Flock, Flowers and Fiber

May Day brought us two more lambs. Desert Peach Nana had twin rams. At the 6 AM check she was out with the flock grazing and at 8 AM when I went out to work in the barn she had both lambs over by the barn The dark lamb is little and whispy and his brother is the opposite heavy bones and flashy.

Both lambs are Ag.

Spring has come again to Reno. We've been getting flowers off and on since February. With loads of rain this last weekend the alyssum and phlox are going strong now.

More Basket of Gold alyssum.

Our little apple tree is just budding out. Love the Hobbit Tree shape.

With all the rain I spent Friday and Saturday dyeing some Blue Face Leicester wool.

Last Lambs

Here are pictures of lambs from the last three ewes. There may be one more ewe but not for awhile if at all. This is Sofies surviving ram lamb born April 22. His sister a solid moorit color died before the next morning from that strange blind, brain disorder. I keep calling the lambs blind but it is more than just blindness it seems their brains are what is affected and the blindness comes with it. The ewe lamb was having seizures before she died and others with this problem were observed having siezures now that I look back. All these flashy black and white spots will likely turn to grey on most if not all my lambs. Sweet tiny little guy weighing in at 5 pounds.

Nana and her lamb.

Nana has a ewe lamb mostly black with bits of white on her head and ears. She's just like her mom with long lanky legs! No problem with her health! She was born on April 23rd with no help from me and weighed 7 pounds.

Shays ewe lamb.

Shay had twins April 23rd and both are healthy! She was in labor in the morning as I was feeding so I kept an eye on her for maybe over an hour. She just wasn't doing much so I put her in the barn got my birthing supplies and went in to check things out. This little gal was right there ready to be born but off to the side a bit. Once I got her slippery little feet and pulled she came right out and Shay gave birth to her brother 15 minuets later without me.

And here he is another calico. With all the fancy Shetland names for colors and markings I still have no idea what you call this white with black and brown legs?
My vet came again Wednesday and took a blood draw from Sofie, since she had a sick lamb, and from the Bella boy I still have alive who is blind and a bit "off" compared to his sister. He has had a few seizures when he was younger and if he gets very upset. We should have some answers from this blood and the necropcy soon I hope!