Surprise Lambs

Yesterday morning was the first time we woke up to the sun in two weeks.  Spring was here in all it's glory.  A few of our children had stuffy noses, so I stayed home with them.  Jeremy headed out the door to church, then doubled back.  I stuck my head out of the door to see what was going on.
"We have lambs!" He yelled.
What?  Our ewe was pregnant?!  We had no clue!  To say we were surprised is an understatement.  I shared the news with the kids and we all ran down to the pasture to behold this sight:

A baby ewe that looked just like her papa and a little ram that looked like his mama.  They had just been born; still wet and getting cleaned by their mother!

Shamrock, the proud papa.

We took mama and her babies to the barn to encourage bonding and to keep them safe.  Every one of us cheered the lambs on as they tried to learn how to nurse.  I ran up to the house to re-learn what I could about taking care of new lambs.  Jer stripped the teats to get the waxy plug off so the babies could get their precious colostrum.  Within hours, they already started bounding.  Everyone should see a lamb bound at least once in their life.  There aren't many things cuter, I tell you.  Oh my.

Our flock has just doubled.  For now.  Little rammy-man will be sold.  Shamrock is all the ram we need  (and then some) on this little ranch.  Clover (the ewe) will make her home here.  Did I mention her eyes are blue?  Help.  We are all smitten.  It was a happy way to start April off, that's for sure.

I'm sharing this at Barn Hop.

VIDEO: Shearing Shamrock the Jacob Ram

We are reaching the hundreds this week.  Today is forecasted to hit the high of 108º F.  Although it is a dry heat, I'm not a fan.  I can only imagine what our poor lambs have endured.  Remember this little guy from way back in... January?

Well, he's massive now (for the small breed that he is, at least) and had gorgeous, soft wool about two inches thick.  It was time to try our hand at shearing.  Jeremy started on it before I was able to take a "before" picture, but you can kind of get a feel for the amount of wool Shamrock carried by watching this video.  Here are some snippets of our first attempt at harvesting wool!  My heart quite melts listening to our three-year-old comfort that burly ram.  Also, any input from veteran shearers is much appreciated.

A lil' still shot:

That new fleece underneath is so... clean!

And... here is the "after" tehe!:

Receiving comfort from Jeremy.

Yes, I did capture the tender moment, gentlemen.

Next... It's Blossom's turn.  She was once so little, but now she and "Shammy Rammy" are the same size!

Mama, I don't wanna die!

I'm sharing this at Farmgirl Friday.

VIDEO: Introducing the Lambs to the Pasture

This video is for people who have never had the opportunity to see lambs bound.  Everyone should see lambs bound at least once.

We have started weening the lambs and are gradually introducing them to the pasture (lambs have touchy stomachs; all four of them).  Today was their first day at pasture!  Yes, I'm a dorky city-girl-turned-country who video tapes her animals' special first moments.  And I will completely admit that it did my heart a world of good seeing them so happy about all the long grass this crazy rainy season has provided.  Spring has sprung at last!  Also, footage with the lambs wouldn't be complete with out Margret the pullet who thinks she's a sheep...

Hello from the Pasture

Remember this?

I took it in September when we opened escrow on this little ranch and were filled with so much anticipation.

Remember this little guy?

He was not even two weeks old.

And remember her?

She was only two, tiny days old.

Here they are, six weeks later, and almost old enough to be weened and let out to that pasture we dreamed about filling with sheep.

And there Margret the pullet is (to the left), still hopeful for a bottle of her own. The picture isn't the best, but trying to bottle feed two exuberant lambs, dodging a protesting hen who attempts to fly on my back, and taking a photo is no easy feat, I tell you.

Shamrock the ram is a heritage Jacob breed, which are on the "rare" list. We hope to get a Jacob ewe so we can add to the population. They are a smaller breed and ideal for hand-spinners (their wool is so soft) and they are known for good meat. Will we ever find out about Jacob meat first-hand? I don't know yet.

Blossom the black ewe, on the other hand, is a half Jacob, half Suffolk breed. Suffolk is the most common in America because they are known to have the leanest, tastiest meat. Will we ever find out first-hand? Probably. But not Blossom. She is all lined up to be a great lamber and the folks we bought her from believe it's a possibility for her to have triplets at some point.

It might freak some people out to even consider eating an animal they've raised. It freaks me out a little, but it goes to show how detached our lifestyle is from our food source. The more I learn about massive meat farms, the more I embrace the idea of knowing exactly how my meat was raised, what the animals were fed, and how it was processed. My pocketbook likes this concept, too.

This Wednesday, 2-day-old chicks will start to trickle in to our local feed store. We plan to have twelve hens again, like we did two years ago. Our kids, especially our son, is counting down the minutes until we bring them home. I'll admit, I am pretty excited, too. Chickens are so low-maintenance, they are hilarious, there is nothing like home-laid eggs, and their poo is like black gold for the garden. Most of the breeds we plan to get are duel-purpose, meaning they are good layers and once their laying days are over, their meat will be good enough to be tasty fryers. Will I be ready to butcher them by then? Only time will tell, but I've been gearing myself up for that moment for two years now. I still get a little squeamish at the thought, but as an omnivore, I feel it's my responsibility to butcher at least once to experience first-hand what needs to happen to get that meat onto our table. I don't expect many people to understand that. That's okay. I was home schooled and now I home school our kids. I'm used to being weird. I embrace my weirdness.

I think I'm done rambling. It's a rainy day and I have millions of books to read about how on earth to be a grass farmer, and it's time to apply for agricultural water while I learn about digging a pond and how to irrigate from it using only gravity as the pump. Excitement is racing through my nerdy veins at just the thought of it all.

I'm sharing this at Simple Lives Thursday & Fight Back Friday
.

Trials & Triumphs ~ A Tale of Margret the Pullet

This is Margret. 

Margret is from Texas.

Margret was lovingly given to a friend, but these friends already had chickens, and their chickens didn't very much appreciate the Texan invasion.

So Margret was taken to the Riddle Ranch in hopes of a fresh start in California.

There was a little girl who fell in love with Margret and gave her more attention than she cared to receive.

Margret wasn't the only little pullet who traveled from Texas to California.

Margret had a friend named Fluffy.

But Fluffy was eaten.

By our dog.

We thought we lost Margret also.

She had disappeared for a day and a night.

The little girl was heartbroken and gutturally sobbed for two.  Straight.  Hours.

Loudly.

The next day, a blur and the sound of a chicken ran past the little girl.

Margret was running for her life.

From our dog.

The little girl went into hysterics at the surprising fact that Margret was still alive.

But she wouldn't be for long unless a person could get to her before the dog.

The little girl's mother, with he help of older siblings, rescued the young hen that still chirped instead of clucked.

Margret went straight into the little girl's squeezy arms and the weary chicken and elated girl danced and twirled and cuddled, and the little girl sang at the top of her lungs, Togeeeeeeeether!  Togeeeeeeether!  Together agaaaaain!

Now Margret (who now clucks instead of chirps) shares a patch of (protected) earth with two lambs, Shamrock and Blossom.

After a week of sharing life with the lambs, Margret has decided that she is, in fact, a lamb as well.

Shamrock and Blossom are her flock.

Now, Margret goes wherever Shamrock and Blossom go.

When the lambs nap, Margret naps.

When the lambs run, so does Margret.

When the lambs bottle feed, Margret gets very put out that she doesn't get a bottle of her own, and often, Margret flies atop the mother's back in angry protest as the mom tries to feed those lambs.

But Margret is safe now, with a very puppyish reminder of the dangers that anxiously await on the other side of the run.

So Margret stays with her flock of two lambs until March when we welcome a dozen chicks to the ranch.

Hopefully Margret won't try to ram them.

I'm sharing this at Simple Lives Thursday, Barn Hop, & Farm Girl Friday.

Blossom

We have welcomed Shamrock's "wife" into the herd.  The herd of Shamrock.  Meet Blossom.

Isn't she perfectly gangly?

Shamrock looks like a giant compared to her.  After all, she is only three days old!

Have you noticed that all the pictures were taken outside?  That's because no more animals live in our home.  Sanity has returned to the Riddle homestead.

I'm sharing this at Farmgirl Friday.

Another Friend

Poor Shamrock got docked today.

(See the band around his tail?  The longer part of the tail will eventually fall off and keep his bum safe from poop build-up and other yucky things.)

So we decided to get him another present.  A shepherd.  An Aussie mix shepherd, to be exact.

He is the biggest love.  SO amazing with the kids and puppy.  

We can't stop ourselves from adopting these animals.

But we will.

After Monday when we get Shamrock "a wife," as the kids call her.

She is 1 day old.

Help.

Shamrock, Meet Shasta

Happy two-week birthday, Shamrock!  Look, we bought you a friend!
(Pardon the grainy iPhone photos.)

Shamrock, meet Shasta, a 4-month-old boxer mix.

What?  You, you don't really like your birthday present?

But... she loves you.  So much...

Yes, they are both inside, and yes, they will both be outside very, very, very, very soon.
Very soon.

I'm sharing this at Simple Lives Thursday, Barn Hop, & Farm Girl Friday.

We Are Shepherds!

We don't have functional closets.  We don't have a working dishwasher.  But we just couldn't help ourselves from adopting the first member of the Riddle Ranch.  Meet Shamrock, our Jacob lamb, who will be our breeder when he's old enough.

I am reading day and night about how to care for this little guy, but I must admit, as I did when I first kept chickens, that I feel completely over my head.  But also so in love with this little fluff ball.  Have any of you kept sheep?  I would would be so grateful to hear your stories and pearls of wisdom.  

We will add two ewe lambs once they have been born and are ready to leave their mamas.  Oh my.  What have we done?  We have gone for our dreams.  I am shaky. And in love.  And so many things.  Thus transforms a Orange County girl into a frightened wannabe farm mom.  Gulp.  Eeeeee!  Happiness.

I'm sharing this at Gratituesday, Simple Lives Thursday & Barn Hop.