Spring time is lambing time! (Pic Heavy)

[Miss Z]

Wow, thank you so much for all the lovely comments!

Ahhh, I find this extremely interesting, of course! The lambs are precious and what an amazing experience! We never get to do anything THAT cool here, haha.

Ah I'm sure you will at some point, Bri! It's definitely worth all the studying when you get to put it all into practice and see it make a difference. I hope your vet studies are going well.

I went with my family to the state fair one summer. The local Future Farmers were giving a talk about sheep and lambs, with several sheep standing by for "hands on" demonstrations . I got to put the palm of my hand on a ewe 's coat and gently put my fingertips in the fleece. It was so thick, it came all the way up to my first knuckles! And soft, and plush

Yes you're right Elyse, the fleece is surprisingly thick! There were a couple that had been shorn due to getting mites earlier on in the year, and you realise their true size - it's quite a difference!

I'm surprised they don't just keep a database of ewes by ear tag numbers for things like age, etc. Paul looked at me and said "You'd just give them all names, and know them that way!" He knows me well!

The ewes did have ear tags with the flock number on them and were colour co-ordinated as to the year they were born, but as far as I know they didn't detail the individual animal. I'm pretty sure you're right, though, in that a lot of farms do keep records of that kind. As for knowing them all by name, I think I'd be right with you on that one.... all 800 of them!

Is the all black one considered "undesirable" and so not used in the future breeding cycles?

It's interesting that you say that, since I was recently watching a documentary on Welsh history, and apparently the old Welsh breed used to consist of black animals. Black wool wasn't favoured in the spinning industry from about 1500 right up until the 1900s, and the black animals were gradually bred out to produce the white sheep of today. So I suppose at a time she would have been undesirable! But since the British wool industry is now virtually non-existent, she'll be a future breeding animal I would imagine. The farmer was quite taken with her too so I think he may keep her on a while yet.

The countryside reminded me of the vet series All Creatures Big and Small. Kay in NC

It is indeed quite similar countryside. ACGS was set and filmed in Yorkshire, the neighbouring county to my home county of Lancashire.

When you said you needed to lend a "hand" to a help deliver a ewe, I started laughing out loud!! I delivered a lamb while visiting my friend's farm in VT. Talk about losing your watch!!!! Messy, but the ending was happy.

This made me laugh too - I was always careful to check I still had my watch after each delivery... even though it was on my left arm! And I agree, it's a messy and sometimes exhausting affair, but when you get the little one taking that first breath, there's no reward like it.