Best liner/ bedding for drop tray

[henriette]

Since giving up my addiction to Farmville, I am spending more time looking at all the various threads on Omlet. I just love this one Only having the chickens, ducks and geese and a veggie patch, I am not really completely in The Good Life, but have very happy memories of when we almost were. Lesley's comments about letting her cows out reminded me of when we had ours. No one told me that they would go mad when they were first let out. I remember going down to the shed on my own and just opening up their barriers to let them go out into the court yard. I was terrified! They went abolutely ballistic for about a minute or so. There were only four of them, but it sounded as if there were a hundred and four. Oh happy times

[Lesley]

It's a bit like Spanish bullfighting isn't it? - our poor sheep had to keep getting out of the way!

 

They've all settled down now. We have an absolutely glorious day here and they're all out enjoying the sunshine.

[Martin B]

Yer lovely weather in the area today. Just read the last 20 odd pages I've missed.

 

Hope you are ok Lesley? You must pop into M&S again soon!

 

Martin

[Lesley]

...but I have to buy stuff just so that I can come and talk to you

[Martin B]

Chocolate covered....

 

I know your weakness!

[Lesley]

Shhhhhhhh!!!

[Lesley]

We're expecting!!!!!!!!

 

Later this evening......watch this space!

[The Dogmother]

OOOO....

 

Cade lambs?

[Valkyrie]

Lesley?!

[Lewis]

*watches space*

 

[mostin]

waiting , where is it!!

[Lesley]

We're back - after a very quick birth

 

Two little orphans - Texel ram lambs.

 

- all very sad really. Their mother had been ill with twin lamb disease and had come through. The farmer didn't think she was due yet as she hadn't 'bagged up' so he let her back into the field for a few weeks, thinking she was a month off. She had two little boys last night - but has no milk

 

We went and collected them and they cried all the way home - their mother was baaa-ing loudly as we left

 

They've had one feed and will have another at 11pm - they've settled in a box in the utility room with a heat lamp. Both dogs have been to visit and behaved themselves. I did take photos but they've disappeared into the ether when I was uploading them I'll take some more at their next feed as they're nicely settled now.

 

We're in for a few sleepless nights now - but not for long.

[mostin]

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[The Dogmother]

Gorgeous, can't wait to give them a cuddle.

 

Poor mummy though

[Sheilaz]

Thanks for the update Lesley. Sad about the ewe's disease, but I'm delighted those lambs have come to you.

[Lewis]

 

Tis a sad thing, happened to one at the farm during the night and we had to try and catch the lambs - not the easiest thing as you know

 

Hope they get on ok

[Martin B]

Great news Lesley! Fingers crossed..

[henriette]

How lovely - am just an incey bit jealous I can imagin the dear little things taking their bottles with their cute little tails wagging The poor ewe must be a bit traumatised though So pleased Lesley - looking forward to seeing the photos:

[Lesley]

Two slightly mucky lambs......

 

 

Jazz saying hello....

 

Tali joins in - she's a bit scared of them and hasn't been back yet!

 

 

They need a bit of a clean up - they are quite lively so we may give them a wash later on. They were very good through the night - we woke them at 3.30 for a feed, it only takes a minute, it takes longer to warm the milk!! They settled back down and we heard a couple of little baas at 6am but that stopped so we didn't feed them until the scheduled 7.30.

 

The dogs have been so good with them - Tali usually howls if we walk past her in the morning (which we do - every morning! - and she has to wait until she stops before she is let out ) Through the night and again this morning she completely accepted that the lambs came first! Hopefully it will cure her of howling!

 

The three little chicks are growing well - I checked through the other 21 eggs yesterday. 20 of them were clear and there was one 'dead in shell' which was upside down and therefore hadn't found the air sac at the top of the shell

 

I would have known about most of the clears if I'd got round to candling

 

My son put up the Barn Owl nestbox yesterday. We've watched Barnowls hunting around the land for some time and last year Carl took a photo of one perched on one of the rafters in the big barn. Access is quite open to this barn so we've installed the box in the hope of enticing them to stay.

[The Dogmother]

Lovely wee lambies Lesley

 

i don't mind them being mucky when I hug them....

 

I bet Carl is in his element feeding them.

[henriette]

Oh so huggable! I'm all broody Lovely photos!

All those little chicks you'll be looking after! What breed are they (or should I know from an earlier posting )

How exciting it would be if you had barn owls in the box!

[Valkyrie]

Awwwwwwwwwwwww ditto to Mostin.

[Lesley]

I posted about the chciks in the Hatching section - I set 24 eggs in the incubatoer and didn't get time to candle them so I just had a surprise last weekend - and only 3 hatched. They are Light Sussexes. I also had Welsummer and Indian Game eggs but none of them were fertile - all Ebay purchases......and I should know better

 

Feather sexing suggests that they are 2 girls and a boy - I've leg ringed the boy and then we'll wait and see.

 

Lauren came and helped me to wash the lambs this morning - she had to wear two nice long orange examination gloves to cover her casts - and she went home with a bag full of wet and mucky clothes so we're both in the dog house with her Mum now She's only got a few clothes which will fit over the casts She was able to hold the bottles and feed the lambs.

 

They are very good and quiet in between feeds. We'll need to find a bigger box over the weekend. Typical that the bad weather has moved in for the weekend

[ClaireG]

Awwww lovely lambs Lesley Reminds me of when my Mum had her 6 pet sheep and we used to have lambs by the rayburn!

[theherd123]

Lesley they are beautiful, so cute and huggable too.

 

Lovely for Lauren to be able to feed then esp after the time she has been having - an uplifting positive experience for her