A ewe is born…..

Bertha lambed this morning and it was unlike any other birth I have experienced on our farm.  She is a special ewe not only because she has my grandmother’s name but for her personality. She is always the first to greet me and seems to enjoy my company as much as I do hers. Today she was standing alone near the pen that I keep my two bottle lambs in at night.  It was obvious she was in labor so I feed the lambs and quickly walked them out to the pasture. As soon as I had left with the lambs, Bertha began calling out.  Initially, I thought she was calling for some of the other sheep as Mae and Myrtle came down from the pasture and stood nearby. However, she only quieted when I returned and sat down with her.  I was truly honored as sheep can be rather private creatures when they are lambing. Very soon Bertha’s desire to have me near was made clear.  The lamb did not respond after Bertha’s short labor. It was not breathing. Bertha was cleaning of it face and I used my shirt to clean out it’s nostril further. At this point, the only action I could think of was to dangling the lamb upside down by her hind legs. While dangling a fair amount of fluid drained from her nose, and after what felt like an eternity but which was probably only 30 seconds, the lamb started to sputter. I used my sweat shirt to further wipe her nose. Placing her back on the ground, her mother continued to lick her clean. The stimulating washing her mother gave her quickly had her trying to get to her feet. When I left the barn to come home, she was on her feet and investigating the Bertha’s udder.  As I walked, I keep asking myself…..how could Bertha have known she would need my help to save her lamb. Some will say it was just coincidence, but I do not believe that.  She clearly wanted me there.  The two ewes she spends the most time with were there and had come in the shed after I left to see Bertha and her new lamb. Any one who spends time with these noble and loving creature can see the intelligence and wisdom they possess.  You only need to take the time to really be present and observe to see that they have so many attributes most would never consider them capable of.

A ewe is born…..

Bertha lambed this morning and it was unlike any other birth I have experienced on our farm.  She is a special ewe not only because she has my grandmother’s name but for her personality. She is always the first to greet me and seems to enjoy my company as much as I do hers. Today she was standing alone near the pen that I keep my two bottle lambs in at night.  It was obvious she was in labor so I feed the lambs and quickly walked them out to the pasture. As soon as I had left with the lambs, Bertha began calling out.  Initially, I thought she was calling for some of the other sheep as Mae and Myrtle came down from the pasture and stood nearby. However, she only quieted when I returned and sat down with her.  I was truly honored as sheep can be rather private creatures when they are lambing. Very soon Bertha’s desire to have me near was made clear.  The lamb did not respond after Bertha’s short labor. It was not breathing. Bertha was cleaning of it face and I used my shirt to clean out it’s nostril further. At this point, the only action I could think of was to dangling the lamb upside down by her hind legs. While dangling a fair amount of fluid drained from her nose, and after what felt like an eternity but which was probably only 30 seconds, the lamb started to sputter. I used my sweat shirt to further wipe her nose. Placing her back on the ground, her mother continued to lick her clean. The stimulating washing her mother gave her quickly had her trying to get to her feet. When I left the barn to come home, she was on her feet and investigating the Bertha’s udder.  As I walked, I keep asking myself…..how could Bertha have known she would need my help to save her lamb. Some will say it was just coincidence, but I do not believe that.  She clearly wanted me there.  The two ewes she spends the most time with were there and had come in the shed after I left to see Bertha and her new lamb. Any one who spends time with these noble and loving creature can see the intelligence and wisdom they possess.  You only need to take the time to really be present and observe to see that they have so many attributes most would never consider them capable of.

Guardians

 

Without the devotion of our Livestock Guardians, the flock would be vulnerable to predators. They have even been know to help a ewe by licking off the first born lamb while she delivers a second. Pictured is Juda, who by training was a therapy dog who hated to travel. He has found his true calling on the farm.

A ewe is born…..

Bertha lambed this morning and it was unlike any other birth I have experienced on our farm.  She is a special ewe not only because she has my grandmother’s name but for her personality. She is always the first to greet me and seems to enjoy my company as much as I do hers. Today she was standing alone near the pen that I keep my two bottle lambs in at night.  It was obvious she was in labor so I feed the lambs and quickly walked them out to the pasture. As soon as I had left with the lambs, Bertha began calling out.  Initially, I thought she was calling for some of the other sheep as Mae and Myrtle came down from the pasture and stood nearby. However, she only quieted when I returned and sat down with her.  I was truly honored as sheep can be rather private creatures when they are lambing. Very soon Bertha’s desire to have me near was made clear.  The lamb did not respond after Bertha’s short labor. It was not breathing. Bertha was cleaning of it face and I used my shirt to clean out it’s nostril further. At this point, the only action I could think of was to dangling the lamb upside down by her hind legs. While dangling a fair amount of fluid drained from her nose, and after what felt like an eternity but which was probably only 30 seconds, the lamb started to sputter. I used my sweat shirt to further wipe her nose. Placing her back on the ground, her mother continued to lick her clean. The stimulating washing her mother gave her quickly had her trying to get to her feet. When I left the barn to come home, she was on her feet and investigating the Bertha’s udder.  As I walked, I keep asking myself…..how could Bertha have known she would need my help to save her lamb. Some will say it was just coincidence, but I do not believe that.  She clearly wanted me there.  The two ewes she spends the most time with were there and had come in the shed after I left to see Bertha and her new lamb. Any one who spends time with these noble and loving creature can see the intelligence and wisdom they possess.  You only need to take the time to really be present and observe to see that they have so many attributes most would never consider them capable of.