Our Buttercup gave birth during a big rainstorm today to quadruplet lambs - 3 ewes and a ram. They all seem healthy and strong so far. I hope she can keep up with the nursing - if not, one will become a bottle lamb.
Quadruplet lambs!
Here they are - I have had all of them on the teat twice, to ensure they are getting some colostrum. They will be a handful for sure! The father is a blue faced Leicester, and they all have the curly fleece of that type, but they are all white like their mom (the dad is solid black!). The ewes weighed 5 lb, 7 lb and 8 lb, and the ram weighed 8 lb.
She still hasn't passed the placenta completely.
She had quads last year too. She gets this really hollowed out look when she is pregnant - I think it's partly the weight of the babies. She eats a lot but I always worry when she looks that thin on her back. She gets the weight back though, over the summer.
Amazing! Is that a desirable trait in a ewe? I know having twins is...and triplets?
It's hard to imagine how they all ever fitted inside!
Cute babies.
They look rather golden...is that the usual colour for newborn white lambs?
The golden fleece?
Exactly!
I'm building a fleet of triremes, but what wine dark waterways go to Urbandale?
They look like they are all doing well so far. Congrats!
I don't know. Mapquest, was no help.
Prolific ewes are always desirable. Twins and triplets are great as long as she can keep up with the milking. Quads are OK but they tend to be born all small(ish) because of the space constraints, and it can be hard for the mum to keep up. As it turned out, this one actually had quintuplets but the last one out was not alive and I don't think it made it to full term. It was about 1 lb and strangely coloured and had sunken eyes so I think her body decided 4 was all she could handle. Poor girl. Anyway, the 4 are all well and up and about today. The golden colour of the fleece is called mecomium and it is basically an early form of "poo" that the lamb has made in the uterus within the sac but it's not stinky or anything. It's not unusual to have white lambs show that colour on their fleece when they are born.
Now to come up with names....
Very cute. glad they are all doing well. what do you do with the sheep?
The only meconium I was familiar with is greenish black and considered a sign of possible fetal distress.
Scratch the triremes....
Cajun - I have them for their fleece - I am a hand spinner. Also this year, if I can bring myself to do it, I might sell a few into the meat market. I haven't figured out if I can do it yet.
Catsy - same stuff, not so much related to distress in the lamb/goat world - sometimes if they are a long time in labour it happens, or just for no reason....
CMoxon, maybe you can find someone to sell them to who wants them for fleece as well, or just as a pet.
They are so cute! I've never seen pics of such young ones. Very fun!
I've never seen quads... that is just amazing! I'm so glad they are doing well. Congrats Claire!
Yesterday we had a ewe give birth but the lamb was dead. I am now milking her daily and giving her milk by bottle to the quads to supplement their feeding. They are all doing well so far. So cute!
Do you drink any of it yourself? I understand it is high in fat and makes good cheese.
I make cheese or yogurt from it. I want to try making butter but you need a lot of milk for that. I don't drink it straight. I don't drink cow's milk straight either. I like dairy products but I just don't drink milk - well, sometimes chocolate milk!
CMoxon,
Do you ever sell your fleeces to other spinners, like me?
:)
Deb
Hi Deb!
Yes, I sure do. I sell roving and fleeces. This year's shearings have not been picked and skirted yet - they are awaiting my attention! I have Icelandic, blue-faced Leicester and some cross fleeces, and a black Shetland fleece, as well as several llama fleeces. I didn't skirt as well as I should have last year so I have some nice roving but it does have some VM in it. Some is blended with llama. What do you like to spin?
Claire
Hi Claire,
I'm pretty new to spinning and have been practicing (a lot more than I should, since the house and garden are a mess). So far I like Blue-faced Leiscester and merino blends. I was disasterous at silk, but I'm still really new to this (just learned in January). I'm trying dyeing some roving as well. This time of year I'm using easter egg dyes, later I'll use plants I gather in the woods. Do you have a web page that you sell from? I would love to try some of your rovings, since I don't have a carder and I don't think my lovely teenagers would be inclined to sit and comb for my while they watch tv.
:)
Deb
I have a shop on Etsy (whisperingacres.etsy.com) but I don't have much in it right now. I have rovings from various blends and ranging from white through light grey, medium grey, dark grey/brown and chocolatey brown. Send me a dmail letting me know what kind of colours you are interested in and I can send you some samples. The greys and browns take overdye nicely and give a heathered look.
I use Jacquard dyes but kool-aid also works really well!