Cheep

Look what Brendan found in our yard this afternoon . . .

We had two hens that were broody and sitting on a batch of eggs, but I've seen both of them out of the coup more and more lately, so I thought they'd given up. Hens do that sometimes.

But I guess not! This little guy (or gal) was in the grass just outside the coup. We checked inside and there was another one that unfortunately didn't make it. But now we're on chick-watch! As they hatch, we'll pull them out and keep them separate from the adults. 

I'm hoping for 3-5. That would be a nice addition to our pet flock.

Wordless Wednesday, May 23, 2012

There is an often-observed weekly theme in the blogging community where we put some photos up on Wednesday and let them speak for themselves.

I have a terrible back-log of pictures to share, so I'm going to try to stick with it.

And now for the "wordless" part :)

New Cria!

I typed that previous post just a bit too soon! Confetti had a beautiful little girl at about 5:15 this afternoon. I saw the birth from the time the feet were sticking out. I got some great pictures, but I'll share those later.

For now, we can just enjoy the cuteness of a baby llama!

Just out, slimy and wet. Starr is very, very interested in the new arrival. They look so much alike because they're half-sisters.

At this point, I had to put Starr in the barn. She was so enthralled with the new baby that she wasn't letting Confetti get close to her. There was some spitting and neck wrestling, but I got them separated before there was scratching and hair pulling. 

LLAMA FACE! One brown eye and one blue eye, and some crazy black lipstick!

Up!

But a bit unsteady.

Only a mother could love?

Getting Big

Our llama, Confetti, was due to have her cria on May 1, 2012. It is now May 21, 2012. She's a bit over-due, and getting pretty big! 

However, for having been pregnant for over a year now, she seems to be taking it well. 

Everyone else is getting big as well. Here are some fun lamb shots to make you smile!

Waylon--by far our best ram. He may replace Knox in our program.Willie--twin to Waylon, and also really hard to photograph! Emmylou is in the background.Emmylou--she is simply stunning. I'm so excited about her structure and her fleece. My fingers are crossed that she doesn't fade too much.

Johnny--he's got the absolute wrong type of fleece except that he's black. Jet black! He's staying with us, but as a wethered pet.

And, of course there's Princess June! Can you tell who's the darling of the barnyard?

June.June and meKat and JuneGlutton for scratches

The Wonder of Birth

Warning: the following pictures are graphic images of a sheep giving birth!

Our last ewe to lamb, Emerald, cooperated with us last Saturday, April 28, by giving birth at a reasonable hour--9pm! I had noticed her nesting and acting very about-to-give-birth-y, so I grabbed my camera and declared, "I'm sitting in the barn until this lamb comes!"

That was at 7 pm, so I didn't have too long to sit in the cold. She began having contractions around 8, and then things went pretty fast. Morgan, Mike and my mom-in-law, Jude were all present. Morgan is only 7 and handled things very well. She quietly asked questions as things progressed and wasn't phased at all.

Contractions

Bag of water emerging.Hooves and nose emerging through the bag of water in the "diver" position.

The bag of water breaks and things get slipperier (hooves and nose again).

 

Head emerging.Shoulders emerging.Body emerging

Body mostly out. At this point, the sack came off the lamb's face and she started breathing. If Emerald had given birth standing, gravity would have helped finish up.Emerald was finished pushing, and the little lamb more or less kicked her way into the world.

Welcome to the world EmmyLou!

Gooey but alert.Up and searching. She was a little confused about which end had milk for a while. She finally got it.This was the best entertainment in the barn!

Starr (the llama on the far left) had a hard time containing herself; she wanted to help lick Emmylou clean. She kept sticking her nose between the slats of the birthing pen until Emerald finally gave her a strong head butt.

Lick, lick, lickingThe next morning, all clean and fluffy.

Out in the pasture on a foggy Wednesday morning (4 days old).