Stone Cold

One of my smaller lambs was unfortunately tramped yesterday afternoon in the sheep pen. When I found him he was stiffened,stone cold and frozen into the ground. With all the signs of a dying animal, I brought him in the house to pass on peacefully. A very faint flair of the nostrils alerted me there was still a flicker of hope. So after spending the night nursing him, I was amazed to see this little guy awake and hungry this morning and with a little help walking again by this afternoon. He beat the odds. Our girl Ember has claimed this lamb as her own by cleaning it,sleeping with it and depending it from the other goldens.Sometimes hope is all we have, but sometimes that is enough...

Spring In Winter!

This was the morning I greeted! Cold but beautiful! Then I walked out to the sheep pen...and this is what greeted me!



This is of course after I settled the boys into the barn with their Mom and put their new wool warming coats on. These lambs are from our herd of St. Croix and Dorper cross sheep. These sheep shed their hair fleece in the spring (NO SHEARING :)) This flock was supposed to be lambing earlier in the year according to the man we purchased them from...This girl is only the beginning of our first winter lambing...and I mean winter...-17C this morning. So I had these real wool pillowcases that I really didn't like as pillowcases, and fashioned some real wool coats for my wool-less lambs...ironic. Actually the lambs were fairing pretty well when I found them and and a good deal of hair coat to them..but this will boost their ability to withstand the cold. And lambs are still just as charming in November as May! Can hardly wait to see them springing around the pen...

Summer lamb!

Our first lamb from our new St. Croix flock of sheep was born late this afternoon and then endured a marble size hail storm!! He looks like he will be the first of many late summer early fall lambs to start arriving!

St.Croix Sheep

Took a few pictures of our flock of St. Croix & St.Croix/Dorper sheep. The St. Croix are a breed of sheep that are known for multiple births, their excellent maternal abilities and the ability to lamb twice in a year. The carcass quality is very lean and the studies shown on the Katahdan sheep which is the breed derived from St. Croix, have an extremely low cholesterol rate. Well below beef, chicken etc. This flock is very quiet and very interesting to watch. The Dorper sheep genes are introduced into the mix for their body size and build. This flock is due to lamb in Aug. Sept. so we are anxious to see new lambs at an unusual time of year for us.