Looking forward to Shetland lambs in Spring!

The rams went in today! Everyone is already wormed and has neatly trimmed feet. The ewes, who ignore the ram pen for most of the year, have been hanging around it making "sheep's eyes" at the rams - they must be coming into heat.

We may be deep in snow but in 145 days the first of the Shetland lambs should be hitting the ground.

Kokanee, my big handsome black gulmoget ram with a full curl of horns, knows just what is wanted and has 11 purebred Shetland and 3 mixed breed ewes to cover. Nebuchadnezzar, still growing, is a fabulous fawn gulmoget and finds this process very exciting but slightly mysterious. He has only 7 purebred ewes to cover and is only just starting to practice his lip curl.

Makes me think about springtime! The boar will go in with the sows on Sunday and that will bring piglets in mid March. The winter will fly by!

I am looking forward to photos of all of the youngsters!

What a wonderful post! It makes me think of Spring and warm weather (even though I know the reality of lambing time can be brutal!) and baby animals....Thank you Heda. It warmed me up a little.

My, you start early! The resident rams here have to wait for Christmas. Do you have a warm, indoor lambing area?

Early April is a good time - no flies, usually before shearing ( I don't really have a choice of shearing times, the shearer comes through and does everyone on his trip in one week). I used to lamb outside but with recent fox problems I now lamb in the barn - although lambing usually takes place at night when they are locked in anyway. Then mother and lambs spend a few days locked in fox proof barn until lambs are fast enough to escape fox. Works really well.

Heda, do you give your sheep water in the winter, or do they eat snow?

I give them water or at least make sure they have access to some of the geothermal livestock waterers but they rarely seem to touch water in winter preferring snow. We have weeks of bitter cold and ice when I feel they have no alternative to the water I provide - but they seem to find something else. Then once in a while they will all drink the water offered - haven't figured out why, so I make sure some is on offer all the time. Although mostly in the barn at night they don't have any - they just seem to kick it over.