Goodbye Tink

Last night I finally got my Premier Bottle Bucket ready to hang. I filled all the little holes in the teats with plumber's putty so they wouldn't leak. I experimented with mixing larger amounts for the bucket to save time. Mixing one bottle at a time for a total of nine lambs is very time consuming. I was hoping this would help get me out the door to work quicker in the morning. Well, the lambs took to it just fine, sucking away on the teats attached to the hanging bucket. I was very relieved. I left the bucket hanging while I did my chores, then took it back in the house when I was finished. I suspect little Tinky drank too much and was bloated. She had fresh hay and cracked corn in the pen to eat, but Tink loved her milk. When Matt found her dead this morning her belly was very swollen. We are heartbroken, as she was our only ewe lamb in the house and we became very attached to her. I'm so awfully tired of this lamb drama and being responsible for all these lives is very draining. I wish I could say getting away to my job every day is a relief, but there is drama there on a daily basis. I had hoped Jan would get up here and help a little on a weekend, or at least to see how pretty her land looked in the snow, but she is concerned about the miles on her leased cars. Mia is busy with her two nursing jobs and can't get away. So there's no relief. Nathan is coming to help me this summer. He was my helper before I moved here. He might have to bring his little flock with him, but he has a truck and a trailer, and it's not too far. He can't come too soon for me.