She had how many!

Mello...She had how many lambs!  And they look marvelous!

Twin lambs born yesterday

These cute little lambs were born yesterday afternoon!  Black Eyed Susan had these twin ewe lambs without any help!  She is a fine mother and took great care of them.  She had them in the shed, so they were sheltered from the frigid wind.  The twins were dry and had their first meal of colostrum before I coaxed Black Eyed Susan in the barn.  I carried her lambs, just a step ahead of her, and she followed. They were already jumping and running around the stall when I peered over the stall door this morning.

Miss Chicken

Miss Chicken is a beautiful example of a Phoenix hen. She came to our house 7 years ago from the McMurrary Hatchery, where you can mix and match the breed and sex.  We only wanted hens this time. Shipped express, they arrive in the early hours to our local post office and we get the call to come pick them up.  As soon as we opened the door to the local post office, we heard the lovely, little peeping. (lovely to us, maddening to the postal workers)  Miss Chicken and her fellow baby chick's beaks were peeking out of the cardboard box air holes. ..the chicks were ready to go to their new home. Ravenous eaters, they grow fast and you can clearly see the establishment of their pecking order as they mature. 

When we decided to cease with the chickens, Miss Chicken "flew the coop" during the roundup and went into hiding.  She began to show herself and get used to us and ultimately become part of the family with the cats and dogs. If we're lucky, we find her nesting spot and get a daily egg until she moves to a new spot. Our Miss Chicken is very social and joins us in the garden or whenever she sees us with a shovel; she knows worms and bugs are sure to be turned up, yum!

Baby BQ

Baby BQ's winter portrait, she is 4 months old.

Supper

These ewes will be having lambs in February.  They are fed alfalfa hay twice a day and grain once a day.  And all the fresh water they can drink.

Baby BQ leading the way

Baby BQ is leading the little flock of fall lambs.  They were playing on the snow pile..but the dinner bell had sounded.  Baby BQ is always first at the hay feeder!