Dr. Jason Epstein of the Granville Large Animal Service came to the farm this morning to check on our sheep and see who is bred and how close they are to giving birth. Ted did a good job, all of Maria’s sheep are pregnant (Kim’s lamb was born early, and was stillborn). Good technology available now, Dr. Epstein brought in his portable ultra-sound and we not only learned that all four of the other ewes are pregnant, we got to look at the lambs.

Of the four, Zelda seems the closest to giving birth – a week or two, or possibly, over the weekend. We are guessing mid-April, and I’m especially grateful it wasn’t early this year it’s been so cold. We got our syringes and medicines and will prepare a lambing area inside of the barn this weekend. I think Zelda will be a great mom, she is strong and competent and very healthy. She did manage to knock me down this morning and get away, of course, before the three of us tackled her. Dr. Epstein said all of the ewes are healthy, we gave the ewes vitamin and selenium shots – mostly for the lambs.

The lambing kit I ordered is in the way, all we need is iodine to treat the umbilical cord. I lamb for five years in a row at the first Bedlam Farm, it’s been a few years, I love lambing and cannot wait to take photos and see Maria’s response to helping birth some lambs. I predict waves of hanging pieces and potholders and quilts.

Having lambs reminds me of why I love having a farm, of having the opportunity to be re-connected to natural, to the animal world.  How lucky.