More Sheep Information

Having the sheep in the backyard has been good and bad. Saturday was bad, but today has been good. Saturday night I went to bed on time to make sure I had significant rest for the next day. About 1:00 a.m. I was woke up by the sound of a sheep baaing VERY loudly. Earlier that night, we had a severe rain. However, by this time, the rain had moved on to another location. I told Michael that sheep was sounding like she was looking for her baby. His response was that she might be having a baby. He crawled out of bed and slipped into his clothes. It was cold outside and he was out there for awhile. When he came back into the house, I heard him washing his hands. I also heard the sheep still bleating. As he was undressing to get back in bed, he told me that he found the lamb in the barn. She was dead. Apparently when the downpour came earlier that night, she had been suffocated or stepped on by the rest of the sheep. The rest of the night was spent listening to the momma cry. A heartbreaking night for sure.

This morning was a good day. Having the sheep in the backyard allows me to watch them throughout the day. This morning I knew that we had twins right away and I knew that the mom wasn't doing a great job with them. I could see this from the comfort of my kitchen window. Now, we are watching even more closely to see if the mom will take to both babies. If she doesn't, then we are going to try to give the mom with the dead lamb the new twin to see if we can get them used to to one another. If not, I am afraid we will perhaps be bottle feeding the twin that appears to be unwanted. My daughter is thrilled with the prospect. I on the other hand understand what all that entails!!!

grace and peace,
julie