 |
| Hazel and Holly |
The sound echos across the field this evening….mama calling lambs…lambs calling mama. This afternoon, we put the breeding ewes in with the ram. That resulted in Chloe having to be separated from her twin ewe lambs for the first time since they were born in April. No sooner had Chloe reached the top of the field, that she realized her little ones were not with her. She immediately began pacing the fence line, calling for them. In return, the two lambs stood in the paddock behind the barn, baaing in return, running frantically to try to see where their mum had gone.
 |
| Ina seems content to have her lamb play on her back. |
I have always been touched by the strong sense of family within our flock of Romney sheep. I have often felt that my sheep have much to teach about life and parenting. Watching the mums raise their lambs, gives a perfect picture of devotion, love, sense of humor, and patience. From birth, they talk to their young, calling and nickering to them, sacrificially tending to their every need. Mums keep their lambs close by at all times. They patiently let their young dance and play upon their backs, allowing their little lambs to frolic. They encourage them to nurse, teach them how to eat hay, and teach them who to stay away from in the flock. The ewes attentively keep up with them all summer long, grazing along side of them, and cuddle with them while sleeping. The mums never seem to complain about their task of raising their young or grow weary of it, and seem to do it with joy.
Within a few days, Holly and Hazel will stop calling for their mum. They will settle in to life without her by their side, but once breeding season ends, they will once again return to her. Missing mum will be a thing of the past.
