Goldfields October 4th, 2010, 04:58 AM Just thought I'd post a photo of my pet (orphaned) lambs before they outgrow their cuteness. They were actually jibbing at the door of the stable, telling me they didn't want to be locked up for the night. :D They're starting to really thrive after their rocky start to life. :)
Tundra_Queen October 4th, 2010, 05:44 AM Oh they are so cute!! I saw some Jacob sheep at the farmer's market on Saturday,,,they were so cute too and they had horns!
Love4himies October 4th, 2010, 06:59 AM Awwww, they are adorable :cloud9:
Do they have surrogate ewes that are caring for them?
Goldfields October 4th, 2010, 10:13 AM No, I'm bottle feeding them with Denkavit lamb milk, Love4himies. They're also eating grass, hay and sheep pellets. I have been wondering though, when they are old enough to go out with the ewes and lambs, whether they won't cotton on to how the other lambs get a drink and try to sneak one themselves. LOL.
Tundra Queen, those Jacob sheep are fascinating, aren't they? I haven't ever seen them in the flesh, only on TV.
Rgeurts October 4th, 2010, 11:04 AM Oh how sweet!! I love lambs :cloud9::lovestruck:
I had a couple I bottle fed years ago, but they didn't make it, they were just too weak when we got them :(
Dog Dancer October 4th, 2010, 05:09 PM Oh they're so cute! I would make an awful farmer. I'd be in love with everything and we'd be overpopulated in no time...
Love4himies October 4th, 2010, 05:26 PM Oh they're so cute! I would make an awful farmer. I'd be in love with everything and we'd be overpopulated in no time...
Me too. :o
luckypenny October 4th, 2010, 05:27 PM Sheep never outgrow their cuteness :cloud9:. Do they follow you everywhere if they can, Goldfields? My two favorite pets growing up were our sheep and ducks. Made a young kid feel pretty important with such a loyal following :D.
Do you have any other animals?
Goldfields October 4th, 2010, 06:44 PM Rgeurts, there are things you can try for those weak lambs. If they are newborn then warmth is very important, they could even be like puppies, I don't know, but you shouldn't ever feed a chilled pup, you need to warm it up first. Then we give them Protexin in their milk, a multistrain probiotic that is excellent for orphaned, sick or stressed animals, and if there is any sign of lameness later on , a shot of penicillin. The milk must be the real deal, like the commercial brand milk I buy, or at least a very good homemade formula, and it always has to fed at just the right temperature.
I do get rather attached to my ewes. For many, many years we just had two old wethers on the place, plus a couple of jersey cows, but when Ian decided we'd give up milking cows, those old sheep had no hope of eating all the grass in the Spring, so it meant more sheep. Now, add a ram and your numbers soon get scary. LOL. Plus, the farmers who help us with our sheep are a big influence on whether you get to treat them like pets or an asset I guess. They want to ensure you get really top quality meat in your freezer and good prices if you sell any, and believe me, they're not going to respect you or help in future unless you start acting like a farmer.
Yes, LP, the sheep do follow me everywhere and because I feed them sheep pellets I only need to rattle the bucket and call them and they arrive, literally, at a gallop. :laughing:They are always curious about what I'm doing and I delight in sitting out there at feedtime, watching the lambs. They keep coming up to check me out and seem to like the sound of my voice. The only other animals are the two ponies. I miss having jersey cows here, they were just like big pets , and even more I miss having poultry. We had to stop keeping chickens because their grain bought mice, and the mice attracted snakes. Brown snakes, which are pretty deadly. I've had a goat for a short time, always wanted to have some pigs but Ian won't have that, and did toy with the idea of an alpaca as a herd guard, to protect my lambs from foxes, however it'd be too risky in case one of my dogs ever got out and was pulverised by it. Plenty of horses and ponies over the years, the two ponies we have now might be the last though.
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