Updates

The animals are now hanging out under the Palo Verde and Ironwood Trees. The Ironwood sheds its leaves in April, so it is a good thing that they will be sheared before then. Last year, the shearer I used could not make the scheduled dates, so I had fleeces with ironwood leaves in them. I also will not have a problem with rooing, since the sheep are being sheared early enough.

Jalapeno with her two daughters - Eden(white) and Elgin. It is funny how animals are as prejudiced about color are some people. They hang out together by color. The only reason a doe will accept a different colored kid is because it smells like her and they bond within moments of birth. You can't clean the kid off, or the mother will reject it. These two were born last Thursday night and are now very self-possessed. They hang together a lot more than the other sets of twins do. I think they are born sometimes with the desire to get as far as they can from the sibling that shared space with them in the womb.

This is Darling, Creme de Menthe's kid. She is hanging with Swiss' twins, until it is time to take a nap.

The duck in the front has been sitting on a nest for three weeks now and her first duckling, born on Sunday, has come out of the nest and follows her around. That baby is fast. It keeps up with the adults. It is funny to watch it run.

Colombian and Hazenut (shown above) have had their lambs. Hazelnut had twin ewes born yesterday morning. Columbian's were born early last Friday.

Shetland sheep are a lot easier to raise than the angora goats. Their lambs are up and drinking with minutes and running with their mothers very shortly thereafter. It is nice to not have to worry about them freezing or having to be helped. They are skittish and would be harder to handle than the goats.

This is Swiss with one of her twins. The twins are very independent and only come running up to her when they want to be fed. I am going to try to catch a photo of one of the babies jumping on the backs of the mother. They want the mother to get up, so they can drink. This is Grande and she was giving her mother a goat kiss - which I just missed capturing.