Sometimes You Find an Extra Dose of Sunshine

When I went to the barn this morning, I, as always, glanced out at the ewes standing in the paddock.

A brown lamb stared back at me.

Sometime overnight, Esther, the ewe, had given birth to a brown ewe lamb and a white ram lamb. When I saw them around seven this morning, they were dried off and nursing.

Technically, lambing season wasn't supposed to begin until April 16. We let the ram out with the ewes on Nov. 16, and the gestation period for sheep is five months.

However, Esther comes from the "chocolate" line, and Chocobutt's offspring have a mind of their own.

I spread straw in a stall, put hay in the feeder, and filled a shallow pan with warm water and molasses. Then, I scooped up the lambs and lured Esther into the stall or "jug." There, I can watch her for a few days to make sure the lambs are nursing and healthy. I squirt Nutradench into the lambs' mouths and dip their umbilical cords in iodine.

After recording the information in my farm book, I snap a few photos and leave the ewe with her lambs, and note that the season of distraction has begun.