the Nygora buckling, a Nigerian Dwarf mother with half blue eyes and an Angora father. Sweet! The babies have started to arrive in full swing. Today, this morning, I was greeted with a baby cria (llama), a sweet little girl with a red coat and black mask. She is so beautiful. Lucy Llama, her mother, is a quiet, halter trained llama, and is very protective as is her Aunty Karin. The ewes all came over to inspect the new arrival.
Then in the early afternoon, I was surprised by Leda, a young ewe, when she delivered twin boys, one black and one white, but they weighed only about 2.5 and 3.5 pounds each. It is not unusual for Icelandic ewes to birth twins and even triplets, but she is young, only a year and a bit herself, so this was quite difficult for her. She had the boys cleaned up and nursing quickly, then moved them inside for the evening. In a day or two, when she feels they are aware enough , she will bring them back to the flock. The twin girls born two days earlier have already joined the adults, though Mamma Red keeps a close watchful eye on them.
Then late this evening, Taffy did not come out of the small shelter when I checked the goats. It was nearly dark and I thought for a moment I saw something small and white near her. Sure enough, there was a tiny blue eyed buckling, half Angora and half Nygerian. He appears to be healthy and robust. I will check on him before bed to be sure he has nursed. Sometimes new mothers are not quite sure what that is all about. If his tummy is full and his mouth is warm, he and she will have figured all that out. Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats are great, but Angoras are terrible, because the mothering instinct has been forsaken for the best fibre. These babies are only the beginning of an estimated 60 lambs and goats that will be born on the farm this year. It is the most exciting and heartbreaking time. Sometimes nature takes its course and for whatever reason a young one does not make it. The mother cries and so do I, but for the most part, we have been extremely fortunate at The Fat Ewe Farm and the babies and mothers have gone on to see tomorrow. How blessed I am to be the stewardess in all of this. It is pure bliss and I am grateful to our Creator that I can share in the new lives. Thank you.
Then in the early afternoon, I was surprised by Leda, a young ewe, when she delivered twin boys, one black and one white, but they weighed only about 2.5 and 3.5 pounds each. It is not unusual for Icelandic ewes to birth twins and even triplets, but she is young, only a year and a bit herself, so this was quite difficult for her. She had the boys cleaned up and nursing quickly, then moved them inside for the evening. In a day or two, when she feels they are aware enough , she will bring them back to the flock. The twin girls born two days earlier have already joined the adults, though Mamma Red keeps a close watchful eye on them.
Then late this evening, Taffy did not come out of the small shelter when I checked the goats. It was nearly dark and I thought for a moment I saw something small and white near her. Sure enough, there was a tiny blue eyed buckling, half Angora and half Nygerian. He appears to be healthy and robust. I will check on him before bed to be sure he has nursed. Sometimes new mothers are not quite sure what that is all about. If his tummy is full and his mouth is warm, he and she will have figured all that out. Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats are great, but Angoras are terrible, because the mothering instinct has been forsaken for the best fibre. These babies are only the beginning of an estimated 60 lambs and goats that will be born on the farm this year. It is the most exciting and heartbreaking time. Sometimes nature takes its course and for whatever reason a young one does not make it. The mother cries and so do I, but for the most part, we have been extremely fortunate at The Fat Ewe Farm and the babies and mothers have gone on to see tomorrow. How blessed I am to be the stewardess in all of this. It is pure bliss and I am grateful to our Creator that I can share in the new lives. Thank you.
Little Audrey Llama, born this morning, is being closely watched by Lucy Llama, her doting mother.
Leda is a yearling Icelandic ewe out of my beautiful leader sheep, now living at another farm. Leda has twin boys, the tiniest lambs I have had so far, with the white one at just under 3 pounds and the black at just over. Leda has the boys mostly cleaned and they were attempting to nurse when I left them for the evening. Icelandic sheep have not lost their strong maternal instincts and seldom require any interventions. They are very milky and make superb mothers.
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