Well, all's well that ends well. After chatting for a while with Mattie about this and that in the Milk House, we decided to feed the sheep on the early side so we could make ourselves a nice dinner. We had taken our "Pay Day Trip to Town" and went to, where else?, Tractor Supply, the auto parts store so Mattie could do the brakes on the truck, and Price Chopper, the big grocery store chain up here. I like the indies but they don't have salmon and Mesclun greens...and I have been thinking about both lately. We took a walk through the barn as we always do before shooing them out to put down the feed. There it was, lo and behold, Myrna with a feisty little lamb, licking it off. Now, remember, Myrna had two sets of dead twins previous to this birth and I was very worried about what would happen this year....and there she was, being the perfect mother. Mattie scrambled to get fresh hay for her jug and I went for a warm towel. When I came back to pick up the lamb I raised a leg to find - YES! - a little ewe! Myrna was the mother of a ewe lamb and everything looks normal. I was elated! She followed me back to the pen perfectly, and started chowing down on the hay between licking the lamb. Afterbirth came out, I got her molasses water and was generally high as a kite. I noticed another bubble...she had twins twice before so why shouldn't she again? Nothing happening. Myrna was exhausted and lay down. I was thinking, what to do what to do...Matt said leave her alone. He likes to see Nature take it's course. So do I, but when I am there I tend to want to help. I am so often NOT there! I decided to distract myself and get the bunnies their water, which requires walking around behind the lambing pens...and there it was...a warm, steam rising, giant black lamb at Myrna's back end. But Myrna is too exhausted to get up and tend to it! Knowing how important it is to get the licking going, I decide to get in and put the new lamb at Myrna's nose, which I do...Myrna does not seem interested! At this point, the precocious first lamb is dancing around, talking to her mother who is talking back. They are both oblivious to second lamb. Myrna is still starving and gets up, hooray, I think, but it is to eat more hay! Matt and I wait a while, then nurse out some colostrum for both lambs. I always do this if I can - it "lights the fire" in the belly of the newborns and enables them to get up and find the teat. I call it "cheap insurance!" My hopes are high...the second black lamb - another ewe! - gets up and tries to make nice to mom, but mom is not interested! This happens sometimes when there is a significant length of time between births. Mom is happy with one and the next is an interloper. I decide to wait and see. Mattie and I do out chores, eat dinner, checking on the progress all the while, and go to bed satisfied that the lambs bellies are full of colostrum and thinking that mom needs some peace and quiet to get to know her lambs.
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