*dimsumdolly* - the different morsels of the life of a foodie

New-born Lamb

On my first morning at the farm, I was pleasantly surprised to find a new-born when I went to the sheep pen. Usually lambs aren't born at the end of the year, but there's a horny male sheep (named 'Jackomino' aka Little Jack in English) which is sowing his wild oats whenever he gets the chance. The male and female sheep aren't separated, you see.

When I first got to the pen, I didn't actually spot the lamb. What I first saw was blood on the mother's legs and I was thinking, oh my god, what happened??? Then my eye glanced towards the right, and there I saw this baby lamb still wet from the amniotic fluid and I saw the placenta lying near to it. You can see it in the photo if you look closely enough (middle bottom).

A close-up of the new-born lamb still having its eye closed. It's so sweet, isn't it? This one has some spots on its body...just like its mum!

The mother nudges the lamb to get up. It was really very cold, and the lamb was lying so still for a long time that for a few moments I actually thought it was dead...frozen to death!

But thankfully, the lamb was a healthy one and its mother didn't reject it. Soon, it was up walking and suckling milk from its mother's udders.

More sheep tales to come.

Posted by DSD at December 13, 2007 1:58 PM