A Lambing Journal - Day 6

Today marked 150 days since the rams were turned in with the ewes, and it was by far the busiest day yet this lambing season.  While it started off with more frustration (we had a lamb fall into a small creek and get chilled), it ended on a high note.  As I write this at 7:30 p.m. we've had 4 single lambs, 2 sets of twins and one set of triplets.  When I left the ranch an hour ago, there was at least one more ewe who was set to lamb.  I'll go back after the girls go to bed and check on her - wouldn't surprise me if a few more had lambed as well.  As of this moment, we have 20 lambs on the ground.  In the next two weeks, I expect that at least 100 more will arrive!

We also stripped out (milked) one of the ewes that had lost her twins in the storm.  I taught two of our interns how to milk by hand - we agreed that it was clear why someone had invented a milking machine!  We got 40 ounces of milk (which we'll save for future bottle lambs), and we'll try to catch her again tomorrow.

Emma and Waylynn

While the ewe that had triplets is a great mother, we decided to bring the smallest of the three lambs home to be bottle-raised.  "Waylynn," as the girls named her (because of her voice), has settled in.  She's pretty cute!

We're expecting more wet weather this week.  It won't be quite as cold, but we are preparing for more long nights.