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Triple Triplets!
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Apr. 2nd, 2008 @ 01:12 pm
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Lambing officially finished at eleven this morning with ... yet another set of triplets. That's three out of four giving a grand total of eleven lambs this year - enough for a football team (or soccer, if you're from the left side of the pond)
Here's one of the latest arrivals - barely two hours old - learning the joys of a good nuzzle.
Here's one of the older triplets demonstrating how useful mother's are - especially when the hay net is just out of reach.
It doesn't take lambs long to realise that the warmest, most comfortable bed is their mother's fleece. In a month's time most of our ewes are going to have lamb hair:)
And finally we have a lamb demonstrating what the best dressed lambs are wearing this year - thigh high brown boots with matching eye and nose markings.
For the interested, the lambs are Suffolk crosses - a Suffolk ram crossed with a 'sheep of the region'.
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Twin Triplets!
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Apr. 1st, 2008 @ 12:11 pm
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Lambing continues apace. And what a pace. Last year was the first year we ever had triplets. This year we've had two. And in between the triplets came twins so the maternity stables are somewhat full at the moment and we've had to take both stables from the horses.
Rhiannon is not amused at having to give up her warm stable but Saffron is the bigger problem. She likes sheep, she's curious and she has big ears - which block the LambCam when she pokes her head over the stable door to watch the lambs. And she's taken to nibbling the wooden box that houses the LambCam.
Anyway, here's the first of the pictures. These are the twins resting after a hard day being stared at by a giant horse's head.
Here are the second triplets when they were four hours old. We've got them pencilled in for the Olympic Synchronised Lamb event this summer. Two are naturals, the third needs some work.
Here are the twins trying out their new overflow accommodation - a summer house on the lawn.
And here's one of last week's triplets wondering where his summer house was.
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Triplets!
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Mar. 27th, 2008 @ 10:43 am
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The lambing season is officially underway. Nice Ewe, who was due yesterday and had been on the point of exploding since Monday, gave birth to triplets at eleven last night. For the interested, she had two girls and a boy weighing in at three tons each (according to the mother - who should know:)
Here they are at age nine hours and a quarter. Nice Ewe's eye says it all.
Even at nine and a quarter they're fast and inquisitive. Point a camera at them and one's off exploring and headless by the time the shutter opens. Here's one of the few non-headless snaps.
They're pretty much the same at ten and a quarter. Here they are outside on our lawn. We give them a couple of hours outside each day if the weather's good then release them back into the field when they're big enough.
And finally a close up. Note the patented newborn woolly jumper - several sizes too big to allow plenty of room for expansion. And in two months time they'll need it - they'll all be the size of large woolly beach balls.
Now I'm off to pack for my trip to Dublin. There'll be more lamb pictures on Tuesday.
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International Nocturnal Kittens of Mystery
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Apr. 20th, 2007 @ 05:07 pm
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The current summerlike weather and lighter evenings have wrought an unexpected change in the activities of the International Kittens of Mystery. They've become Nocturnal Kittens of Mystery. Which has resulted in far less Polish being typed on my keyboard as they both spend much of the day asleep.
The word 'peace' has re-entered our vocabulary and found a friend called 'quiet.'
Here's Kai and Xena sleeping off a night of intensive counter beetle operations:
And if you're wondering if Xena's wearing a furry night scarf, here's the picture from another angle.
Yes, it's Kai's leg - he has so many. And as an International Kitten of Mystery he has to be prepared at all times and sometimes that means kittenpulting your partner out of bed.
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Lamb Pictures!
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Mar. 15th, 2007 @ 11:08 am
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As promised here are some pictures I took yesterday. First up we have the oldest and boldest lamb - a three day-old girl born Sunday morning - who has already mastered the art of leaping on top of large rocks. She had some difficulty at first but now her favourite game is 'King of the Castle' and she stands on her rock - there's a granite block in her compound - and lords it over her brother who has yet to master the ovine art.
And now the youngest. This picture was taken minutes after her birth and already she's up on her feet. We had two lambs born Tuesday night and another two Wednesday morning. This is one of Wednesday morning's. They were both much darker than the others - we have a black-headed Suffolk ram so we get a good variety of markings from white through brown to black.
And here's a family group taken a few seconds later. Note the instinct to suckle. And if you can't find your mum you can always try a sibling.
Here's one of Tuesday's lambs smiling for the camera and showing the art of advanced ear control.
And here's her brother showing that the art of advanced ear control is not that easy to master. Both lambs are about twelve hours old in the picture.
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A Kitten's Guide to Looking Cute while Unconscious
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Feb. 21st, 2007 @ 03:38 pm
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It's a competitive life as a stunt kitten and today we reflect upon last year's European Cute Kitten Olympics. Some say it was Kai's finest hour - usually Kai.
First up we have the kitten superstar demonstrating the stretch, smirk and ear curl. Always a crowd pleaser, the judges nearly squeed themselves and awarded 5.9s across the board for execution and solid sixes for artistic interpretation.
And if you think that was good, here we see Kai in the compulsory figures. A reverse half pike with twist. And probably several other twists as well. Remember, kittens, do not try this at home. Kai is professional stunt kitten and even he wasn't sure how he managed it.
And here we have Kai in the freestyle competition demonstrating 'SuperKitten Flies!' Note the dramatic pose, the ballet toe point, the perfect line to the outstretched front paw, the tucked in back leg and ... turn, eyes close and ... hold.
And finally we have Xena and the Last Tribble in the asymmetric pairs competition. The pose being demonstrated was called 'The Cuddle.'
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The Last Tribble - And Then There Were None.
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Nov. 8th, 2006 @ 11:46 am
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Yes, The Last Tribble has joined the others and headed south. That's all five tribbles re-homed in the Mayenne. Is this significant? Does the Mayenne have a dearth of kittens or a wealth of animal lovers? Is the Orne, the departement in which we live, full?
Enquiring minds will investigate. Surely, this is exactly the subject that government grants were created for:)
Meanwhile, on his final day, The Last Tribble shows off his kitten supermodel routine. First, with a degree of difficulty of 3.3 and off the scale in the cute charts, is the adorable glance upward:
Now the showing off. I'm a kitten supermodel and this is my tongue:
Kai takes the Last Tribble in hand and demonstrates the dangers of young tribbles poking out their tongues. Ever heard of the expression 'cat got your tongue?'
Luckily Kai, ever the gentlekitten, has retracted his claws. But next time, young tribble...
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