While doing chores tonight I noticed a little black lamb sitting quietly on the hay. But she was not on the maternity side. Did she slip through the fence? I climbed over, picked her up and saw a dangling cord. She must be a new baby, I thought, and was delighted to see an absence of male equipment attached to her. Now who's the mama? I checked around for a damp behind, but nobody looked messy, or particularly interested in her. I figured out where to put her but had to take care of the mother goat and baby buck in the pen first. Got them their shots and worming - every new mom gets wormed before she leaves the jug as birth stimulates parasites - and let them free in the maternity ward. As I picked the new baby up and started walking backwards, holding her in front of the sheep, Dina, Dolly's lamb from last year, stepped forward. Dina is the mother of the beautiful black ewe lamb born today! Dina is a little confused by the whole thing, but she followed her baby and was thrilled with the nice hunk of hay she has all to herself. Matt held her while I squeezed a little colostrum out of her youthful udder. I have to keep an eye on them to make sure the lamb gets up to nurse and that Dina let's her. Love those black girls! They give me such beautiful wool!
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