The Poultry Keeper

Chris Kurzfeld · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 653 Location: Carmarthenshire

Sorry no photo yet - born one hour ago, a little coloured Ryland ewe lamb. I'm knackered - been up and down all night. Think another has started so having breakfast then back to the lambing shelter - ooh it's so exciting but thank goodness I only have 3 Laughing

. Got to think of Welsh names beginning with K so get your thinking caps on.

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6621 Location: isle of lewis

well done

CP · Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 9:25 am Post subject:

Aww, lovely. Can't wait for the pics. Very Happy

debcat · Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 8:33 pm Post subject:

congratulations Very Happy

OH got his first one today as well

Chris Kurzfeld · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 653 Location: Carmarthenshire

Here she is, 5 hours old and already nosey.

2 hours old and tired.

And with mum - both exhausted!

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6621 Location: isle of lewis

Chris Kurzfeld · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 653 Location: Carmarthenshire

Forgot to say her name is Kaitlyn and is still the only lamb - think the other ewes have decided to wait till their dates (4th and 12th) so am catching up on a bit of sleep.

CP · Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 9:05 am Post subject:

She's beautiful! Very Happy

Wasn't expecting her to be a black lamb though so that was different. Very Happy

debcat · Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 9:12 am Post subject:

gorgeous

Chris Kurzfeld · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 653 Location: Carmarthenshire

She is a very dark brown with a couple of cream patches and will get slightly lighter as she gets older. I am hoping for more like her as I want to eventually have a completely coloured Ryland flock.

CP · Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 2:40 pm Post subject:

Sorry - she looked black in the photos. Embarassed

Are they a bit like Jacob sheep, colourwise?

Gilly C · Joined: 22 Jun 2006 Posts: 1972 Location: South Cumbria

ah bless

Spana · Joined: 30 Apr 2005 Posts: 1922 Location: North Cornwall

She's lovely Very Happy

how many more are there to come?

NannyP · Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 3:46 pm Post subject:

Beautiful

Chris Kurzfeld · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 653 Location: Carmarthenshire

Don't apologise CP she does look black in the photos, she looks almost black in the flesh too, the cream patches are just on the tips of the wool - difficult to explain. Rylands come in 2 colours - the whites and the coloured, which can be from dark chocolate to almost greyish. I have, and it gets complicated here Laughing

, 1 white ewe and 2 coloured ewes that look white but are classed as coloureds as one of their parents was a coloured. My ram is a coloured, chocolate with a cream layer over the top (there is a photo in this section somewhere) so all the lambs will be registered as coloured, even the one from the white ewe. I have to have 2 different affixes - one for the coloureds and one for the one white ewe.

There are 2 more ewes to lamb but I think one is carrying twins - I missed the scanning date Embarassed

- who is due Friday, the last one is due on the 12th.

We have a problem at the moment as the lamb's mum has mastitis in one side - the vet has given her a couple of jabs (antibiotic and metacam) and left us some to jab her for the next 5 days, we are also going out every 2 hours and massaging the udder which, understandably, she doesn't like very much. Kaitlyn is getting milk from the unaffected side but we may have to think of topping her up if necessary - don't want to go that way as her sucking will help keep it soft.