One more lamb!

I got a surprise this morning when I went out to check on Stefi, the new mother from yesterday and her lamb. Most everyone was up in the hoophouse because it was raining, and so it was rather crowded. I looked at Mixie first, because I figured she would be the next to go. Then I saw the back end of Anya, and there was afterbirth hanging! And then she moved to one side and I saw a tiny white lamb trying to stand. He must have been born no no more than about an hour before as she had him mostly dried off. I went back in and got DH out of bed and he came out and held mom while I made sure junior got a drink. We weighed him and he's 6lbs. No wonder I didn't think she was due soon. She only had the one lamb and he wasn't that big, so she didn't look that big either. I figured she'd be last. Her udder was the last to develop too. These sheep always keep you guessing. Here's a pic I just took a few minutes ago of mom and baby resting.

One more photo:

Oh how cute is that!!! Both pictures are darling! You're on a roll Galles! Congratulations. :)

Aww, picture poster perfect!

Oh Karen he's adorable! Such a sweet little bundle of white!

Thanks! He really is too cute.

I am exhausted though. Our last ewe lambed yesterday afternoon. I thought at first she'd singled - a big vigorous 9lb ewe lamb. And Mixie was happy to see her and clean her, but got freaked out when the lamb headed for her udder. You had to see a little lamb chasing mom across the paddock to believe it. Mixie would even knock her down and then go back to cleaning her. I got her in a pen, and tied her, and got the lamb nursing. Then my husband got home and he came out to help hold her and we got the lamb to nurse a few more times.

THEN, and hour and a half after the first lamb, suddenly another waterbag appeared and a few seconds later, a second lamb just slid out and hit the ground. Mixie didn't even know she'd had a second lamb. We had to clean him, milk Mixie, and feed him with the bottle. Mixie would sniff him and then walk back to her first lamb who was loudly demanding attention.

So now we have a bottle lamb in the living room. He was 7lbs, and is a black mouflon. Thick thick thick fleece and thick long hair on his legs and face. He's going to be a fiber wether. I wanted a ram to wether anyway so it might as well be this one.

I will post some pics of everyone soon, but I was up most of the night and we still have things we need to do today, in between lamb feedings!

Galles. Are you bottle feeding, because mom won't let it feed or what? If the question sounds dumb. I know nothing about lambs. Also at the risk of showing my stupidity, what good are lambs besides their wool? Haystack

Hay I can answer that -some are good for meat and there are even some that are milked.

Sandy

Because there was such a long time between the two lambs being born, the mother didn't know she'd had a second lamb. There were no hard contractions or anything - he just sort of slid out. So even though she sniffed this strange new thing on the ground, it didn't "click" that he was also her lamb.

We could have tied the ewe up, or built a headgate, and kept her that way for a few days, so that both lambs could nurse, and she probably would have accepted the ram lamb within a few days as her milk passed through him and he began to smell like her.

She did eventually let the ewe lamb nurse that night, and by the next morning they were fine. We just decided not to mess around with tying her up and getting her to accept the ram.

If he was breeding stock quality, it would be better to get him to graft onto his mother. When you bottle feed a ram, they become a pet, and then when they mature, they become dangerous because they see you as their equal - like another sheep. But this little guy, although cute, and really wooly, is narrow in the shoulders and probably wouldn't be good breeding stock. So, he would either go for meat, or become a wether, and then we don't have to worry about those raging hormones. Since I wanted a ram to wether this year, it all works out.

And that answers your other question - lamb is probably primarily raised in this country for meat, although Icelandics are also raised for their premium fleece, and some are raised for milking.

Congrats on the lambs!
I'm glad that you were still out in the barn when she gave birth to the ram lamb to get it dried off before it chilled.
when you are raising the rams for meat do you leave them intact or band them?

You can leave Icelandics intact even if they are intended as meat lambs. This is because they will go to slaughter before the late fall breeding season when they would start to become "rammy" smelling. It was one of the advantages of Icelandics that we liked, along with not needing to dock tails.

Very nice not having to go through that w/ them. No worries on flies or infections. In general we are out there banding the tails and, um, the other parts as well. Sorry boys!
Hope not to offend anyone but how is the meat compared to other sheep you've had?

Icelandic lamb has a very light flavor. It tends to convert people who otherwise say "I don't like lamb". :) As long as you aren't butchering a ram in breeding season, the flavor is very good, and the meat is lean.

The breed sounds wonderful. I'm going to have to do some looking around in my area to see if anyone has some for sale. Thanks for all the great info.