Moving out....moving on.

The weather here in the valley has been frigid!  In an effort to keep stress to the new lambs a minimum...I divided the barn and had all the ewes and lambs in one part of the barn in addition to all the pregnant yet to lamb ewes in a different section.  The barn was tight, filled to the brim.  At the suggestion of a friend...I hung Christmas lights around the lambing areas so the sheep could see each other and their lambs.  Also I wanted to keep the night check disruptions to a minimum.  Somehow the sheep think they should be fed every time they see my face.  With snow and black ice road conditions, I moved out to the RV at the ranch. All in all it was a little stressful. Keeping the RV warm when outside temperatures dipped below 17 was challenging.  Kind of silly, but the atmosphere the Christmas lights gave to the barn made me smile every time I checked for lambs at night.

Now the temps are back to the high 40's so it was time to kick those frisky babies out of the barn to give room to the grumpy gravid ewes. Yesterday, I introduced the lambs to their new digs....I was not surprised....they loved the big area!

Today, they are officially kicked out of the barn hotel and into their permanent home. They have not really appreciated the benefits of the creep feeder just yet.  They love the hay bales I put out for wind blocks....let the king of the mountain games begin.

For my friends and followers....no, the big wide super huge ewe has not gone yet!  She was lapped by a kathdin ewe who lambed out twin ewes last night.  I just love katahdins...they lamb, clean them, feed them and away they go!  They are so hardy.  Plus no tail docking makes it easier on my tender heart who hates the whole process of banding lambs.

Tiny Dancer is doing fabulous!  I'll wait to turn her out until she is bigger than the katahdin lambs being born. I do need to pierce her ear.

Today, there are a couple of ewes looking like they will be moving into the labor and delivery rooms soon!  I feel so much better having the lambs and their moms turned out and room for the pregnant ewes to have personal space.  Now if that big woolly girl would go I would be eternally grateful!

Seize the Day!