Beautiful day

I decided to take my fleeces to a mill. I called yesterday and talked to the man who owns Golden View Alpaca and Mini Mill in Kodak, Tn. Not too far from me, maybe a 2 hour drive. So I am outside today, skirting all these MANY bags of wool from my sheep. Listening to Celtic music and birds chirping and sheep chewing their cud. What an amazing way to spend a beautiful Friday!

P.S. Annabelle only has a little bit of puffiness under her jaws now! I've been giving her Red Cell, hoping to get her blood built back up to fight this. I believe she will pull through.

Annabelle

This is Annabelle last night. So puffy. But this morning, she's just a little and mostly like loose skin. But probably by tonight, it'll look like this again. She's up and eating and seems ok. I am giving her and all the others Red Cell every day til they are better. All the others look great. Just Annabelle is still hanging on to these horrible nasty worms.

Her mother, Lucinda, died from Barber Pole worms when Annabelle was about 4 months old. It was so horrible. I didn't know much about it then. But did all I could for her. She was my favorite ewe. Black and had the prettiest wool. So maybe Annabelle is just more susceptible to these worms.

And she had quads too. But is only raising one of them. The other 3 are with my friend's 3 kids, who love them to pieces! They are named Arwen, Galadriel and Gandalf. They all look just like the other lamb, Goldberry. And all very healthy and happy. And spoiled.

I hope I can pull Annabelle through this. I'll worm them all again about the 7th.

I think one thing that made this worse is the lambs would jump up in the trough when I fed them. And of course they had poop on their feet. So I don't feed them in the trough any more, only in pans and those feeders that hang. So the lambs have theirs and the ewes have theirs now.

And it is NOT fun having to drench 8 sheep every day! I can't even imagine having more than 8.

So please say a little prayer for my sheep, that they get over this. Thanks!

A small miracle

This morning, after feeding the sheep, they all were ready to move. So I got all the fences up and gates open. I turned around when I was done with all that and ALL the 8 ewes, 14 lambs and 2 alpacas were right there by the gate, ready to go.

So I opened the gate and they ALL walked right out and across the driveway and into the garden. I almost could not believe that just happened. I didn't even hardly say a word, just opened the gate and they all went out, one right after another. That has not happened since they all had lambs.

There was always 5 or 6 lambs that didn't pay attention and got left behind. I had to chase them all over to get them out and with the rest. One time, there was only 1 lamb, the smallest of them all, little Pippin, who would NOT go and I  had to chase him  all over the field, then had to go get the husband to help. So I always have this fear of that happening.

Then of course the crazy in me comes out and I start screaming and cussing and who knows what else.

But this morning, there was a miracle here at Outback Farm. And I thanked the Lord a lot! It really was amazing. Maybe the lambs are just older now and know the drill. I don't know and I am just happy.