Smitten

Is it okay to admit it? Okay ...I am smitten with Katie. She is a little delight. He little friend Noah, who she paired up with a few weeks back, has been sick and is being treated in my basement. Noah had a bad case of coccidia which knocked him down fast. After over a week of treatment, I am seeing him show signs of recovery.

Coccidia is a protozoa that lives in the intestinal tract of many animals. It can come on fast,especially in lambs, and damage the intestinal lining resulting in improper or reduced absorption of nutrients and weight loss. The first thing I noticed in Noah was weight loss. I ran a fecal on him and wormed him for Haemonchus Contortus....I missed the coccidi....

Within a few days he started severe diarrhea. It is labor intensive and stressful to deal with a sick lamb. Keeping him clean was the worst.

This morning his little eyes were bright and his "baaa" not so weak. I will take him outside in a bit to enjoy some fresh air and then run another fecal. I cannot stress enough the importance of fecals. If you know what your animals have you can treat them correctly. I know Noah had another type of worm, which I treated him for, but I missed the coccidia.

We live and learn I guess ...fortunately this outcome should be good. I cannot wait to put Noah back in with Katie, she seems so lost without him.

Lookeeee....lookie!!!

Well this was certainly enough to make me smile! A blue ribbon at the Maine Fiber Frolic with my hand-spun mohair.... UMA! I am so pleased. Now I anxiously await Uma's first kid to be born.

One Angora goat is just not enough when you clip only twice a year. At least two goats will supply me with a bit more to spin and blend. Of course kid mohair is the finest and usually adult mohair becomes coarser. Uma however has stayed quite soft. It is a balance of grain, minerals and good hay that contribute to the fiber...you are what you eat after all! :)

1 HUMAN....0 GOAT

.....to be continued

Katie Grows......

I am a grateful "sheep mom" this afternoon as I feed Katie. She is growing as she should, bouncing, racing around the paddock, and getting in to trouble .... like any healthy little lamb should! She spends her nights with Noah, Millie's smaller twin, in a safe stall in the barn, and as soon as they are done with breakfast, they join a few of my more docile ewes in the paddock.

Sadly, Katie's mom is still not interested in her. We tried for three days to help her accept her new baby, but she just was not a good mom. That is okay though, Martha is a valued fiber producing member of this flock and will remain just that. I can forgive her ...after all she has given me a much needed little gift.

Katie

Martha, the last to lamb, surprised me this morning with a spotted little ewe lamb! Thank goodness lambing is done. Katie is just beautiful. She has white rings around two of her legs, white on her chest and white on her head and ears.

Strange ... her mom is a Natural colored Romney and her dad is a black Babydoll Southdown. :)