Meridian Jacobs

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11 Days and 59 Lambs

Saturday was a Farm Day for Farm Club members but also my annual Sheep Handling & Management class. About 8 people joined Farm Club members for three hours of learning about sheep, lambing, pasture management, health issues, fleeces, and whatever else they wanted to hear me talk about. It was a cold, blustery day but everyone hung in there and the grand finale was watching a ewe lambing. (I’d like to say that I planned that.) I sure wish I had taken a photo or two but I was talking the whole time and didn’t get any.

Some of the FC members came early to help with chores and that was a great help. Chores have been taking me at least two hours for the last week and a half and sometimes it’s three or more hours if I’m doing it all myself, including the moving sheep around and cleaning pens, etc.

Bide a wee Hallie was one of the ewes that lambed early. She had twins, but you can’t see both here.

Mae had also lambed in the night.

Ava had lambed the day before and was still in a lambing jug, along with three other ewes.

Scout and Ruth had lambed Thursday with a single and twins, respectively, and were ready to move out.

The only photo I got all day was later after most people had left. A few Farm Club members stayed and asked what else I needed to do. I thought a moment and then said “clean the ram pen”. They all pitched in and took several wheelbarrow loads out. Great job!

After everyone left I was back in the barn to assess the status of everything and take some photos. It had rained or drizzled off and on all day. At that moment the rain started with a vengeance, almost deafening in a barn with a tin roof.

View across the road.

Back to the barn. Skye is the ewe who lambed while everyone watched. She has a pretty lilac lamb.

Stacy with her tiny ewe lamb, #10 for this year, at 4.2 pounds.

Signs of more to come. This is Delight, still not due for a few days.