Newborns

On Wednesday afternoon we fed the animals as usual. All of them come around bleating, neighing and clucking their expectations of a good feed; it's a great habit as they come to me and I can check their well-being. 

I noticed that one of the ewes, Mary, had a very enlarged udder and a rather swollen-looking rear end.  After the feed I kept watching her and noticed that she wandered off by herself, lay down and then got up again. We weren't expecting lambs for another few weeks but didn't really know for sure. Since we've seen foxes here the last few mornings I quickly got the kids to help move the sheep to a safer paddock closer to the house, and then we waited. And checked her, and waited, and checked.

At 10pm I went out and shone the flashlight and saw Mary's eyes shining back...and then two little sets of eyes shining back near her feet! So exciting, our first lambs.

One was a lot weaker than the other, and the following morning it was sitting off by itself, shivering in the cold, while the other lamb and Mary had wandered off.  I got the little one up, which woke it and reminded Mary she had another little lamb to care for.  We have kept doing this over the last 36 hours and the little one has gained strength.

The lambs are so fragile, on their long spindly legs, seemingly holding onto life with such a frail grasp.  

They are both ewes, so our girls have campaigned for us to keep them both rather than eat either of them. Little Woolly and Daisy, I have to say that I'm inclined to agree :)