Out to Pasture .....

This evening we took the bred ewes and ewe lambs out to pasture. This area is partially wooded and is the site of old barn and house foundations ..... hence the daffodils. I keep planning to dig up and move a clump of this old double variety, but I always forget to mark where they are. Anyway, that's my excuse ..... I just put a stick in the clump today, so let's see if it gets done this year!

It's pretty obvious that the ewes are due soon. They should start lambing around the 22nd or 23rd. At Wild Rose Farm, we have Rambouillets, Dorsets, and Dorset x Rambouillet crossbred ewes. Fine wool sheep like the Rambouillets have a slightly longer gestation period than the medium wooled Dorsets. The ewe in the right foreground is one of two Rambouillet ewes that are now 11 years old. Both had lambs last year, and both appear to be carrying lambs this year, althought this will be the last year that we keep them. Sorry to say, but their teeth wear out and they lose condition when that happens. This old girl, #806, has a 19 micron fleece and is a very good mother, although she was never a "stylish" sheep! Zoom in and look closely at the picture ........ "guess who" lost their ear tag? Yes, Rambouillet ewe #317. We ran all of the ewes through the chute and by process of elimination, determined that we were missing #317. We used a "scourable" green spray marker to identify her while I make up another ear tag.

Now it's time to stay tuned for the first lambs of the year and the weather is warming up just the way we like it!