The best part of sheep raising is bottle feeding the orphan lambs. Annie and Oakely are so cute and it is so touching to be known as "mama" whenever I call them. Here they are today when I called them to the fence line for lunch.
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The warm weather just continues and brought us yet another beautiful day. This time most of the lambs went out with the mothers to graze in the hayfield. Even Annie and Oakley got into the act.  Some of our rams are really growing big. Here's Bobo and Big Willie posing for the camera:  As you can see, Annie and Oakley are still not quite bonded to the herd yet. They still just want to stick close to mama (that's me, Farmer Tom)   Resting after a hard day of grazing.
Glad to report BooBoo has responded well to the supplemental feeding and is strong enough to compete successfully alongside his brother Bobo for Mama's single udder milk supply. BooBoo bonded with us a little and, though he no longer needs the bottle, is keen to try to nibble on us whenever we feed Annie and Oakley. Speaking of our orphans, they are doing exceedingly well. They are no longer staying in garage as they are now full fledged members of the flock. The weather has been gorgeous as of late--sunny, dry, highs in the 60's. Needless to say, the lambs have been introduced to pasture grazing a little early this year. So far, the larger lambs are venturing out while the smaller lambs remain close to the barnyard. But it won't be long before we see all of them heading out to the big field. Farmer Tom has been on fox watch ever since a red fox made his appearance inside the hayfield pasture and was actually found sleeping in the sheep shelter. Hopefully the fired shots of the Henry .22 rifle will have scared him away for good. Since the incident we have not seen the fox reappear. Farmer Tom is losing sleep over the fox.   Well, we sort of expected this. Limpy, our mother of quadruplets, has a defective udder. Only one side is functional. We hoped pulling off Annie & Oakley and leaving her with only Bobo and BooBoo would allow her, hopefully, to nurse both without too much difficulty. Unfortunately, a single udder is only providing enough milk for the stronger of the two males, that being Bobo. While Bobo is gaining weight and growing, his little brother BooBoo is declining. He is not getting enough milk and therefore is unable to keep his core body temperature up. Consequently, he is getting weaker. We waited until Sunday; it was then decided that we would supplement BooBoo with the bottle. He took to it right away. And within a day, he is already showing improvement. Here's a photo of BooBoo just before we started bottle feeding him.  The days of Annie and Oakley in the Orphan Pen will soon end. But before we introduce them to the flock, we thought it best to give them a chance to see what it's like to be outside before they have to deal with all the mothers and lambs together. I was surprised how fast these two could run. Having now bonded to us, they naturally follow us wherever we go. I sprinted ahead so I could get a few long shots photos of the lambs by the house. But when I turned around, Annie and Oakley had kept up with me the whole way and were huddled around my feet. I couldn't shake them off. I love those little sheep.    The weather has been wonderful this year with hardly any snow. The pastures are open and today mother and lambs made their way into the Marshview Paddock. Spot was looking a little cold as she shivered in the frigid air, so I took her in my arms and warmed her up a little. She seeemd to like it (no squirming) We're going to keep a close eye on her, as she is very tiny with hardly any fat layer at all on her little body. Such lambs can get hyporthermic very quickly. The forecast is for milder air in the next few days, so that should help.    This morning Limpy's and Smooth's babies met for the first time in the big pen. We usually expect quite a tussle from the mothers as they tend to butt away any lambs not their own. But this time, the integration rumble was very tame, perhaps due to the fact that mothers and lambs spent the last three days in adjacent jugs--they were already use to seeing each other. Anyhow, Bobo and BooBoo, Big Willie and Willemena enjoyed themselves immensely as they explored a much bigger world. Wait until they meet all the rest of the lambs later tonight. It's gearing up for quite a dinner party.   The orphans are doing well. At first little Oakley resisted the bottle, but now she is nearly as voracious as her sister Annie. Today, they will be banded and numbered, though I'm sure we'll always be able to recognize them when they assimilate into the flock. They'll be the ones running to mama (that's Sharon and me). Prepare yourself for some adorable pics below:     The lambs just keep a'coming! This morning, we woke to find that Smooth gave birth to her babies during the night. Boy are they ever big! Two lambs, one male one female, each weighing around 12 pounds. Very healthy and spry, we should have no trouble with these two. Smooth has plenty of milk and the babies are standing and jumping and drinking hungrily. Since they are large lambs it just made sense to name the male "Big Willie" and the female looks just like a "Willemena" So say hello to Big Willie and Willemena.   Today Limpy gave birth to four, count them, FOUR lambs! Two males and two females. WOW! This is a first at Bear Valley Farm. And while we are thrilled to have four healthy lambs, this now presents a problem. You see, Limpy has an injured udder from the previous year. Only one "teat" is functional, which will barely supply enough milk for two lambs. There is no way that Limpy will be able to adequately supply all of her four babies. And as much as a good mother that she is, you could tell that she was overwhelmed with this many offspring. Our vet came by to see if there was any possibility to restore the bad udder; unfortunately it is forever closed up. So, we made the decision to pull the two females and leave Limpy with her two boys, Bobo & BooBoo. Rams tend to be more aggressive and hearty at this early age, so they will be able to compete well for the single drinking fountain available to them. Here's the only pic we have of all four lambs together:  We brought the two females by car to our heated garage where they will have their own pen. As you can see, they're still a little messy from the birth. But it is best to separate them right away before Mama can bond with them. If we wait, she will feel the loss of her two lambs and it will be traumatic for her---and that's the last thing we want for our Limpy.  Say hello to our two orphans, Annie & Oakley. We will be raising these darling lambs ourselves, making sure they get all the milk and love they need. They will be fed every four hours for the first week, which is not big deal for us --- bottle feeding baby lambs is a hoot. And it's fun to be their mama. They will bond to us like glue.  It is also a blessing that there are two in the orphan pen. Each lamb will have a companion and from what we've seen already, Annie and Oakley are becoming the best of friends.    Meanwhile, back in the barn, Bobo & BooBoo are getting along pretty well. We've watched both of them nurse and, for the moment, they seem to be getting enough milk. Mama hasn't hollered for her missing lambs even once. We will keep a sharp eye on the two brothers in the next few days. It is possible we'll have to supplement their feeding if they do not gain enough weight. Last year, Limpy's babies (Moo & Bloo) needed a helping hand from us. Time will tell if Bobo and BooBoo will follow in their footsteps.  Bobo the Lamb  Bobo's brother, BooBoo
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