Surprise New Arrival

When Dan and I were feeding the sheep a treat of some corn on Saturday morning we noticed that one was missing. Fearing that one had a mishap, we began to call, then noticed some activity at the top of the pasture. We then discovered she was not alone. She had apparently delivered several hours ago and we had a new little black lamb to add to the flock. This was very early since our sheep normally give birth in February. We then went up the hill to retrieve the lamb and coax the mother to the sheep barn to be sequestered for several days in the "nursery" for some mother-child bonding. Unfortunately, once there we discovered that the mother seemed to have no milk and the lamb appeared weak. Dan went racing out to buy nipples and formula so we could feed our new baby ourselves. I am glad to report that after two days of bottle feeding the mother's milk has come in and mother and child are doing what comes naturally. The lamb is on the small side but we are hopeful it will thrive. Included here is a picture of me coaxing the mother down to the barn.