Life rolls on

Winter here feels likes it's winding down. My ewes are fat and loving their pampered barn life. Our goats look like they will be kidding in the late spring and our horses are fuzzy.

This week we experienced the reality of colic. It happens to most horse owners at some point. Sometimes you get lucky with minor colic but the week that wasn't the case for us. 

Our family horse, Holly, had a displaced colon and we had to euthanize her yesterday. It was a sad day with many tears. Our kids had a hard time understanding the suddenness of it. We just rode her. She was just running around her field. And then on top of it, we had a gelding winter really badly and it was finally to the point where he couldn't sustain life either.

It's been a rough horse week!

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of their soul remains unawakened"

Anatole France

Does and Bucks

That little multi-coloured guy is the new buck in town.... Well at least on the farm. We REALLY didn't want to kid while we lambed or while it was cold so hopefully these girls will catch and we'll get some late spring kids!

Pins and Needles

It's been a while but things are slow here on the farm front and extra busy on the hockey/Christmas/school front. Our ewes and rams are co-habitating (the rams will get the boot next week) and so we've just been letting Mother Nature do her work.

Our dogs however.....

Should just "live and let live".

Yes Folks, those are porcupine quills. We came home from church and found our precious pooch looking like a cushion for pins!

We got them all out and she seems to be doing just fine!

Never a dull moment out here!

Predator Protection- learning lessons

Last week we lost a lamb but we also had our dog attacked and then 2 of our ducks were plucked right off our front step.

Our short term fix is moving everything inside but our long term solution include these two....

Meet Baxter

                           

And Bailey

Sorrows of the Shepherd- graphic.

Saturday morning I went out to say good morning to the girls. All were happily grazing. Sunday evening I went out to do chores and Alma was missing. I walked the perimeter- didn't find a hole or tacks. Walked the field- my neighbor, kids, and father in law all walked our fields looking for clues. We went to beds all a little sad we couldn't find our lamb.

Monday morning I walked my other fields and then thought I would walk her pen one more time. Sure enough, in the day light, I found her and some alarming tracks.

I grew up in the prairies and my husband in the mountains. We have our fair share of predator experiences. We had made sure we had secure fences but because of the safety we have enjoyed the last three years we were also lulled into false sense of safety.

Lessons- lambs are easy targets, fences only do so much to deter predators, and we need to step up protection.

I am glad we found the carcass. It gave us answers.

Summer Lamb

This Summer one of our new ewes Lily

had a lamb.

Her birth story is in the blog.

 But I thought it would be nice if I could show you some pictures.

She is a beautiful big and healthy ewe lamb.

We named her Cattail Amaryllis

Amaryllis means "to Sparkle" 

and we thought that was quite suiting.

Dusty was sure that it would be annoying to say so it was shortened to 

Alma.

She is fun and curious by nature.

She is by far the most friendly lamb we've ever had. She will leave her ewe and come right up to investigate you.

Alma a few hours old. She was so big we think a nerve may have been pinched.

She couldn't get up and laid in some of the most akward looking poses! 

 

 

 Finally up and standing on her own.

 Kicked out into the field with the other ewes.

Lily was happy to be back out in her pen!

(about 2 weeks old)

 Out and exploring!

Alma is about 1 month old.

 She is going to be a stunning ewe.

We are going to be thrilled to add her into our breeding ewes!

Committed- Learning Lessons in Lambing

A couple of our ewes were bred late

which means we were going to lamb in July.

One of them was open so we were waiting

(not so patiently)

for our Lily to lamb.

She seemed ready FOREVER

and she was large.

On Sunday I checked her in the morning

and

she seemed as ready as ever

but 

nothing major.

We came home from church and I thought I would just run out to see how she was.

I got in the barn and she was laying down

with a lamb behind her

still in the sack.

I got into the pen and peeled the bag back

the lamb was still hot

but

not moving- not breathing.

I wiped it the best I could with my bare hands and straw.

I put a piece of straw up it's nose and tried to clear out the airways.

At this point it started twitching.

Still not breaths.

So I tipped it up side down and with my other hand went down its nasal canals.

laided it back down and gave it mouth to mouth.

It was disgusting.

I wish I was a good enough person to look past that

I am not

It will go down as one of the most disgusting things I have done to date.

BUT

that little lamb took a breath

and started to kick

She was pretty rattly for a few days and it took her 8 hours to stand and eat on her own.

The ewe was confused about the "let down" reflux

and kept kicking at her bag like flies were on her.

But my midnight everything seemed to sort itself out.

I am glad it's our last of this year.

I am extreamly thankful it's alive and healthy

and

it's a ewe!