Here is an update of some of our lambs.

Her is 22's baby girl buried in her hay, this face is begging to be snuggled. 

We choose to individually separate all the mothers and lambs for at least the first week post lambing.  We do this for a few reasons. First, it is much easier for a mother to get her lambs the proper milk intake if they do not have to walk all over the larger pen to get grain, hay and water. When I first  had my daughter and we were working on our nursing skills I really didn't move much from the couch, my focus was getting the hang of keeping a baby alive with just my body.  We provide the same concept for the ewes, only without the couch. Putting the mothers in separate pens also allows up to monitor their health at a closer level. I can tell how much each ewe has drank or hay she has eaten, if she is starting to feel off I can identify it much quicker. If there is  a sick lamb they are much easier to identify, grab and treat.    

Remember our first female lamb of the season?  She is still adorably cute and growing.

Here she is learning how to eat grain from her mother, 19.   I am going to have to think of a name for her, open to suggestions!

The triplets are growing quite well. It appears that we will be able to keep them all with their mother. 

There are nine or so ewes yet to lamb, come cute babies to come!

Who doesn't love hour old baby lambs?

Early Sunday I went to the barn for morning checks to find a baby lamb outside the main sheep pen. He had rolled out under the gate and was separated from his mother. Inside the large pen was an upset mother and a twin lamb. 

19 (daughter of Sweet Pea) had birthed the lambs sometime in the early hours of the morning and luckily had strong mothering instincts.  By the time I got out there she had the lambs cleaned, dried off, and nursed.  This is 19's first lambing season and she has produced possibly the cutest lamb I have ever seen.  

I can not get enough of this little female lamb who is more white than black. Her brother is what we have traditionally seen for color.  I love how her white comes down her ears and across her face almost to her nose.  I think she looks like a Holstein calf.      

Bixler, our dog, is always a little meticulous with the lambs and wants to make sure they are as clean as possible.  Here you can see a little more of the white markings on the female's chin.  

Our 2016 has officially started. I can only hope the rest goes as smoothly.