Another "Canine Good Citizen" prospect

So, the beautiful Miss Star... We've been in Canine Good Citizen class for the past 4 or 5 weeks. She is still not fond of the car ride, and prefers not to be on a leash. She is nervous and drooling (nerves), with a certain breed puppy in the class that is being handled by a young boy. 
Star performs admirably but without spunk or enthusiasm. She is easily shut down when this other puppy is boisterous, or when there are new things in the room, or when the big noisy fan is somewhere that it isn't supposed to be... :) Rules, and English Shepherds.
So today... Remy was on the back step pining away for Taffy. Taffy was tired and snappy and wanting the extra attention from the resident male to stop. 
Star engaged me in some crazy puppy play as she threw herself against the hay bale I was feeding to the pigs, then dashed around in a frenzy, then threw herself at my feet before crashing into the hay bale again.... 
And then I had an "Aha!" moment. I called her to me. She ran to me with her usual joy and sat without being told, looking back at me with her sparkling eyes, ready for more. 
I told her "down" and she plunked down with a big smile and stayed while I walked away from her. With the next "Come!", she joyfully dashed back to me and wiggled with glee. 
For Star, in class, being in the "down" position and then being left behind is when that little puppy broke free from his young owner and leaped on Star. No wonder that command makes her nervous. But just her and I...in the pasture while the other dogs were distracted. Perfection. 
I knew she could do it. And leash-free, a bonus! 
Now to just work on tolerating the distractions at class. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

 

The engagement period! :)

I'm watching a rather beautiful courtship. (Hopefully this isn't too crude or personal to share.) We've taken Taffy to her suitor both times in the past, so seeing this play out in front of me is quite intriguing. 
Taffy is right on schedule. Remy knows that her perfume is becoming more intoxicating, but is being quite the gentleman. He will check in, but when she is done letting him be close, he is fine with that. He is playful without being pushy, and eager without being rude. I was surprised.
Taffy is more private than usual, sitting down or lying under the table. She seems rather shy compared to her usual "I'm in charge" attitude. She is just starting to respond to Remy's invitations to come and play, after several days of wanting to be left in her quiet spot and not playing with the others.
Somehow, both dogs seem to have become more beautiful during the past week. Remy trots with more confidence, Taffy's eyes and coat seem more radiant. 
Maybe silly on my part, but I don't think it's my imagination that they are courting each other.
I've watched pigs (seedy bar-room scene!) and goats (silly blubbering) and rabbits (bam, and it's done), and this is quite different. 
Hope no-one is offended. I will be careful not to post success in a way that is crude.  If all goes well, Taffy and Remy's litter of English Shepherd pups should arrive at the end of August.  There are quite a few friends and acquaintances that have been waiting a while for this particular litter.  So exciting!

Laura

McHenry County Farm Stroll, photography session

Our little farm has been invited to be included on the McHenry County Farm Stroll. Like the connection to Lincoln Park Zoo, this invite came about in the normal course of the conversations we've had with friends, and moved along quickly from there.

The Farm Stroll is held at the end of September... 11 or 12 farms in McHenry county will be featured and will be open to the public for tours. We've tried to set things up so that it is easy to take friends or groups of people through to see the animals here, so...there is work to be done, but the basic planning is already under way!

The photography session was delightful, and photographer Judy Thornton graciously shared a few of her favorite pictures with me.

JT Originals owns these photos, and has given me permission to share, but please do not download or forward the photos. Thanks so much.

This is a little glimpse of what our happy animals looked like as they interacted with their photographer.

 

Laura

A late-comer!

Just when it seemed that our lambing days were over for the year, a quick check of the barn this afternoon revealed...yearling ewe "Easter" in the middle of delivery.

This delivery unfolded much like Easter's own, just over a year ago.  The lamb's head was out, but there was no breath, no movement, and labor was seeming to go on forever.  

And then I saw an eyelid twitch.  Another long wait.  

The lamb's tiny jaw moved.  And more waiting.

Easter did a fine job, but I suspect that her birth canal is built a bit like her mother's.  Last year, when May gave birth to one very large lamb (Easter) after a rather difficult and drawn out delivery, I had the vet come out to check her.  He announced that there was a sharper curve or angle that the ewe needed to push the lamb through, rather than a straighter birth canal that would be typical.  

This year May had twins, and there was no problem at all.  The "problem" is only when the Southdown ewe from this line is having her first or second baby, and it is larger than twins would be.  It is something to watch in the daughters of these two girls.

And then, Easter gave that tremendous shove, difficult to watch, obviously more difficult to endure on her part, and the little lamb was lying, apparently lifeless, on the straw.  

Easter was not too pleased with me, but I quickly stepped over the low fencing and vigorously rubbed the little one.  Made sure her nose and mouth were clear.  And...she gave a tiny breath.  I realized that I had been praying to God and begging the lamb to breathe, for about as long as I had been out there watching.

Another miracle birth!

I had to leave, to pick up our son from high school, and when I returned, it was obvious that the little one had not been nursing yet.  Easter snorted and tried to even growl at me (which is funny, from a sheep).  

The plugs in her teats were still in place, so there had been no colostrum to warm up the baby, so far.  It is cold, windy, and damp out there on this particular April day.

I held Easter still and positioned the little lamb's head to where she could taste the milk (squeezed out right onto her tiny nose) and then guided that nose to the nipple, where she finally got the idea.

Mama Easter is doing great.  She may snort at me or stamp her front hoof, but I will be over-vigilant with this one.  It might be because the 2 week old lambs are so much larger and already very boisterous, but this little one somehow seems more fragile than usual.  

She is tiny, but such a sweet surprise.  

Laura

New life

This is the miracle that I was privileged to witness late last night. Hugely pregnant, Zaney started acting like it was time shortly after we got home from dinner. We knew it was close, because her official due date was on the calendar for Saturday, and her udder was showing us that she would deliver those kids sooner than that.
In the sequence, you'll see the bubble of fluid containing the first kid...  She was having a bit of trouble with the first one, although it is not the largest of the three she would deliver. 
One kid was born outside the barn, I scooped it up and brought it to the prepared small pen inside, out of the wind. Zaney followed the newborn's noises, and before she could lick the first one clean, the second and then the third were born. 
She is a great mother and has not had triplets before. There was so much milk in her udder that it was nearly touching the straw beneath her. The babies needed a bit of nudging and "suggesting" where the milk supply was, and then latched on eagerly as they figured out how to be on their knees with their little noses far underneath their mama, to get belly fulls of colostrum and warmth. 
All three had a good amount colostrum and all three were snuggling down for their first nap when I went inside around midnight. 
Mama Zaney was quietly munching her hay and slurping fresh water, as if the monumental delivery had not just happened. And this morning...all three doelings opened their sleepy eyes and stretched when I checked on them, then settled in to take turns nursing. 
I can't even put into words how much the birth of these babies is a blessing, and the high-point of the year on our farm. 
God is so good, and the blessing of new life at Easter is so exciting! 

 

Laura

Baby season!!!

The first ones.  Born early this morning.  I had been out to check on all the pregnant mamas, and no babies were born as of 1:30 am. 

 

This morning by 9, April had had twins.  One boy and one girl.  Daddy is Luther, who was a dark faced lamb himself when I bought him two summers ago.

So cute, and mama April is experienced, sure did a good job having them up and nursing before I even knew they had been born.  

April is the first babydoll Southdown lamb that I bought from my friend Michele, back in 2013, and all of our ewes are her daughters or granddaughters.

Pictures:  The "Before" photo that I sure am glad I took just yesterday afternoon.  Luther, the daddy.  Mama April and her babies, and a close-up of the ewe lamb.

Happy Spring! 

Laura

The first days of spring

The fainting goats are due to have their kids any day now.  They are enjoying some beautiful, sunny days, blissfully unaware of the flurry of activity that awaits them when their little ones arrive.  

Mother "Zaney" and daughter "Fern" (Zaney is hugely, enormously pregnant!)

Mama "Savvy" with daughter "Pearl"

"Dazzle" 

And one buck who was so beautiful in the sunshine that I'll include him too.  Teegan.

 

Laura