She still feels thin but is getting better.

Jacqui is also growing very well, and has settled in great.

I don't have pictures but I have been riding again. I had my third ride back today and worked on getting Muppet in front of my leg. So far he has been super, and we are both having a good time getting back into work. Unfortunately college starts back on Friday so my summer vacation is over. I hope everyone had a great summer though.