The second set of pure Jacob twin ewe lambs born today! The second Jacob ewe had twin girls today. So, from two ewes and two rams, the Jacob flock is now six ewes and the two rams. Jacob wool is sought after by hand spinners. It is soft and has excellent crimp, plus the colour can be mostly white or mostly black or a mix of spots in between. Some of the Jacobs are tinted more on the dusky side and are lilac. The Jacobs at the Fat Ewe Farm are black and white. The two little girls born today had a hard time of it. There was meconium in the amniotic fluid. I had the ewes out on pasture for a few hours in the late afternoon and the ewe likely would have birthed earlier, but hung on until back to safety to do so. This resulted in the babies a little stressed. The ewe was a first time mother and cried out in pain birthing the little ones, especially the second. I gave her a hand drying off the girls, checked them over and presented them to mom to do the rest. She did not move for some time, so I encouraged her t o get up. This helps pass the placenta too.
When I checked on her about 20 minutes later, the babies were nursing and the mom was still cleaning them by licking. The mothers will have to be wormed in a few days and in a few weeks the babies will be vaccinated. Their tails will be docked by elastic band tomorrow. The Icelandic rams will be left in tact, since they are naturally short tailed and grow faster if not castrated. The Icelandics will all be sold, except for Jennifer. She will be kept for milk and fleece, since she is so friendly.
The Jacobs get to stay for now too. It is hard to decide whom to keep and whom to sell. I would like to keep them all, but that is not the right decision economically or time wise. In the meantime, I get to hug the babies every day and that all makes it worthwhile.
When I checked on her about 20 minutes later, the babies were nursing and the mom was still cleaning them by licking. The mothers will have to be wormed in a few days and in a few weeks the babies will be vaccinated. Their tails will be docked by elastic band tomorrow. The Icelandic rams will be left in tact, since they are naturally short tailed and grow faster if not castrated. The Icelandics will all be sold, except for Jennifer. She will be kept for milk and fleece, since she is so friendly.
The Jacobs get to stay for now too. It is hard to decide whom to keep and whom to sell. I would like to keep them all, but that is not the right decision economically or time wise. In the meantime, I get to hug the babies every day and that all makes it worthwhile.
Lynn, the Icelandic sheep do not flock or work with dogs, so out on the pasture they scatter and go in the bush. One lost her twin lambs this year, maybe to a fox or the raven. The other sheep are easier to manage. If I had proper fencing, I would keep the Icelandics because they are hardy and self sufficient. Without proper fencing, that self sufficiency becomes a hindrance for management. I am keeping the Jacobs, Babydoll Southdowns and a couple of the ewe lambs from the E'st a Laine Merino and Cotswold mating. There are 4 Jacob ewe lambs this year, along with the two ewes and two rams, 6 Babydoll Southdowns and 3 Cotswold/E'st a Laine Merino cross ewe lambs. Most likely I will keep the Karakuls unless I find excellent homes for them, since they were my very first sheep and I am sentimentally attached to them. Thanks for asking.
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