Mixie is also the mother of Oliver, our bottle lamb, from the other thread. Mixie accepted the ewe lamb and I finally got out today and got some pictures. Here's Mixie nursing the lamb, just to show she really can be a good mom.
Mixie's ewe lamb
These photos show the white marking on the lamb's head from different angles. I don't think this is technically white spotting, but I'm going to get a few opinions. I know the sire carries spotting, but I didn't think Mixie did. So this white marking could just be an indication that the lamb carries spotting.
Edited to say: I was wrong, Mixie could possibly carry spotting, so that makes it interesting...
This message was edited May 4, 2009 2:15 PM
Another angle. The flashing runs down behind her ears on both sides but is more apparent on the right.
Another pic. She also has a little white snip between her eyes.
Yet another showing a good view of the top of her head.
Awww...she's precious! Mixie has a great set of horns!
What makes you think that it is not spotting? I'm just curious because as you know, I'm new to all this! I would have thought it was spotting.
Well, sometimes Icelandics can have white hairs or even a concentration of white hairs show up, and it's really not a spot. It's called flashing. Often it shows up on the nose. My black ewe Penny has this on her nose, and a white snip on the side of her lower jaw. Usually it is thought to indicate that the animal carries spotting. This "spot" on the lamb is sort of borderline to me - maybe it's really a spot, or maybe not. I'm going to see what those with more experience have to say.
Re Mixie's horns.... the angle of the pics make them look better than they are! :) They actually curve back in towards the back of her neck, which is not ideal. However, they make great "handles"!
How sweet is that???? I just love the little white spot. CUTE!! Its like a diamond. :)