Meet Oliver

I promised to tell you about Oliver. Oliver is a rather special lamb. He is an orphan and just like his namesake he is always bleating for more. Even though he is bottle fed, he chases the ewes around and tries to sneak a drink from other lambs' mothers. 

Oliver came over to watch the shearing. When one of the ewes was sat up to be sheared he saw her bulging udder and two pink teats waving at him. Oliver could not resist. He latched on and helped himself. 

Shearing had to wait while Oliver filled his belly. Fortunately, the ewe didn't seem to mind.

Ice Badgers

I met some very unusual sheep this weekend. Ice Badgers. Baby Ice Badgers to be exact. Want to see one?

Aren't they adorable? They are a very unusual cross. They only exist because some naughty ewes decided they fancied a bit of fun and jumped into the ram's field. The ewes are Icelandic sheep, the ram is a Badger Face Welsh Mountain. 

In the picture above, the lamb on the left is a pure bred Badger Face and the one on the right is an Ice Badger. Can you see the Ice Badger already has tiny horns? It is unusual to find Icelandic sheep outside of Iceland. Icelandics are beautiful sheep, they remind me of Arab horses, they have dished faces and huge eyes. In the top picture above you can the Ice Badger lamb has a dished face.

This is a pure bred Icelandic ewe:

Isn't she gorgeous!

Later in the week I'll show you some more pictures of the Icelandics and tell you about Oliver, the cheeky Badger Face Welsh Mountain lamb I met.

Lamb Lessons

I am spending quite a lot of time lamb watching at the moment. The fields nearby resemble a nursery full of preschoolers getting up to mischief. The lambs are busy learning what it means to be a sheep, one of the first lessons is how to distinguish your Mum from all the other large white shapes. Learning to read the number painted on Mummy's side certainly helps:

Hmm 345 - you must be my Mum

If you try to sneak a drink from the wrong large white shape she may well head butt you in the ribs - ow!

Go away, you're not one of mine!

 Then there is follow the leader:

And of course - potty training:

The most important lesson is stay near Mum then all will be well with the world:

Lamb Pictures!

I have finally got some lamb pictures. Have you tried to photograph any lambs this spring? How did you get on? I'm finding it difficult to get close enough without causing a disturbance on the maternity ward. Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment. I will put up some more soon.

Southdowns in the Snow

 

It's Friday again, where did the week go? I promised lamb pictures and I have got some rather sooner than expected (there will be more as spring arrives). I can't do better for today's Favourite Thing on a Friday link up than to share my pictures with you. I encountered these adorable Southdowns the other day. Southdowns have the cutest faces. Look at the sheep in the background in the picture above, she knows I'm a stranger and she is curious about me. At the same time she's too nervous to approach so she's hiding behind her more confident friend.

I love the way sheep put their heads on one side when they look at you. It so clearly says, 'Hello, who are you? Have you brought me any food?'

Outside in the snow I found these Southdown lambs and their mums. The lamb on the left of the picture below has just got up and is having a big stretch, that's why he looks to be in an odd position.

Apologies for the angle with this photo: the lamb is busy at the milk bar with no thought for modesty!

 

I will have some better lamb pictures a bit later in the year. Now do go and see what everyone else has chosen as their Favourite Thing on a Friday!