Little Lambs in the Wood

 Two new lambs have joined the cast here at Silver Cat Farm, courtesy of the ewe we know colloquially as Harriet (due to her lightning-bolt mark on her forehead). Harriet has been large enough of late for us to think she wasn't just smuggling watermelons but might somehow have consumed an entire other full-sized sheep; with our little boy and girl twins here, we now know why.

(For the record, the darker one on the left is our little ram lamb, while the cunning lighter-haired girl to the right is our little ewe lamb.)

While the first 48 hours is always crucial, we have hope that our lambs here will make it; they are alert and fairly sprightly, having struggled to their feet with reasonable speed, and are following mama around the pasture as she crops at grass. We have given them quick check-ups and made sure there is plenty of alfalfa around for mama, if she gets around to it before all the other sheep finish it all; if not, there's still hay and mineral, water and grass. Welcome, little lambs, to spring!

Winter's last gifts

Winter did not leave us without a last blast of rain, making up much of the deficit resulting from the otherwise rather dry and calm season.  Local flooding and icy roads made travel difficult, but the farm survived and now that the sun is warming the earth, the grass is responding to the heat and moisture.

We have combined our flocks again, with the pure british soay nibbling the grass around the house while the north americans eat the first flush of a paddock kept untouched during Winter.

The poultry are determined to get an early start on nesting, and with fresh straw bale shelters defending them from the elements, the geese and ducks are promising us many clutches.  Whether or not they keep this promise remains to be seen.

We have received hides back from the tanner, and he did beautiful work for us.  Soft, perfectly tanned hides with the fleece still on them.  As it happens, he is one of very few tanners who developed processes which satisfy the EPA, and this means that he should be in business for a long time.  The value of the meat and hides means that we may be somewhat more aggressive about our breeding projects than would otherwise have been justified.

There is a lot of work to be done.  We shall be collecting and planting trees from the nursery soon, as well as repairing some fences which are showing signs of wear.