tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297892432694968692024-03-05T16:37:38.326-05:00Lambing Season in Iceland 2018. Third year for University of Maine AVS Students.Grace, Carly and Melissa head to the sheep farm at the Ag University of Iceland during the 2018 lambing season. Follow their lives as they deliver hundreds of lambs and are immersed in Icelandic farm culture.Jim Weberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10717793195520611515noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-39094136229801641722018-06-08T00:53:00.000-04:002018-06-08T09:22:50.790-04:00Days 31 & 32: The Enigmatic Glacier and Home<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-myd9ySQahZQ/Wxn_ns_U1CI/AAAAAAAAAf0/neOEIwhWYDUoH7D8P4i3YdteVMZ3P1bHgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180603_230723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-myd9ySQahZQ/Wxn_ns_U1CI/AAAAAAAAAf0/neOEIwhWYDUoH7D8P4i3YdteVMZ3P1bHgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180603_230723.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The face of a sheep who wants something (in this case, her baby that she hadn't been feeding well which we adopted out).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This will be my last blog post! The thought of blogging made me pretty nervous in the beginning, but I soon came to like it quite a bit. I'll miss it, but not nearly as much as I'll miss Iceland. As it turns out, Grace, Carly and I will be the last UMaine students to work with Snaedis and Helgi at Hestur, as they will be retiring from the 600-ewe farm in January. They did an incredible job in the three years they ran the farm, turning it into something both they and the Agricultural University of Iceland can truly be proud of. I'm sure their drive and their high standards of excellence will translate well to anything they choose to pursue next. I'm truly grateful for the time I was able to spend at Hestur with them. Snaedis and Helgi really were a delight to deal with. Even with all their farm responsibilities in addition to being new parents they were always kind and approachable, and I learned a great deal from them. Thank you Snaedis and Helgi!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tKGtr_ifSqI/Wxn_qgO4W0I/AAAAAAAAAf4/yvrlc9hcvq4MQaZ_59eWyRjSp1xUZ62-ACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180604_024807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tKGtr_ifSqI/Wxn_qgO4W0I/AAAAAAAAAf4/yvrlc9hcvq4MQaZ_59eWyRjSp1xUZ62-ACEwYBhgL/s320/20180604_024807.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peekaboo lamb.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For our last full day in Iceland, Carly and I set off in the trusty Lancer to explore Snaefellsnes Peninsula. I drove and she navigated. Neither of us had cell data, so we relied on a map and some instructions from Snaedis, just like everyone did 20 years ago (well, not Snaedis's instructions in particular, but you get what I mean). Since I was driving, I did not get any pictures of the landscape, but Carly did and either she'll send me some photos to add to this post, or she'll make her own post to showcase the pictures.<br />
<br />
We took route 54 north from Borgarnes. The weather was generally cloudy, but not rainy. It seemed that the entire peninsula was enrobed in a dense layer of fog that concentrated itself around the mountains with the occasional tendrils reaching down into the valleys and lowlands by the sea. The fog added an appealingly mysterious quality to our surroundings, but unfortunately it also made sightseeing things farther than 500m or so away a bit difficult/literally impossible. We passed many farms, including one with beef cows, and lots of pastureland, along with stony ground spattered with low shrubby bushes, and winding marshland. Sheep could be found in all of the above. We had intended to go west along the bottom of the peninsula, circle around to the top, then drive east to Helgafell outside of Stykkisholmur, and then head back. However, I made a navigational error and continued on route 54, which headed through a mountain pass in the middle of the peninsula instead of turning left onto route 574, which would have taken us to the end of the peninsula.<br />
<br />
Like most Icelandic roads, this mountain pass was just barely wide enough to accommodate a single lane in either direction, and had no guard rails. I was sure as hell not executing a 3-point turn on a narrow, curvy mountain pass in thick fog and with no guard rails, so we had little other choice but to continue onward and accept our new adventure. It would have been a lovely drive if we had a better view of the mountains surrounding us, but we had to make do with the occasional glimpse of a peak through the fog. In a moment of higher visibility, we did pass a small, possibly abandoned shack by a pond that was right by the road, and I can't help but admire and also be a little concerned for whoever had been intrepid enough to put it there.<br />
<br />
Near the end of the pass, the road petered out into gravel, but it was well kept up, and the Lancer handled it just fine. We headed downhill, and suddenly popped out into clear air, with a view of the beautiful blue sea! We turned left and headed into Olafsvik, where we bought sandwiches for later. We continued west, admiring beautiful cliffs with nesting seabirds and still hoping for a good hiking trail or road so that we could see Snaefellsjokull itself (I suspect that on a clear day it would have been very visible from many of the places we'd visited, but alas). I took a likely looking road that turned out to lead to the oldest concrete church in the world, built in 1903 and located in the town of Hellissandur. It was cool but fell a bit short of 'big volcano surrounded by glacier with rumored psychic energies' cool.<br />
<br />
Soon we were rounding the end of the peninsula and entering Snaefellsjokull National Park. While we were searching for a good hiking trail, Carly spotted a big volcanic crater off to our right. It turned out to be Saxholl, which has a nice set of steps on its side, so that visitors can climb right up and peer inside! (Spoiler alert: no lava) The wind increased very noticeably as we climbed, but fortunately the exercise of getting to the top kept us warm enough. We headed south again, noting a lighthouse and several large pillars of rock in the sea ahead. This turned out to be the location of Snaefellsjokull National Park's visitor center, which was small but had some good exhibits, including a 'sheep bath' historically used for dipping sheep in medicine to rid them of skin parasites. A staff member informed us that it was unsafe for us to hike too close or onto the glacier without a guide, and if we just wanted to see it, we would probably have better luck continuing east and trying a gravel road that veered to the north just past Arnarstarpi. When I asked if the road was safe (specifically for those in a borrowed 20-year-old car and no cell service), all I got was: "Well, the road is at your own risk." Thanks...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pfj7B49dqEM/Wxn_6XXDoDI/AAAAAAAAAgM/4jm3kPzUMaAPc4ZJN5S8wMXEcwc6DVuMwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180604_135831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pfj7B49dqEM/Wxn_6XXDoDI/AAAAAAAAAgM/4jm3kPzUMaAPc4ZJN5S8wMXEcwc6DVuMwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180604_135831.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top of Saxholl.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TOATIhUdIw4/Wxn__QNsKoI/AAAAAAAAAgU/WV-DdE6KzHgZreyOdqzM2-unXmPuuUAzgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180604_135846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TOATIhUdIw4/Wxn__QNsKoI/AAAAAAAAAgU/WV-DdE6KzHgZreyOdqzM2-unXmPuuUAzgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180604_135846.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the top of Saxholl.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We continued to Arnarstapi, which Snaedis had circled on our map, although to our chagrin, neither of us could recall specifically why. It was a cute little town with a big statue of a mountain spirit... and then I noticed that past the statue there was a viewing area on the cliff overlooking the sea. As it was such an overcast day, I doubted the view would be particularly good, but we were there and decided to walk over and have a look anyway... and soon realized exactly why Snaedis had circled Arnarstapi.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WTPWCPax6_k/WxoADR6cqvI/AAAAAAAAAgU/L3fJG9t0du4WoWENCClaorNwYoj8tghZACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180604_153400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WTPWCPax6_k/WxoADR6cqvI/AAAAAAAAAgU/L3fJG9t0du4WoWENCClaorNwYoj8tghZACEwYBhgL/s320/20180604_153400.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IgqhH2QQ6I8/WxoATT0Iy1I/AAAAAAAAAgg/DTaYK-PS18E9mIlFKa92KEhnOGq4aY_agCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180604_154037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IgqhH2QQ6I8/WxoATT0Iy1I/AAAAAAAAAgg/DTaYK-PS18E9mIlFKa92KEhnOGq4aY_agCEwYBhgL/s320/20180604_154037.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B2EoNfyMGKE/WxoAcVQOtzI/AAAAAAAAAgg/BfqajvdsYnY4U0GQAKgFBSXWIyfSw5vSACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180604_154023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B2EoNfyMGKE/WxoAcVQOtzI/AAAAAAAAAgg/BfqajvdsYnY4U0GQAKgFBSXWIyfSw5vSACEwYBhgL/s320/20180604_154023.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z3ry96uYTo8/WxoAit-OspI/AAAAAAAAAgo/ZhSngvlU8_EqNFtN-0NHi2nbVGxJ80e-ACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180604_153950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z3ry96uYTo8/WxoAit-OspI/AAAAAAAAAgo/ZhSngvlU8_EqNFtN-0NHi2nbVGxJ80e-ACEwYBhgL/s320/20180604_153950.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Leaving Arnarstapi, we came upon the gravel road the visitor center staff member had mentioned to us. There were a few cars parked by the side of the road there, and several warning signs. Some of the writing was in English, perhaps because legend had spread of the crazy and/or badass American woman who drove up the glacier in a 20-year-old car last year (not going to name any names...). Had we more time, we would have followed suit of the other cars parked there and just hiked in a little ways, but it was mid afternoon at that point, so we just accepted that we would not see Snaefellsjokull in person and continued on, happening upon Rauðfeldsga gorge which had us cheered up in no time flat. The fog and mist only added to its allure. There was a vast amount of unmelted snow inside that made it impossible for us to hike farther in, but we were happy to simply look. Birds emerged from their nests in the mist frequently, and a thick layer of moss and plants covered much of the gorge's surface.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2puCpkzhy2A/WxoAugW5RfI/AAAAAAAAAg0/zcdoOwaN7lw7cGuqvqphGTkACLAodDzMgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180604_161256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2puCpkzhy2A/WxoAugW5RfI/AAAAAAAAAg0/zcdoOwaN7lw7cGuqvqphGTkACLAodDzMgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180604_161256.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HIIhRwez8ug/WxoA0YA5bdI/AAAAAAAAAg4/HPI1KSQc_Fkec1TVc6Ffo0QfwZiahLqmgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180604_161409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HIIhRwez8ug/WxoA0YA5bdI/AAAAAAAAAg4/HPI1KSQc_Fkec1TVc6Ffo0QfwZiahLqmgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180604_161409.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can only imagine the amount of water that flowed from the gorge to cause this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-22c8vUNZ7AI/WxoA9SbKguI/AAAAAAAAAhA/jm6RQiAN2LY0iN1tkqHNb1b6Stk8ZMjmwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180604_161534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-22c8vUNZ7AI/WxoA9SbKguI/AAAAAAAAAhA/jm6RQiAN2LY0iN1tkqHNb1b6Stk8ZMjmwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180604_161534.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P3G9cdKAxNM/WxoBOOyKkuI/AAAAAAAAAhU/IoA3dKlVS6IPkuTXR_NemFeCwA7MdQi9ACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180604_162425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P3G9cdKAxNM/WxoBOOyKkuI/AAAAAAAAAhU/IoA3dKlVS6IPkuTXR_NemFeCwA7MdQi9ACEwYBhgL/s320/20180604_162425.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some plants intrepidly growing on the side of the gorge.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Because it was the shortest route back to the north of the peninsula, we decided to take the same somewhat scary mountain pass again when we came back to it. To our delight, some of the fog had lifted and sunlight was starting to pour through, giving us more views of the surrounding mountains and some power lines that ran through them (most electrical lines in Iceland are actually underground!). This time, we took a right at the end and headed east through Grundarfjordur. The landscape between Grundarfjordur and Stykkisholmur looked downright alien at times. We passed through desolate areas with red-streaked rocks where it looked as though nothing but mining took place, as well as a vast lava field that contained the Shark Museum. Having heard my harrowing description of hakarl (fermented shark), Carly elected to not stop there.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R_fT_NJycsE/WxoBUFwEsCI/AAAAAAAAAhg/n36K4v9prHYqslTVyXpuGxtxHBomm3lBgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180604_172419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R_fT_NJycsE/WxoBUFwEsCI/AAAAAAAAAhg/n36K4v9prHYqslTVyXpuGxtxHBomm3lBgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180604_172419.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cliffs near Grundarfjordur.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We eventually made our way to Stykkisholmur, unfortunately by the time where most of the museums and such would be closed. A bit of a shame, as it was a very cute town. Helgafell, a hill by the sea that is said to be sacred, was located on our way back from Stykkisholmur and despite being a hiking path, was also closed in the evening. At any rate, it was a lovely hill, and the drive there had been interesting. As we headed back home via route 54, we found that many of the places that had been foggy on the way up had cleared partially or in full, and the sun was starting to come out! We saw mountains and farms we'd had no idea were there on the way up. It was almost like driving a different road! Once back at Hestur, we found one of the nicest, sunniest evenings we'd experienced in our whole stay there. Snaedis had made a traditional Icelandic lamb soup with golden beets, potatoes, carrots, onion, and parsley (all of which can be grown on Iceland), although she kindly omitted the lamb for my portion of soup. Helgi helped us to brand some trimmed ram horns with Hestur's label for Grace, which was fascinating to watch but also produced much more smoke than I had anticipated.<br />
<br />
In the morning, we said our goodbyes to Helgi, Myla, Dyri, and the sheep before heading to the airport with Snaedis and Yngvi. The weather was initially gloomy, but things brightened up as we headed in to Reykjavik. The ride itself was uneventful, save for us getting to hear more Snaedis stories. We spent much of the plane ride home worrying about getting the horns through customs. As it turns out, customs officials are very nice. We declared the horns and were gently pulled aside and had to wait in the back for our luggage, along with a couple who "made a mistake and brought a meat stick." I don't know what happened to the couple (and their meat stick), but Carly and the horns and I all made it just fine after the horns were inspected. Then I reunited with my family and marveled at seeing trees again!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HgzzumI7DWc/Wxn_ADPuxQI/AAAAAAAAAfc/JAjsQZUMiootmo2fixsS2DcC_5PDU6h8gCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180603_135018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HgzzumI7DWc/Wxn_ADPuxQI/AAAAAAAAAfc/JAjsQZUMiootmo2fixsS2DcC_5PDU6h8gCEwYBhgL/s320/20180603_135018.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dyri judging me for admiring his cute widdle pawprints.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uCAzgGBO5uY/Wxn_jQJpk7I/AAAAAAAAAfw/OHbAG94FA-0qbTSktIbXSG4VwB1422VTwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180603_210953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uCAzgGBO5uY/Wxn_jQJpk7I/AAAAAAAAAfw/OHbAG94FA-0qbTSktIbXSG4VwB1422VTwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180603_210953.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Hestur from the mountain it rests beside.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VfG5NJOB2T8/WxoBZcI9rxI/AAAAAAAAAho/WopUqVDX9XUhSGQ3y2Hz_Ci20PxZRP4kwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180605_105708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VfG5NJOB2T8/WxoBZcI9rxI/AAAAAAAAAho/WopUqVDX9XUhSGQ3y2Hz_Ci20PxZRP4kwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180605_105708.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading away from Hestur.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EsXDs4NLais/WxoBe1D_D5I/AAAAAAAAAhw/EtnDpovLnp8yiW_itst2fP10gSQBsuaBgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180605_115935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EsXDs4NLais/WxoBe1D_D5I/AAAAAAAAAhw/EtnDpovLnp8yiW_itst2fP10gSQBsuaBgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180605_115935.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reykjavik.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cqfTLJI_7YA/WxoBiT9rVgI/AAAAAAAAAh0/-SoyB262fFEeXEtdC18sU1JODSP8QdqOQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180605_121106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cqfTLJI_7YA/WxoBiT9rVgI/AAAAAAAAAh0/-SoyB262fFEeXEtdC18sU1JODSP8QdqOQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180605_121106.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">House(?) outside Reykjavik.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EXxvJj62fL0/WxoBoipc7BI/AAAAAAAAAhw/NCNsHAnEAN4cMNoIxr9kKmMCEUshKiw-ACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180605_121140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EXxvJj62fL0/WxoBoipc7BI/AAAAAAAAAhw/NCNsHAnEAN4cMNoIxr9kKmMCEUshKiw-ACEwYBhgL/s320/20180605_121140.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lava fields in Keflavik.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tx1alv8U2mI/WxoBqy0Q9dI/AAAAAAAAAh0/jo3UbOvF2McsyNdU03oWB57Htnhrr0o4wCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180605_161748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tx1alv8U2mI/WxoBqy0Q9dI/AAAAAAAAAh0/jo3UbOvF2McsyNdU03oWB57Htnhrr0o4wCEwYBhgL/s320/20180605_161748.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bye, Keflavik! I hope I will see you again someday...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-11826605154333975142018-06-03T20:19:00.000-04:002018-06-03T20:21:13.837-04:00Day 29 and 30- Stones Horses and Cows <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Day 29 </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
A foggy day began here for myself as I awoke around 330 pm for my 4-8pm shift. The power washing is officially done!!!!! So there was minor clean up to be finished at the barn, including putting fences back together and some sweeping. There has been a labor strike and the pregnant ewes have been holding on. A ewe did go into labor during my shift. She seemed to be straining and was quite vocal but there was no progress and or sacks appearing. I lubed up and found a nasty lamb tangle. After some untangling I looped the first ram with decent horn buds and pulled him, his brother was looped second and both are doing well!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FAX6jL0Zgyk/WxRzZ6E61gI/AAAAAAAACTg/zx56JqVug6QUgg6SvJM4WJMC7VyPur5CQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/34387256_10214468660824752_2557382132590706688_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FAX6jL0Zgyk/WxRzZ6E61gI/AAAAAAAACTg/zx56JqVug6QUgg6SvJM4WJMC7VyPur5CQCK4BGAYYCw/s320/34387256_10214468660824752_2557382132590706688_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
No sooner where these two rams on the ground I heard a ewe making noises from the pregnant pen. Mind you there have been no births in the past few days.. I raced over and a ewe had pushed a single almost half way out with no warning, no pre labor at all. It was time for action! I jumped into the pen and removed her lamb, breaking the sack around its nose. I kept the sack around him. I held her lamb low to the ground and walked backwards, she followed across the barn to a jug. I did not put her lamb in with her. I raced around the corner and grabbed a triplet who needed to be adopted, ran some hot water to warm the lamb up and then rubbed her against her new brother vigorously. I transfers the sack still on her newly born brother onto her back and around her head and neck. I ran back to the jug with both lambs and reached into the mom for more fluid to cover the triplet, once I felt she was decently covered with sack and fluid I presented the triplet first, and then her actual lamb. Normally when a ewe who is confirmed a single starts to have early labor we will adopt a triplet prior to her giving birth. This situation was very stressful and time sensitive as their was no pre labor. Mom has since accepted both lambs, and is allowing the triplet to nurse. It was touch and go for a while as she would think about accepting her and then smell her and sense she was not hers. We placed both lambs into a bucket together so that they would rub and smell the same. Overall it was a lot of madness in 15 minuets after having days of quiet, and that is just how it goes!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After my shift I took a hike with Myla up to the mountain behind the farm. Here are some pictures of our hike<3 </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MD3M44fM7W4/WxR0I3jXoKI/AAAAAAAACTs/_bAUN9nibvYnbrHbukIu8YBBd-QsWh7SACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MD3M44fM7W4/WxR0I3jXoKI/AAAAAAAACTs/_bAUN9nibvYnbrHbukIu8YBBd-QsWh7SACK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7099.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nbIqHL4KjRA/WxR0WMUVt8I/AAAAAAAACT0/8-drhkJDx6E-FWQoywVDHkcgUs8NVyWvQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nbIqHL4KjRA/WxR0WMUVt8I/AAAAAAAACT0/8-drhkJDx6E-FWQoywVDHkcgUs8NVyWvQCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7117.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While hiking I found many beautiful stones, lava rocks ect. One in particular... Is so beautiful I had to include a picture of it. I feel that the spirits of Iceland blessed me with this beautiful stone. I am beyond grateful. </div>
<div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_iXz5JfhYbU/WxR0uh72sqI/AAAAAAAACUE/gWzZlKgowVszF7jwKqTi7laMhmvDcVNZACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/34415898_10214468660424742_1732774516569931776_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_iXz5JfhYbU/WxR0uh72sqI/AAAAAAAACUE/gWzZlKgowVszF7jwKqTi7laMhmvDcVNZACK4BGAYYCw/s320/34415898_10214468660424742_1732774516569931776_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Day 30 </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Today Snaedis was our lovely tour guide and took us to the University Stables and the University Dairy. IT WAS AWESOME </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W4mt8c22Wzo/WxR5H1SSWJI/AAAAAAAACUQ/BkOpcpLUuJUucC8fJXHMQZifRWIXAq-fACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W4mt8c22Wzo/WxR5H1SSWJI/AAAAAAAACUQ/BkOpcpLUuJUucC8fJXHMQZifRWIXAq-fACK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7143.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4EHFtsD8EeM/WxR5IvLZ0uI/AAAAAAAACUY/JN0Y94wGGegp1GIVkLe7SJ94T39LTXQ_QCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4EHFtsD8EeM/WxR5IvLZ0uI/AAAAAAAACUY/JN0Y94wGGegp1GIVkLe7SJ94T39LTXQ_QCK4BGAYYCw/s400/IMG_7150.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Pictured of the stables are above with some beautiful Icelandic horses. With smaller horses the stalls doors were quite low. I know for a fact if I placed my Percheron/ Thoroughbred mare in a stall like this she would jump out. All horses were happy to receive some scratches and I really didn't want to leave. This grey gelding below placed his head on my shoulder and I was happy to hold him up while I scratched his chest. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DXp4lwY2n5Q/WxR5h0Mr40I/AAAAAAAACUo/MjQrT18YkyUIvcgWsarxGga_hf89tJFWwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DXp4lwY2n5Q/WxR5h0Mr40I/AAAAAAAACUo/MjQrT18YkyUIvcgWsarxGga_hf89tJFWwCK4BGAYYCw/s400/IMG_7151.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Most of the younger horses had gone back home for the summer but here is a picture of two yearlings who's forelocks made me smile. You can just see the mischief in their eyes haha. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m8aix3QKu_Q/WxR53U4i3II/AAAAAAAACU0/HGCOTRwcfT0V7CUgyujPkqggF_ZKchnaACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m8aix3QKu_Q/WxR53U4i3II/AAAAAAAACU0/HGCOTRwcfT0V7CUgyujPkqggF_ZKchnaACK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7146.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Snaedis has a horse named after her! This mare ( Snaedis) was just lovely, so calm and grounding to spend time with her. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t9qptJERN3s/WxR6GwEsx_I/AAAAAAAACU8/rS8X7SA1LtwFftG0mXl3v_O8XnaCaFVgQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t9qptJERN3s/WxR6GwEsx_I/AAAAAAAACU8/rS8X7SA1LtwFftG0mXl3v_O8XnaCaFVgQCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_7142.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Dairy</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DejBW4lS1Xw/WxR9jP92efI/AAAAAAAACWQ/6-gCM3A_SDYH_P7upPLSWwL6hZ31V7pLwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DejBW4lS1Xw/WxR9jP92efI/AAAAAAAACWQ/6-gCM3A_SDYH_P7upPLSWwL6hZ31V7pLwCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7195.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a2ZcSIpjh0c/WxSEiiREaaI/AAAAAAAACZs/yVl5vkcD-J0kNgstDqxHPul3io-YclfPwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a2ZcSIpjh0c/WxSEiiREaaI/AAAAAAAACZs/yVl5vkcD-J0kNgstDqxHPul3io-YclfPwCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_7183.JPG" width="320" /></a> This white cow is also named Snaedis!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
After this we took a short drive to the Dairy. This place was really great. A free-stall barn with an automatic/robot milker and poop scraper! I spent a lot of time at the University of Maine doing dairy work with computers and running programs and such, so to see an robot working and relaying so much information back to the computer was amazing. Milk production, fat and protein, somatic cell count, individual teat flow and so much more. $$$ Today specifically there was an average of 2.7 milking a day. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Here is a picture of the robot using lasers to locate and connect each teat cup. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OJHQVyu4t28/WxR7JL07UAI/AAAAAAAACVM/dWx14bB-qhUogMnFwts7uL90vktknu9GwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7155.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OJHQVyu4t28/WxR7JL07UAI/AAAAAAAACVM/dWx14bB-qhUogMnFwts7uL90vktknu9GwCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7155.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tmuVPSOeCjs/WxR7MIBRSmI/AAAAAAAACVU/zCP1KpEJJ7gETciQNH3Udkm513IiUMB-wCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tmuVPSOeCjs/WxR7MIBRSmI/AAAAAAAACVU/zCP1KpEJJ7gETciQNH3Udkm513IiUMB-wCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_7157.JPG" width="320" /></a> Here is each quarter being tracked. One really cool thing about connecting each teat cup individually is that they can be taken off as soon as the quarter is done milking. The computer tracks the output from each quarter and removes the cup when flow is decreased. This means that over milking a quarter does not happen, in comparison to a unit that only works when connected to all quarters. This farm had a very low mastitis rate.<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I was really interested in their computer program and was lucky enough to get a behind the scenes walk through of milk production over time, breaking it down into lactation ect. Here are some of the graphs we pulled up for the rolling herd average. One really cool piece of this program is that motion is tracked with the collars the cows have on. Increased motion usually correlates with a heat. In the US mostly ovulation sinking protocols are used and or visual signs are detected. Having this motion tracker as well is just a really cool way to be notified with out having to watch the cows 24 hours a day. OK I am done being a cow nerd now. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vvZKtzgCv8Q/WxR8KKFWUjI/AAAAAAAACVw/_mFca_OlOLc9ZfTAZ80Fg0NTh0F3TPB5gCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vvZKtzgCv8Q/WxR8KKFWUjI/AAAAAAAACVw/_mFca_OlOLc9ZfTAZ80Fg0NTh0F3TPB5gCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7197.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Here are some pictures of the beautiful colors these Icelandic cows present. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vHIzcz3wJ54/WxR7k47QE9I/AAAAAAAACVk/hyTGtekR4Hspk-yl9mDGHh3X_wlG4O4tQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vHIzcz3wJ54/WxR7k47QE9I/AAAAAAAACVk/hyTGtekR4Hspk-yl9mDGHh3X_wlG4O4tQCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7171.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b2QMujoi7Lc/WxR-0vetsqI/AAAAAAAACWs/IENxKkeAJhMhlgsHa_nqkpHNPuhr6RxIACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7168.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b2QMujoi7Lc/WxR-0vetsqI/AAAAAAAACWs/IENxKkeAJhMhlgsHa_nqkpHNPuhr6RxIACK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7168.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y9AOGPNoij0/WxR9XMP5uxI/AAAAAAAACWE/VHgfiIqfl8QKd2KrKc1kdIhgdH3lnU7OQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7186.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y9AOGPNoij0/WxR9XMP5uxI/AAAAAAAACWE/VHgfiIqfl8QKd2KrKc1kdIhgdH3lnU7OQCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7186.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-loMVs1wqIDM/WxR_U0265fI/AAAAAAAACXI/fuW8tz48xSYix6ARvBINhyoOP9AEDc7UACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7187.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-loMVs1wqIDM/WxR_U0265fI/AAAAAAAACXI/fuW8tz48xSYix6ARvBINhyoOP9AEDc7UACK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7187.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FiLQBuXnXI0/WxR-mOWmMxI/AAAAAAAACWc/xfJneTaDQCQ7hg2oG719LRHJJ3jKtgzVgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7167.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FiLQBuXnXI0/WxR-mOWmMxI/AAAAAAAACWc/xfJneTaDQCQ7hg2oG719LRHJJ3jKtgzVgCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7167.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Here is a day old calf <3 <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BEMoqWbYfsI/WxR-pMpJeUI/AAAAAAAACWk/R_-3i4HsMBIjRz-UqOcGAZeYCV16FODNQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7176.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BEMoqWbYfsI/WxR-pMpJeUI/AAAAAAAACWk/R_-3i4HsMBIjRz-UqOcGAZeYCV16FODNQCK4BGAYYCw/s400/IMG_7176.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And finally the poop scraper.. I know from experience that pushing cow crap down the grates is less than enjoyable. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QuYEhPlZe-k/WxR_PnI7evI/AAAAAAAACXA/1akgbm3IrsgTS9aNgQszaQZZIY-F91g2ACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QuYEhPlZe-k/WxR_PnI7evI/AAAAAAAACXA/1akgbm3IrsgTS9aNgQszaQZZIY-F91g2ACK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_7182.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
These cows were really happy. Well fed well bedded and happy to be milked when they wanted to. Icelandic law states that dairy cows have to spend at least 8 weeks on pasture. US.. take note.... Later this week the cows will be let out onto the fields and Im sure they will buck with happiness. Really great experience to see this barn in action! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f9EDg-o5jxw/WxR_9Yi9R8I/AAAAAAAACXY/SRTdnAz6f4EaulAR_C6eHfK309d3TQ30gCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7173.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f9EDg-o5jxw/WxR_9Yi9R8I/AAAAAAAACXY/SRTdnAz6f4EaulAR_C6eHfK309d3TQ30gCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7173.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Thank you to our lovely dairy tour guide Aith pictured here with the young stock. </div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
After the dairy we took a detour on the way home to see a beautiful lake surrounded by trees( trees are rare) I spotted a beautiful owl and was able to get some shots of it. I thought of my Grammy as she loves her owls <3 </div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ov42dUceQzU/WxSBkQBi1YI/AAAAAAAACX8/x5BcqseMcLkspVXApsvfzpL_8dlo3UG_gCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7218.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ov42dUceQzU/WxSBkQBi1YI/AAAAAAAACX8/x5BcqseMcLkspVXApsvfzpL_8dlo3UG_gCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7218.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sdMN_ZYcFlg/WxSBfOv8lbI/AAAAAAAACXs/aKJFeWppKoEmf57yyYNyuMdEKZWsqEqIgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7228.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sdMN_ZYcFlg/WxSBfOv8lbI/AAAAAAAACXs/aKJFeWppKoEmf57yyYNyuMdEKZWsqEqIgCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7228.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GIWV652Hftw/WxSBbY9vLLI/AAAAAAAACXk/Q7LkhmK3yhcVY4XbPCdyy9VHywUznbNOwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7226.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GIWV652Hftw/WxSBbY9vLLI/AAAAAAAACXk/Q7LkhmK3yhcVY4XbPCdyy9VHywUznbNOwCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7226.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J_mjIHhRmIM/WxSBgMTv02I/AAAAAAAACX0/RNMMd4YWSOMWGU_CcHrAOr8iTNpBrS3pQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J_mjIHhRmIM/WxSBgMTv02I/AAAAAAAACX0/RNMMd4YWSOMWGU_CcHrAOr8iTNpBrS3pQCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7230.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-arLsYR6MQ8c/WxSCMHvk04I/AAAAAAAACYY/kbiWaEBpbwUhasaHXXU1oG8YQWL6T9h6gCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7249.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-arLsYR6MQ8c/WxSCMHvk04I/AAAAAAAACYY/kbiWaEBpbwUhasaHXXU1oG8YQWL6T9h6gCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7249.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C9dijM3axMU/WxSCJFUh-xI/AAAAAAAACYQ/x4dVtpal_8Qdr1JBmUuwShXyn-sf5pKNQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7247.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C9dijM3axMU/WxSCJFUh-xI/AAAAAAAACYQ/x4dVtpal_8Qdr1JBmUuwShXyn-sf5pKNQCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7247.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Tonight when we returned Melissa and I decided to hike up the mountain behind the farm. Here are some more pictures of Myla and the hike, because she is just so awesome. Here she is looking out over the house and farm<3 Helgi's fields look great! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eBfUz-swe-g/WxSCqh6MLvI/AAAAAAAACY4/Le_NtQEpUbg2diDgYFqUtQdU7pbsYe13QCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eBfUz-swe-g/WxSCqh6MLvI/AAAAAAAACY4/Le_NtQEpUbg2diDgYFqUtQdU7pbsYe13QCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7268.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eBfUz-swe-g/WxSCqh6MLvI/AAAAAAAACY4/Le_NtQEpUbg2diDgYFqUtQdU7pbsYe13QCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7268.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2WQmKD5Lc4k/WxSCxvPWGjI/AAAAAAAACZI/TSMu_nMN8NIcqftmE_JTXF0anRdApfRlACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7258.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Az46sbVAFTU/WxSC4wI06HI/AAAAAAAACZU/c44qrANUmjwwEsXJv8dj8V1Lln-BizIxgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7256.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Az46sbVAFTU/WxSC4wI06HI/AAAAAAAACZU/c44qrANUmjwwEsXJv8dj8V1Lln-BizIxgCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7256.JPG" width="640" /></a><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2WQmKD5Lc4k/WxSCxvPWGjI/AAAAAAAACZI/TSMu_nMN8NIcqftmE_JTXF0anRdApfRlACK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7258.JPG" width="640" /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OMwxSxD7dJU/WxSCrqy-OHI/AAAAAAAACZA/IsEPcptlCVEmQvpZ-Z3t9AVprOHKEy8sgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7267.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OMwxSxD7dJU/WxSCrqy-OHI/AAAAAAAACZA/IsEPcptlCVEmQvpZ-Z3t9AVprOHKEy8sgCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7267.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wGdMB7f1nxE/WxSCgCKeEkI/AAAAAAAACYo/deNRVZBKdzgo7EesRuynnHQFmRYEFsjiQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wGdMB7f1nxE/WxSCgCKeEkI/AAAAAAAACYo/deNRVZBKdzgo7EesRuynnHQFmRYEFsjiQCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7263.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
Im am headed to grab a nap before my 2am- 6 am shift! The days are winding down only two to go. I am so blessed to be here. </div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-90590932352352289042018-06-02T16:44:00.000-04:002018-06-02T16:44:18.160-04:00Days 27 & 28: Berserk<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LPoAvsoEAQ8/WxL8SZqS3TI/AAAAAAAAAdY/ujWVUlGIoUECcYPaFSQh_SfiiR4WOR8qACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180531_221300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LPoAvsoEAQ8/WxL8SZqS3TI/AAAAAAAAAdY/ujWVUlGIoUECcYPaFSQh_SfiiR4WOR8qACEwYBhgL/s320/20180531_221300.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Becca Jr. and lambs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o5S6RQVfPJU/WxL8UPC73eI/AAAAAAAAAdg/qOTvp_TeniApSXnx2gw5-WQWiV1N0KblACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180531_221312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o5S6RQVfPJU/WxL8UPC73eI/AAAAAAAAAdg/qOTvp_TeniApSXnx2gw5-WQWiV1N0KblACEwYBhgL/s320/20180531_221312.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The least motion-blurred closeup I could get.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Another two-day post! Not much has been happening here at Hestur. The good weather has continued, as has the pressure washing, which has been going more slowly than it should because the replacement pressure washer is not as powerful as the original one. The leader lambs have been moved outside, to their delight and our slight disappointment.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rSXLHKZTXNY/WxL-QqZP1DI/AAAAAAAAAe8/gevS_xbN5sEqQI_xDXS8f7dffyAvnni6ACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180602_170854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rSXLHKZTXNY/WxL-QqZP1DI/AAAAAAAAAe8/gevS_xbN5sEqQI_xDXS8f7dffyAvnni6ACEwYBhgL/s320/20180602_170854.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you find all the sheep in this picture?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZbUCvjds-WU/WxL-D4UFADI/AAAAAAAAAes/SH4TdP8uAF0lbFZuH9VFvcvI1bSwoIHcwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180602_170757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZbUCvjds-WU/WxL-D4UFADI/AAAAAAAAAes/SH4TdP8uAF0lbFZuH9VFvcvI1bSwoIHcwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180602_170757.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eurasian oystercatchers. Not sure what they are doing here on the farm.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In the evening, Carly and I teamed up to make supper for the following day, since both chowder and whoopie pies are better on the second day than the first. She made the chowder, following her grandmother's recipe, and I made the whoopie pies (definitely at least my grandmother's recipe, quite possibly older). The shortening to butter substitution caused the cookies to spread more than rise, and the texture and color of the frosting was noticeably off. However, extensive quality control tasting suggested that the flavor of the whoopie pies would turn out just fine.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rru0_Sm3eWk/WxL-WU8t3PI/AAAAAAAAAfE/tqZvQ6zUJf0Tf5okWxvoJwqftouJP529ACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180602_170900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rru0_Sm3eWk/WxL-WU8t3PI/AAAAAAAAAfE/tqZvQ6zUJf0Tf5okWxvoJwqftouJP529ACEwYBhgL/s320/20180602_170900.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Conjoined twins???</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VWZHOAsfj6w/WxL-War3mzI/AAAAAAAAAfA/dO3eDv1rvWwToIcelSIdapInfrmx0-s3ACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180602_170908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VWZHOAsfj6w/WxL-War3mzI/AAAAAAAAAfA/dO3eDv1rvWwToIcelSIdapInfrmx0-s3ACEwYBhgL/s320/20180602_170908.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nope.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gFq96pVaBUs/WxL-X7OBURI/AAAAAAAAAfI/3UTRWDey08gE_hps-czybdI2dDQkB8c7gCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180602_170918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gFq96pVaBUs/WxL-X7OBURI/AAAAAAAAAfI/3UTRWDey08gE_hps-czybdI2dDQkB8c7gCEwYBhgL/s320/20180602_170918.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polled ewe after I interrupted her scratching session.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We finally had a break in the labor strike during my night shift. I was hoping it might start a chain reaction of lambs, but alas, it did not. The first of the two lambs was so large and had such large hornbuds, they popped off during the delivery! This should not cause permanent disfigurement. Another ewe alarmed me by suddenly starting to breathe like Darth Vader. Snaedis and Helgi believe it is a mild, opportunistic bacterial infection that will resolve itself after the ewe gives birth, but she will be closely watched and treated if necessary. When Carly arrived, she also noticed that there is a ewe who is shedding down to her skin; Helgi explained that this sometimes occurs after a ewe has recovered from a fever. This particular ewe has been treated for mastitis, which is the likely cause.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mtWAPYDezvM/WxL8XTxczhI/AAAAAAAAAdc/QjexYeMelHoUler-KXNrqMvsdGfB_5YGACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180531_232116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mtWAPYDezvM/WxL8XTxczhI/AAAAAAAAAdc/QjexYeMelHoUler-KXNrqMvsdGfB_5YGACEwYBhgL/s320/20180531_232116.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">End of the labor strike!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The subsequent day I pulled one long day shift in an attempt to finish the pressure washing and associated tasks. Snaedis and Helgi know that Carly and I don't like to leave a task unfinished, but they'd also like for pressure washing to not be the last thing we remember doing in Iceland, so they gently suggested we try to finish promptly (we both tend to clean more than is necessary in the interest of being thorough, which of course takes additional time). When I told Carly of this, she got a weird look in her eyes. I didn't know it then, but it was the beginning of some kind of berserker rage like they talk about in the Sagas. After a double shift for me and a single shift for Carly, we stopped for dinner. In addition to heating up the chowder from yesterday, Carly prepared some "lobster" rolls. "Lobster" because Icelandic lobster is actually langoustine, which tastes and resembles a lobster/shrimp hybrid (the rolls were still quite good). The whoopie pies were indeed a little off in texture but as tasty as normal. The chowder was a hit as well. To our surprise, since milk, potatoes, and fish all factor prominently in Icelandic cuisine, neither Snaedis nor Helgi had tried chowder before!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-akQh2yQXU80/WxL8b33eXJI/AAAAAAAAAdg/hIxFriM8A9EasgxNKzeNq3BnbEp7pH8hwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180601_224555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-akQh2yQXU80/WxL8b33eXJI/AAAAAAAAAdg/hIxFriM8A9EasgxNKzeNq3BnbEp7pH8hwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180601_224555.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Majestic sunlit ewe visible from the laundry room.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IvzjkXX8NsA/WxL-AoNZMkI/AAAAAAAAAek/HkZT4L94sc0IdO-8zbVqeUxhuLwZbQY-wCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180602_165353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IvzjkXX8NsA/WxL-AoNZMkI/AAAAAAAAAek/HkZT4L94sc0IdO-8zbVqeUxhuLwZbQY-wCEwYBhgL/s320/20180602_165353.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dyri inspecting our work.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2b9FPYQkyq0/WxL9QsafMLI/AAAAAAAAAds/S5UtJq2MAcY_T_5fqq-wKNLNMP-k14IFACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180602_120902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2b9FPYQkyq0/WxL9QsafMLI/AAAAAAAAAds/S5UtJq2MAcY_T_5fqq-wKNLNMP-k14IFACEwYBhgL/s320/20180602_120902.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lamb chewing on... something. Really not sure what.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The minute dinner was over, Carly dashed back to the barn to cover both my night shift (which was going to be covered by Helgi) and her own, intending to pressure wash the whole time. Helgi asked her if she was sure, and she was. After having worked with her this afternoon, I certainly wasn't going to get in her way! I can only assume that the poop jumped off the pens in terror of her presence.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WN6pyhiPONg/WxL9btYYP2I/AAAAAAAAAeA/FgQn9WZlOBwEzQRhnQm4dxahxcgrN8hJACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180602_121125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WN6pyhiPONg/WxL9btYYP2I/AAAAAAAAAeA/FgQn9WZlOBwEzQRhnQm4dxahxcgrN8hJACEwYBhgL/s320/20180602_121125.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milk break.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mIrx0qYwsLA/WxL9rGcPJUI/AAAAAAAAAeM/R1hGHDSe0o0c7gZsM3vOaZu1cB0BlB_TQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180602_121218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mIrx0qYwsLA/WxL9rGcPJUI/AAAAAAAAAeM/R1hGHDSe0o0c7gZsM3vOaZu1cB0BlB_TQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180602_121218.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moving on.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rnjix-aQMpQ/WxL9mgsQcII/AAAAAAAAAeE/fAhuUbhfmikAGlId2UBChSioBuHXVXdJQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180602_121137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rnjix-aQMpQ/WxL9mgsQcII/AAAAAAAAAeE/fAhuUbhfmikAGlId2UBChSioBuHXVXdJQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180602_121137.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group siesta.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tf2Fz9aAcV0/WxL9gja1pkI/AAAAAAAAAeA/xeV3gNmLNCQsV5aK_ZHPqvbzASEEDozGQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180602_121114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tf2Fz9aAcV0/WxL9gja1pkI/AAAAAAAAAeA/xeV3gNmLNCQsV5aK_ZHPqvbzASEEDozGQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180602_121114.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have run into this ewe twice now. We are not friends yet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hq07L5fOaUg/WxL9uPKCutI/AAAAAAAAAeU/0eb4wpuLICsn5Hh56UqllxwXmB5ulZRHwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180602_121243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hq07L5fOaUg/WxL9uPKCutI/AAAAAAAAAeU/0eb4wpuLICsn5Hh56UqllxwXmB5ulZRHwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180602_121243.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Off to complain to the others about me walking by her.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SHbxArDj_5s/WxL93Fs6OdI/AAAAAAAAAeg/n1vvVjxxTYYUkQ92iM9zcr3FZbxfbMAsQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180602_121304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SHbxArDj_5s/WxL93Fs6OdI/AAAAAAAAAeg/n1vvVjxxTYYUkQ92iM9zcr3FZbxfbMAsQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180602_121304.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The scenic loaf.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BiXaGbSg1UM/WxL97nJ0EAI/AAAAAAAAAes/NbfubIo3Qv4RGLbU8mps_oBzGVH3-Pm5QCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180602_121425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BiXaGbSg1UM/WxL97nJ0EAI/AAAAAAAAAes/NbfubIo3Qv4RGLbU8mps_oBzGVH3-Pm5QCEwYBhgL/s320/20180602_121425.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Farm fields, and sheep, and mountains. Still not tired of the view.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-24137708197594985812018-06-01T20:59:00.001-04:002018-06-01T20:59:41.882-04:00Day 26: Labor Strike<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zstIwkyWhtU/WxHjZL_AJ6I/AAAAAAAAAao/KlThQafPxlYPkAlC1wHSpLPQfiMfXxcvgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180530_161550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zstIwkyWhtU/WxHjZL_AJ6I/AAAAAAAAAao/KlThQafPxlYPkAlC1wHSpLPQfiMfXxcvgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180530_161550.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They enjoy sunning themselves on the warm gravel.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LJmRlOyd-n0/WxHjbay86JI/AAAAAAAAAaw/dp_dh9xKuRYgxv0XJGoXuIcwHQWIcA0ZACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180530_161616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LJmRlOyd-n0/WxHjbay86JI/AAAAAAAAAaw/dp_dh9xKuRYgxv0XJGoXuIcwHQWIcA0ZACEwYBhgL/s320/20180530_161616.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gravel pile ewe.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HEQr0r2bEZE/WxHj_fwMqNI/AAAAAAAAAb0/uNGe1--jsMcD8Aom3QFfB6sNBqvrGsJUACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180531_115809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HEQr0r2bEZE/WxHj_fwMqNI/AAAAAAAAAb0/uNGe1--jsMcD8Aom3QFfB6sNBqvrGsJUACEwYBhgL/s320/20180531_115809.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They are multiplying???</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-prLct396wMc/WxHlGC_I4aI/AAAAAAAAAcU/zdgXwHBnEqE_FxWHwKXyqmYjqvCSHhctwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180531_151441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-prLct396wMc/WxHlGC_I4aI/AAAAAAAAAcU/zdgXwHBnEqE_FxWHwKXyqmYjqvCSHhctwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180531_151441.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well hello there.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Today was another lovely, sunny day. The ovine labor strike has continued, however. We have now gone three days with absolutely no births! In the meantime, Carly and I continue to chip away at the pens (sometimes literally, as particularly stubborn clumps require the use of a chisel or shovel to remove). We'll probably have some kind of celebration when we are finished with all the pressure washing.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OoMD_QM8IfU/WxHjG0sbceI/AAAAAAAAAaM/22kFQYF13FYYNznpYyI-oF7E6xNkBw1lACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180530_140030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OoMD_QM8IfU/WxHjG0sbceI/AAAAAAAAAaM/22kFQYF13FYYNznpYyI-oF7E6xNkBw1lACEwYBhgL/s320/20180530_140030.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I usually have to wash this off at least once or twice a session because I can no longer see through it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KOETfa-L3EU/WxHkzyyYFEI/AAAAAAAAAcI/X_lMKiNhES8RtnGVJUXjmweEBKQoQ8zAACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180531_142239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KOETfa-L3EU/WxHkzyyYFEI/AAAAAAAAAcI/X_lMKiNhES8RtnGVJUXjmweEBKQoQ8zAACEwYBhgL/s320/20180531_142239.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ram lamb that was born backwards and needed mouth to mouth resuscitation. Doing much better now! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In my time off, I converted my family's recipe for whoopie pies (thanks, mom!) to metric units, which sounded intimidating but turned out to be really easy due to some handy online guides. I hope making the whoopie pies will go well, but there is one slight snag: shortening is not a thing in Iceland! Snaedis had never even heard of it (and when I explained what it was, she said it sounded gross, and honestly I can't even argue with that). I will have to use butter instead, and hope for the best. Carly and I took a quick trip to Borgarnes for confectioner's sugar for the frosting and a couple of chowder ingredients. We're planning on cooking some Maine food for everyone since we have been treated to so much nice Icelandic food. While getting the groceries I picked up two sweater's worth of yarn (yes, in the same store!).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-45A0DI8sg3Y/WxHljSxBM8I/AAAAAAAAAcs/DORKwsMXEzM17nGjfH-qZBaYdlceT2F7ACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180531_162929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-45A0DI8sg3Y/WxHljSxBM8I/AAAAAAAAAcs/DORKwsMXEzM17nGjfH-qZBaYdlceT2F7ACEwYBhgL/s320/20180531_162929.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We didn't get any pictures of this magical store (Netto), but Carly took some on the drive there.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Back at the barn, Gull has finally stopped associating me with food and subsequently screaming whenever she sees me. I almost miss it (almost). Now that I am not assisting with the delivery of lambs I've been spending more time cleaning and sweeping in the pens. By far the hardest part of sweeping an occupied pen is the lambs! They all seem to want to "help." And by "help" I mean stand directly in front of the broom, nibble it, try to climb me, etc. It's hard to get mad at them for being curious, but they sure do hold up the process. The sister of the little ram lamb that was euthanized yesterday is extremely mellow and friendly. Many of the lambs bounce around even when they want attention but she just stands there as long as she is being patted.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-31TsQJjhDdU/WxHjz8yKPmI/AAAAAAAAAbU/YJZyoOA7desYHPlLSYwVwL4fnpmlaBMXACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180530_224044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-31TsQJjhDdU/WxHjz8yKPmI/AAAAAAAAAbU/YJZyoOA7desYHPlLSYwVwL4fnpmlaBMXACEwYBhgL/s320/20180530_224044.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sweet little ewe lamb.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S-R7IFuEBSA/WxHjw_VYaBI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/V8zvoMZltf4ECHd50I2Q2XdtptAMwjOVgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180530_224030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S-R7IFuEBSA/WxHjw_VYaBI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/V8zvoMZltf4ECHd50I2Q2XdtptAMwjOVgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180530_224030.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kruna's ram lamb looking offended that I hadn't been taking the picture of him.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q5q-QTPw14s/WxHi9lM_3YI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/lKlCRLR6vf8QQ9PFUyFdMs5n0g13JceMACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180529_135506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q5q-QTPw14s/WxHi9lM_3YI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/lKlCRLR6vf8QQ9PFUyFdMs5n0g13JceMACEwYBhgL/s320/20180529_135506.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I thought this ewe's smile was sweet and funny until Helgi explained it's actually a dental disease. Oops.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PwNrvXq4nAg/WxHjiKJM7dI/AAAAAAAAAa4/BZx72S52G7gwmoa5TKJEdQHnNJpk1tZ3QCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180530_220648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PwNrvXq4nAg/WxHjiKJM7dI/AAAAAAAAAa4/BZx72S52G7gwmoa5TKJEdQHnNJpk1tZ3QCEwYBhgL/s320/20180530_220648.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A polled ewe takes advantage of the salt block. Pink blocks have additional minerals added.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AEQWnvXPGSs/WxHjlpqLA4I/AAAAAAAAAbA/QWb01uO6NTQ3IM_CKNMmB9Rl5n2B9hY5gCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180530_220845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AEQWnvXPGSs/WxHjlpqLA4I/AAAAAAAAAbA/QWb01uO6NTQ3IM_CKNMmB9Rl5n2B9hY5gCEwYBhgL/s320/20180530_220845.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not siblings, just enjoying the cuddle warmth.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m4cIbvmQb4w/WxHjqutuFyI/AAAAAAAAAbI/R9uJ2Qmn3XUhRVQ__H15dZqi-UMaA_XIgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180530_222348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m4cIbvmQb4w/WxHjqutuFyI/AAAAAAAAAbI/R9uJ2Qmn3XUhRVQ__H15dZqi-UMaA_XIgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180530_222348.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hi!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XIM9_NNQk4Q/WxHj5dIDdqI/AAAAAAAAAbc/eTxCK6tPMoc5herTyGclIcnwIFP6diYGwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180531_001759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XIM9_NNQk4Q/WxHj5dIDdqI/AAAAAAAAAbc/eTxCK6tPMoc5herTyGclIcnwIFP6diYGwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180531_001759.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The triple cuddle puddle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When Carly arrived, I had a task ready that required the two of us: Lil' Bean's mom had one udder that was SUPER full for some reason, perhaps due to being a bit lower to the ground and less desirable to nurse from. I stripped the teat and found plenty of milk and no clots, and there were no other signs of mastitis. However, with plenty of running away space in the double-wide lambing jug and three lambs underfoot, milking her was a two-person process. We filled an entire soda bottle plus a little extra with the milk from just that one udder! The ewe may not have enjoyed the process, but I think she looked relieved afterwards.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qfYB6qW76cI/WxHjE0tGnVI/AAAAAAAAAaI/WCbiZord7jMyB-rBRtnbIiztDpt_rHEuwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180530_120145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qfYB6qW76cI/WxHjE0tGnVI/AAAAAAAAAaI/WCbiZord7jMyB-rBRtnbIiztDpt_rHEuwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180530_120145.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching me to see if I'm a threat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ndgRxL8EBDI/WxHjQq0UDVI/AAAAAAAAAaY/GDJJhsKZcnofcq21VXC9EGFiWm8U7JNnwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180530_161508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ndgRxL8EBDI/WxHjQq0UDVI/AAAAAAAAAaY/GDJJhsKZcnofcq21VXC9EGFiWm8U7JNnwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180530_161508.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Myla being a good dog and NOT herding for a little while. She really is a good dog, she's just a little too excited by sheep sometimes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1k_sXEv_GBs/WxHjTjzgCWI/AAAAAAAAAag/dORkTEnnF98xcAHhOt4kUmQfXE9tyYfPgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180530_161542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1k_sXEv_GBs/WxHjTjzgCWI/AAAAAAAAAag/dORkTEnnF98xcAHhOt4kUmQfXE9tyYfPgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180530_161542.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loaf and mini-loaf.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w6A70ymtuOs/WxHkHJ0TKTI/AAAAAAAAAbo/hKp_nTGspDIp5WusPx2p38x4A9HI_LEWgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180531_115829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w6A70ymtuOs/WxHkHJ0TKTI/AAAAAAAAAbo/hKp_nTGspDIp5WusPx2p38x4A9HI_LEWgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180531_115829.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A ewe and her two lambs that look a lot like her! The raggedy stuff on her underbelly is just normal springtime shedding.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lHtCxJS195I/WxHkLHsRYmI/AAAAAAAAAb0/kGwZSeQVj58Qxj_ONSk7S4fpVE64F8U8gCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180531_115902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lHtCxJS195I/WxHkLHsRYmI/AAAAAAAAAb0/kGwZSeQVj58Qxj_ONSk7S4fpVE64F8U8gCEwYBhgL/s320/20180531_115902.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another picture of a ewe with her mini-me. I see these two a lot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gAZShEG_gog/WxHkWDk37XI/AAAAAAAAAb0/lSN5cae-g5wjiJth7F80wvuyev9TSd_0ACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180531_120037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gAZShEG_gog/WxHkWDk37XI/AAAAAAAAAb0/lSN5cae-g5wjiJth7F80wvuyev9TSd_0ACEwYBhgL/s320/20180531_120037.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ewe shall not pass!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-73STg0Bel-o/WxHkaB2f-II/AAAAAAAAAb4/OgiWZfz0T50Yw4haSobnNeC5Xx3WaJMMQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180531_120054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-73STg0Bel-o/WxHkaB2f-II/AAAAAAAAAb4/OgiWZfz0T50Yw4haSobnNeC5Xx3WaJMMQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180531_120054.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rare 8-legged ewe.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YlMAEscSZbs/WxHkgC89WOI/AAAAAAAAAb8/5NYGENOlw90CMhqz3WZ26xYOg9DhNFsXACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180531_120100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YlMAEscSZbs/WxHkgC89WOI/AAAAAAAAAb8/5NYGENOlw90CMhqz3WZ26xYOg9DhNFsXACEwYBhgL/s320/20180531_120100.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one may or may not have been investigating some freshly dug ditches and the reddish soil within.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_v58X2a2B1Y/WxHlDvRTrMI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/qM60SMkHpUETOyNP32did2t3LPtucftsACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180531_151336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_v58X2a2B1Y/WxHlDvRTrMI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/qM60SMkHpUETOyNP32did2t3LPtucftsACEwYBhgL/s320/20180531_151336.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Midday siesta.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kDkTUf67F_0/WxHlmdbo-JI/AAAAAAAAAcw/0wY6RikVuUQmTJGMLIVOhDX8fbNRGgfXACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180531_212921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kDkTUf67F_0/WxHlmdbo-JI/AAAAAAAAAcw/0wY6RikVuUQmTJGMLIVOhDX8fbNRGgfXACEwYBhgL/s320/20180531_212921.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the front steps in the evening.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-5369349671004222962018-05-30T20:09:00.000-04:002018-05-30T20:16:56.963-04:00The Sun was out today! <br />
Today was a beautiful day in Borgarfjordur. It has rained nearly every day for a month , hailed, and been quite windy so a beautiful day, one where only a sweatshirt is needed and not a jacket is a big deal! The birds have begun to chirp and the grass if finally becoming lush and green. Melissa and I continue to power wash our shifts away.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UV_aSRiQ8-I/Ww8zZz6wQFI/AAAAAAAACN8/io_mXMmGllM6qRJgmBrimAYnfiHpk2IvwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UV_aSRiQ8-I/Ww8zZz6wQFI/AAAAAAAACN8/io_mXMmGllM6qRJgmBrimAYnfiHpk2IvwCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_7002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Here is a picture of Melissa in our everyday garb.Face shield is not optional, unless you want to pick sheep poop out of your teeth... <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4WgkNouof-Y/Ww8z8u4lO5I/AAAAAAAACOI/Tpyx-jE6VyM7UIBy75edyPBwGbTQBWsqACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4WgkNouof-Y/Ww8z8u4lO5I/AAAAAAAACOI/Tpyx-jE6VyM7UIBy75edyPBwGbTQBWsqACK4BGAYYCw/s400/IMG_6974.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Here is a clean pen! Awe yeah<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I continue to rub mint cream on our lopsided mastitis ewe. Here is a picture of her udder.<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GG6msBjH1aY/Ww80WxcR18I/AAAAAAAACOU/TBBLM8lQhLQzWkRg10kAzZzw2mxmHI7VwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6971.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GG6msBjH1aY/Ww80WxcR18I/AAAAAAAACOU/TBBLM8lQhLQzWkRg10kAzZzw2mxmHI7VwCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6971.JPG" width="320" /></a> The right side is actually the normal side. The larger side is still sensitive to the touch and needs to have the pressure relieved/milked out. She is on a cocktail of antibiotics and seems to be improving as today she tried to kick me less haha.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Here are some photos from inside the barn. This first on I call. Motherhood. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BB-KNtv_V4w/Ww804sRzToI/AAAAAAAACOg/mb_4s-p_3XQ922PqYcMFxMlceWFwGXrygCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6976.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BB-KNtv_V4w/Ww804sRzToI/AAAAAAAACOg/mb_4s-p_3XQ922PqYcMFxMlceWFwGXrygCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6976.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dJn7Mx0fatw/Ww80-Xo4pjI/AAAAAAAACOo/5zO53nyttPoeLEvSsKaWaYbEVCaFwxXkwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6984.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dJn7Mx0fatw/Ww80-Xo4pjI/AAAAAAAACOo/5zO53nyttPoeLEvSsKaWaYbEVCaFwxXkwCK4BGAYYCw/s400/IMG_6984.JPG" width="400" /></a>Our leader lambs. Eating hay and looking at me as if to say, we are adults now.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Below are two beautiful pregnant ewes still to give birth.<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dEZvQmnpP_0/Ww80_zDnlJI/AAAAAAAACOw/fSBqQMmM0jgNBdCQJ26B2K7MwP1Ej1K7ACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6997.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dEZvQmnpP_0/Ww80_zDnlJI/AAAAAAAACOw/fSBqQMmM0jgNBdCQJ26B2K7MwP1Ej1K7ACK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6997.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bcvcGju_zVg/Ww81An2WZMI/AAAAAAAACO4/LDBxL4aQp5E0JzWGZZCsmNdWohHA4lRDgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7003.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bcvcGju_zVg/Ww81An2WZMI/AAAAAAAACO4/LDBxL4aQp5E0JzWGZZCsmNdWohHA4lRDgCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_7003.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Here are some more pictures of lambs and mums around the home fields. The landscape looks so fake in pictures. No matter how long I stand outside, I do not get used to this view.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wg7DzRtTDis/Ww82B_BFG_I/AAAAAAAACP8/8XedasDuslgjSiYPco4jDulWmV5IC-OwgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7006.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wg7DzRtTDis/Ww82B_BFG_I/AAAAAAAACP8/8XedasDuslgjSiYPco4jDulWmV5IC-OwgCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7006.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vPyhcgrnZHM/Ww82A_VHKpI/AAAAAAAACP0/RYwlLA0xBRcGUXDK_LqnLZnPp2NF6Zu7wCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6992.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vPyhcgrnZHM/Ww82A_VHKpI/AAAAAAAACP0/RYwlLA0xBRcGUXDK_LqnLZnPp2NF6Zu7wCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6992.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i1ILH_dLAbE/Ww82Ar1ZfDI/AAAAAAAACPw/Q4gKUuDRxXkhA1RnKXHPFArNynPJKV1fACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6990.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i1ILH_dLAbE/Ww82Ar1ZfDI/AAAAAAAACPw/Q4gKUuDRxXkhA1RnKXHPFArNynPJKV1fACK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6990.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kpsOAiCAXuw/Ww8191IQs_I/AAAAAAAACPk/XE6rT91WXfceIFUn62M8pj5rUNIjtA6RQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6961.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kpsOAiCAXuw/Ww8191IQs_I/AAAAAAAACPk/XE6rT91WXfceIFUn62M8pj5rUNIjtA6RQCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6961.JPG" width="640" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XRyWANWpp5Q/Ww8188BM0jI/AAAAAAAACPc/EDh8z_Kg4A0hsQU8cWt1Z1eQbK9CsvlcACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6957.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XRyWANWpp5Q/Ww8188BM0jI/AAAAAAAACPc/EDh8z_Kg4A0hsQU8cWt1Z1eQbK9CsvlcACK4BGAYYCw/s400/IMG_6957.JPG" width="400" /></a> I love this picture. haha<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-knuK812e4QM/Ww817Xev7wI/AAAAAAAACPU/rVBfJu9Q9aIgrxOWA2FmLGUXZOTAForfACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6953.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-knuK812e4QM/Ww817Xev7wI/AAAAAAAACPU/rVBfJu9Q9aIgrxOWA2FmLGUXZOTAForfACK4BGAYYCw/s400/IMG_6953.JPG" width="400" /></a> The- Its time to stop ramming my udder move<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0NWATwW8s4o/Ww81z2i8FPI/AAAAAAAACPM/byqNnD4rO7MtOw28hIvoKBprfFp8PotcQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6951.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0NWATwW8s4o/Ww81z2i8FPI/AAAAAAAACPM/byqNnD4rO7MtOw28hIvoKBprfFp8PotcQCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6951.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
A yearling and her lamb enjoying the warm gravel <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I spent the afternoon with the horses. A new foal has arrived( the black one). When I go visit the horses I approach the pregnant mares first, and offer them some second cut timothy. Once they have inspected and approved of my presence I move closer to the mares with foals. This seems to be a good initiation into the herd. Today the foals slept and I felt lucky that the mums allowed them to continue to sleep while I snapped pictures.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-unWQJBULjmU/Ww83QVryHaI/AAAAAAAACQk/OH2kFcVjproXqQyHsi-g_2-r7WsmSj4swCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7045.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-unWQJBULjmU/Ww83QVryHaI/AAAAAAAACQk/OH2kFcVjproXqQyHsi-g_2-r7WsmSj4swCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7045.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GrO2mglUP5Y/Ww86Fg7ml0I/AAAAAAAACRU/xiVjVBsTPfkgsU9Ib8tsUIGcfJ6ZBb9HQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7010.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t9Jj0uUcVwg/Ww86NragWnI/AAAAAAAACRc/IbYqi29c6oMqhQU0O0AMluatg1wN_i-TgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7042.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t9Jj0uUcVwg/Ww86NragWnI/AAAAAAAACRc/IbYqi29c6oMqhQU0O0AMluatg1wN_i-TgCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7042.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B_Q_KrxZDX8/Ww83PvliL9I/AAAAAAAACQc/UJkHHusxytowemu0aXQW7YJy0lDCPGi9wCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7040.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B_Q_KrxZDX8/Ww83PvliL9I/AAAAAAAACQc/UJkHHusxytowemu0aXQW7YJy0lDCPGi9wCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7040.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0tDJTCSpx6c/Ww83pi4DHtI/AAAAAAAACQ0/1t9vNaEQiQgNTBaO4Cm6VeJOMW2fvqybACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7030.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0tDJTCSpx6c/Ww83pi4DHtI/AAAAAAAACQ0/1t9vNaEQiQgNTBaO4Cm6VeJOMW2fvqybACK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7030.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GrO2mglUP5Y/Ww86Fg7ml0I/AAAAAAAACRU/xiVjVBsTPfkgsU9Ib8tsUIGcfJ6ZBb9HQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GrO2mglUP5Y/Ww86Fg7ml0I/AAAAAAAACRU/xiVjVBsTPfkgsU9Ib8tsUIGcfJ6ZBb9HQCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7010.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Iceland gets so much rain that the fields must have drainage ditches set into them. Here is a cool picture of a bridge to allow the ewes and lambs to cross from field to field.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-center; widows: 2;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FME4ZKXYTBs/Ww84OuWto7I/AAAAAAAACRI/PdSgKkQLvpANZx4KwiGkouj5PtMAbqoBgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7069.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FME4ZKXYTBs/Ww84OuWto7I/AAAAAAAACRI/PdSgKkQLvpANZx4KwiGkouj5PtMAbqoBgCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_7069.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ZzVohdNGqk/Ww84NseF0lI/AAAAAAAACRA/7paEGbUv07IPJwnbINzmaPDaY_2kkPG1QCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7064.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ZzVohdNGqk/Ww84NseF0lI/AAAAAAAACRA/7paEGbUv07IPJwnbINzmaPDaY_2kkPG1QCK4BGAYYCw/s400/IMG_7064.JPG" width="400" /></a> A beautiful day here at Hestur. I feel so blessed to be here. </div>
<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-53441446950317417742018-05-30T14:41:00.001-04:002018-05-30T14:41:59.906-04:00Day 24: A Yellow Thing I Don't Recognize<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-85AgBTW2qEM/Ww7rZBGuItI/AAAAAAAAAYM/4IwWWUS137oAoaY5FvkUUaWLUqSGi_jLQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180529_115439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-85AgBTW2qEM/Ww7rZBGuItI/AAAAAAAAAYM/4IwWWUS137oAoaY5FvkUUaWLUqSGi_jLQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180529_115439.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
This morning felt... different. It took me a few seconds to process, but it was because there were actual sunbeams coming in through the windows! When I stepped outside, it felt pleasant and refreshing, instead of like being buffeted by hurricane force winds/rain/hail. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it all. I could even see the actual sun and not just light filtered through clouds.<br />
<br />
The sheep have stopped banging on the doors. Things are good. The silence and sun almost feel weird at this point.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QmEn1wjdYKk/Ww7ruyrPn0I/AAAAAAAAAYo/hk4FINQURdUzeJ2po7u6m30lIp8TBWLpgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180528_160414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QmEn1wjdYKk/Ww7ruyrPn0I/AAAAAAAAAYo/hk4FINQURdUzeJ2po7u6m30lIp8TBWLpgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180528_160414.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Iv-r8Dphryk/Ww7romvufVI/AAAAAAAAAYk/afXHWt4KIYAJ-GLlhu6DmuTq3KM2IvaZQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180528_160452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Iv-r8Dphryk/Ww7romvufVI/AAAAAAAAAYk/afXHWt4KIYAJ-GLlhu6DmuTq3KM2IvaZQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180528_160452.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one ewe really seems to like the gravel pile. Every time I walk by she looks at me like: "This is MY gravel pile, go away!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
While the weather held, I helped Snaedis and Helgi prepare some more group pens to put outside. Once all the lambs had gotten dewormer and the ewes had been checked for mastitis, they were moved outside in groups of around 8 ewes at a time, plus lambs. I actually hardly noticed this going on, because at that point I was finally pressure washing! When pressure washing, we have to wear a raincoat + rainpants+ boots+ face shield because there is a lot of spray that comes back and hits us. And that spray contains a lot of poop. I still really enjoy getting the pens clean, though! It would be better to not also get sprayed with liquid poop, but hey, you can't have everything. The face shield doesn't keep it all out, so I keep telling myself it's probably good for the immune system.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-94oo0Ii7Xo8/Ww7ryo7y87I/AAAAAAAAAYw/tFb5ASlloZMDYvcbRDmuh5g9th5uqoYdACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180528_003015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-94oo0Ii7Xo8/Ww7ryo7y87I/AAAAAAAAAYw/tFb5ASlloZMDYvcbRDmuh5g9th5uqoYdACEwYBhgL/s320/20180528_003015.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My trusty weapon. The solid piece of poop/cement in front is the trophy I kept after a hard day's work.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
While prepping everyone to go outside, a ram lamb and his mother and sister were held inside temporarily. This ram lamb acted just like a regular lamb, except he kept holding his head at a weird angle, looked a little confused, and could not seem to straighten up. He received an extra dose of vitamins once symptoms began appearing, which did not help, so it is likely he received brain/nerve damage from a ewe slamming into him. Normally, ewes push other lambs away if they get too close, since milk is costly for them to produce, and they do not want to waste it on a lamb that's not theirs. Lambs typically get the hint pretty quickly and stick to their own mom. Occasionally however, a ewe is mean and violent, or just strikes an unfortunate spot and injures the lamb. We monitor group pens right after introduction, but sadly we cannot see and stop everything (some ewes are sneaky). The ram lamb was initially able to nurse, but his balance declined alarmingly quickly and the decision was made to euthanize him since there was no indication he would improve instead of continuing to grow worse.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O47H4kmPa7g/Ww7rdQwOnmI/AAAAAAAAAYU/GQgbMI3Yrtw15CaXDY_NKfSpOrRlSJUGACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180529_005336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O47H4kmPa7g/Ww7rdQwOnmI/AAAAAAAAAYU/GQgbMI3Yrtw15CaXDY_NKfSpOrRlSJUGACEwYBhgL/s320/20180529_005336.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Something more cheerful: a lamb nibbling its mother's horns, hoping for milk.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TltmnRgRjlQ/Ww7stUpbykI/AAAAAAAAAZc/Rbxb_fHP5QEqo3Bh0H5UlPYuM_QYW1iigCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180526_215945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TltmnRgRjlQ/Ww7stUpbykI/AAAAAAAAAZc/Rbxb_fHP5QEqo3Bh0H5UlPYuM_QYW1iigCEwYBhgL/s320/20180526_215945.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't remember planting that.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eq8msihxZhk/Ww7sS3N_McI/AAAAAAAAAZA/tnLRkDpjX7whTeCRelpUU92bc7GrnuA3ACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180527_165726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eq8msihxZhk/Ww7sS3N_McI/AAAAAAAAAZA/tnLRkDpjX7whTeCRelpUU92bc7GrnuA3ACEwYBhgL/s320/20180527_165726.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A ewe and her little mini-me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I also witnessed something I've never seen before... a ewe chasing her emerging placenta like a dog might chase its tail! Why she decided to do that, I'm not sure, but I hope I'm not a jerk for having laughed at it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz4s7Lk5EHdhcsH2MXJ9x62rUJ_BgEWtruei1QAmviGOxETWBu9VsDuiDAIKnljrHKFDO-fSZGaaF2A_yia7A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
The barn now consists of a lot of empty pens to be cleaned, two pens of pregnant ewes still holding on to those lambs, and a handful of group pens and younger lambs still in jugs with their mothers. It is very quiet now, except for whenever they hear the grain bin open. The leader lambs are still inside with us, as their mother has some slight health problems that are still being treated, but the lambs are climbing and exploring EVERYTHING so the sooner they get outside the better, even though we will miss them. The leader lamb's adoptive mother continues to handle her little leader sheep with admirable aplomb and still seems totally up to the task of raising them. She is such a champ.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jdD4_Z8kAc4/Ww7sybwT4mI/AAAAAAAAAZg/_QCLR-S6ieAQe0ACFGylhEpxqYFKe-LDwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180527_020106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jdD4_Z8kAc4/Ww7sybwT4mI/AAAAAAAAAZg/_QCLR-S6ieAQe0ACFGylhEpxqYFKe-LDwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180527_020106.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lil' Bean hugging her siblings with her cast. They really are quite close.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0TsPXO2mFSE/Ww7ryqqpVZI/AAAAAAAAAYs/LOWbZjdnqPoiXt4oCJx1b8V4WeP_mpW_wCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180528_012819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0TsPXO2mFSE/Ww7ryqqpVZI/AAAAAAAAAYs/LOWbZjdnqPoiXt4oCJx1b8V4WeP_mpW_wCEwYBhgL/s320/20180528_012819.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A proud mother.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NefxEmE2ucc/Ww7rU6AkbBI/AAAAAAAAAYI/OGnOjR6UHaI7uN1m5jzDv7Eibi-rPXwfACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180529_120507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NefxEmE2ucc/Ww7rU6AkbBI/AAAAAAAAAYI/OGnOjR6UHaI7uN1m5jzDv7Eibi-rPXwfACEwYBhgL/s320/20180529_120507.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gull (in a rare moment of rest) and siblings.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZMZKidYN40s/Ww7rimPqZ7I/AAAAAAAAAYk/X4863RIQfkIHBpz3PFgWbRjBh2VujF2igCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180528_220631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZMZKidYN40s/Ww7rimPqZ7I/AAAAAAAAAYk/X4863RIQfkIHBpz3PFgWbRjBh2VujF2igCEwYBhgL/s320/20180528_220631.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our little leader lambs! (Also in a rare moment of rest)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-67BKMdz9_50/Ww7sUlr91gI/AAAAAAAAAZI/8q37u4XDu1MKjXVguYKXXIEckvL4W6WvgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180527_165113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-67BKMdz9_50/Ww7sUlr91gI/AAAAAAAAAZI/8q37u4XDu1MKjXVguYKXXIEckvL4W6WvgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180527_165113.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dyri the cat and lambs outside.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f9hjCJST4PM/Ww7snJspigI/AAAAAAAAAZY/JUv8yN6-NnMRDnE3-31CxQX-S_Xk8Lg_wCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180527_164553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f9hjCJST4PM/Ww7snJspigI/AAAAAAAAAZY/JUv8yN6-NnMRDnE3-31CxQX-S_Xk8Lg_wCEwYBhgL/s320/20180527_164553.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curious lambs through the laundry room window.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J0O3VOYpV60/Ww7sUPo3t3I/AAAAAAAAAZE/6XEHFMbS94cv930vzb2aedmuxFjZqHlJQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180527_165913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J0O3VOYpV60/Ww7sUPo3t3I/AAAAAAAAAZE/6XEHFMbS94cv930vzb2aedmuxFjZqHlJQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180527_165913.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The steps rams still like the steps and keep bringing friends over.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1wR7uFLod98/Ww7rPFFHXyI/AAAAAAAAAYA/hQQazVrgF0MOHz-fqz_I681ry1DRiXKTgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180529_161903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1wR7uFLod98/Ww7rPFFHXyI/AAAAAAAAAYA/hQQazVrgF0MOHz-fqz_I681ry1DRiXKTgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180529_161903.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A researcher stopped by and this ewe examined his car very closely. When I walked by, I got examined closely instead.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-32790337255181626182018-05-28T18:42:00.001-04:002018-05-28T18:43:36.869-04:00Day 23 ( I like power washing poop) Melissa and I now work opposite schedules, rotating around the clock. No matter if it is light out, hailing, windy ect. I can sleep whenever!<br />
<br />
Lambing has certainly slowed down and our jobs now are more of a balance of taking care of special needs moms and lambs, cleaning, and watching for ewes yet to give birth. We have made decent progress power washing and scraping the larger group pens. It is actually awesome...SO nice to see the poop washed away! I have been picking away at the middle barn where the jugs are larger and filled with packed heavy hay which comes out in carpet like pieces. I have been singing to the sheep while I pitchfork away my 2am- 6 am shift, the ewes look at me like im crazy but the lambs like it.<br />
<br />
I arrived for my pm shift and found a mum who had recently graduated from the mastitis group again inflamed and with a lopsided udder. She was more than unhappy to have me hand strip the <u>water</u> out of her left side to relieve the pressure, poor girl. Its hard to communicate that you are only trying to help when you are causing pain.. I made sure to apply mint cream around the udder afterward to sooth the inflamed tissue. Her ram lamb is the best. He always tries to comfort his mum when she is in a panic. She has been segregated again we are hoping she mends quickly before her ram lamb jumps out of the jug.<br />
<br />
<br />
Melissa had a difficult birth where a ram came backwards. He is slow to nurse and overall is a little quiet. I spent some time helping him attach and nurse. Frustrating to put the teat in his mouth and have him scream and spit it out, but after about half an hour we made some progress.<br />
<br />
Little Bean( the small lamb) is doing great!! She loves her moms low hanging teats and has gained double what she used to weigh in less than a week. The splint I have been adding I removed and her leg looks much better. A day with out the splint and I will re-evaluate if she needs one again. Regardless her and her siblings will remain on the home fields where they can be monitored.<br />
<br />
Several moms still have to many lambs that need at least one of them adopted out. But the rest of the pregnant ewes are holding on. Until then we are monitoring their stomaches by feeling to see if they have a full belly, if not they are topped off with some milk replacer. This is a tricky balance because you don't want to turn them off of the teat, so giving them just enough is a hard amount to come up with.<br />
<br />
I have not taken many pictures within the barn, but here are some pictures from the drive to Reykjavik( when we dropped Grace off) Grace come back..<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wdJssjBTg1Y/WwyDCDSJemI/AAAAAAAACIc/2i_Z87dprNEszgwpMJ5XJSrzt5TFln5AACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6921.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wdJssjBTg1Y/WwyDCDSJemI/AAAAAAAACIc/2i_Z87dprNEszgwpMJ5XJSrzt5TFln5AACK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6921.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bTO7nqH_ZMI/WwyDBunfl7I/AAAAAAAACIU/88aVqbHGD64XcxLTAYOcb_0xKJOOphI6wCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6920.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bTO7nqH_ZMI/WwyDBunfl7I/AAAAAAAACIU/88aVqbHGD64XcxLTAYOcb_0xKJOOphI6wCK4BGAYYCw/s400/IMG_6920.JPG" width="400" /></a> Here are Graces eyebrows and the terrifying tunnel under a river. It goes so deep into the ground your ears pop. NOT MY THING.<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JLBUVMII1Jg/WwyC6w_kIVI/AAAAAAAACIM/A-cH5CSbKL8LWWvU1V0wDx01sIbYURNtgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6915.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JLBUVMII1Jg/WwyC6w_kIVI/AAAAAAAACIM/A-cH5CSbKL8LWWvU1V0wDx01sIbYURNtgCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6915.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w5WyQE7fPJI/WwyDLq0Xe9I/AAAAAAAACIo/hdUO3X0NHAYWLBGssnSIkS_kV72xAXUJQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6924.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w5WyQE7fPJI/WwyDLq0Xe9I/AAAAAAAACIo/hdUO3X0NHAYWLBGssnSIkS_kV72xAXUJQCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6924.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
And also some pictures of the landscape and some lambs in the home field.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oJ7YuksqOaE/WwyEd_kXG8I/AAAAAAAACJk/0tYoixfZnyktgaUoVH5ykgC-V0gwKUgFQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6945.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oJ7YuksqOaE/WwyEd_kXG8I/AAAAAAAACJk/0tYoixfZnyktgaUoVH5ykgC-V0gwKUgFQCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6945.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9P_u_rwpdnw/WwyEaQ3qmLI/AAAAAAAACJY/XzkCz5FZBjwmUlT1Da2y39bJ7LLKcvz3QCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6935.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9P_u_rwpdnw/WwyEaQ3qmLI/AAAAAAAACJY/XzkCz5FZBjwmUlT1Da2y39bJ7LLKcvz3QCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6935.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pObO-vZM_qA/WwyENvaNDHI/AAAAAAAACI4/iYRa14RhmR8hOf0-M5UCMfyM6-qI2eADACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6930.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pObO-vZM_qA/WwyENvaNDHI/AAAAAAAACI4/iYRa14RhmR8hOf0-M5UCMfyM6-qI2eADACK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6930.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZFquIZf4Joo/WwyEaf6GQYI/AAAAAAAACJQ/lfMrFEJ2V5UNJDOx2fvUV2JeLo57uyS6gCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6929.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZFquIZf4Joo/WwyEaf6GQYI/AAAAAAAACJQ/lfMrFEJ2V5UNJDOx2fvUV2JeLo57uyS6gCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6929.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FsHRB9V27NA/WwyEOauDtvI/AAAAAAAACJA/bVRGt4KIxGMQMKiDTPHxFcTEApQ0guuuQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6938.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FsHRB9V27NA/WwyEOauDtvI/AAAAAAAACJA/bVRGt4KIxGMQMKiDTPHxFcTEApQ0guuuQCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6938.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
Another day about to begin. It is 11 pm. Time for a nap before my 2-6am shift begins.<br />
<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-80450811724944844872018-05-27T23:52:00.002-04:002018-05-27T23:52:45.501-04:00Day 22: They Want In<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-REM9QIrcw6g/WwskBS8ln7I/AAAAAAAAAUA/iZWrGoA2bYYVKEAsvxr2zaGQiGB2U4BMACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180525_215932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-REM9QIrcw6g/WwskBS8ln7I/AAAAAAAAAUA/iZWrGoA2bYYVKEAsvxr2zaGQiGB2U4BMACEwYBhgL/s320/20180525_215932.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Knock knock"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Yes, day 22. I'm not sure where 21 went, blogwise, but this post is for day 22, according to the Great Notebook of Chicken Scratch I write in every night/very early morning. Even I occasionally cannot understand what I wrote afterwards, but I am always careful to get the date and number of days here correct (and legible). It is the only way to combat the weird time distortions Iceland and/or the sheep apparently emit. Actually, my bet is on the sheep. They are something else.<br />
<br />
It has been mentioned in previous blog posts, but the weather here continues to be a little unpleasant, to say the least. I didn't know any better, and assumed Iceland is always like this in the spring, but have been informed that no, it is a distinctly unpleasant year. On two separate occasions, Helgi has forlornly shown me pictures of the fields from this time last year, when the sun was shining and the grass was thick and green. Those hot springs Carly mentioned in her last post? We were hailed on briefly while we were soaking there (actually, can't complain about that one, the hailstones were small and it was kind of weirdly refreshing). Anyway, the weather is bad, and long story short, the sheep want in. I thought they were okay with using the house as a rain/windbreak, but yesterday, the kicking/knocking began. Usually there are a couple of ewes and their lambs who stay by the door, but very suddenly there were more. And it sounded like they were trying to bust in. Also, I think the little ram lambs on the steps pictured in my last post live there now.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cvYOZKdX70A/WwskKoTNrYI/AAAAAAAAAUI/Wi0p6GlQ8fMQ4c5jteIrVE8r0N9v-mAvACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180525_210745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cvYOZKdX70A/WwskKoTNrYI/AAAAAAAAAUI/Wi0p6GlQ8fMQ4c5jteIrVE8r0N9v-mAvACEwYBhgL/s320/20180525_210745.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seen here with their little buddy that they invited over.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HscwUf0BGd8/WwskVHjlf0I/AAAAAAAAAUY/rllK8GYY_8UOdqpXIA8cJMGV00vZtFuggCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180525_215958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HscwUf0BGd8/WwskVHjlf0I/AAAAAAAAAUY/rllK8GYY_8UOdqpXIA8cJMGV00vZtFuggCEwYBhgL/s320/20180525_215958.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Just open the door."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HhantIdTz6c/WwskP9xHdwI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/h0T99RHmEE08YsI-f-ybr6lkBSHjN-RaQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180525_220021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HhantIdTz6c/WwskP9xHdwI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/h0T99RHmEE08YsI-f-ybr6lkBSHjN-RaQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180525_220021.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amassing the horde.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've been using the guest shower in the basement, where the windows are just below eye level for the ewes. When I got out of the shower last night, I noticed a ewe was staring at me through the window. We locked eyes, and she baaed. It was frankly a little unnerving, and I have no idea how long she had been watching me and I don't know, judging my shampooing technique or something.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hopefully the weather improves soon.<br />
<br />
Anyway! I wanted to talk about the strange little creature I call Gull, after the bird, because that is a bit what she sounds like. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxd_9y87RzzYXvtLzJYiKzEKYFDJmQofOIKDPeu2oVjk2_VBmWsy9oNFYdW3Z_m6B4RFUzASmyGojulRWQryw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Gull ended up in the orphan box in the most recent scramble to adopt out lambs from unwell mothers. The plan was to place the newborns from the next ewe that gave birth with two ewes who happened to have recently given birth and lost a lamb. It was a good plan, until neither ewe decided to cooperate (normally, most ewes soon to give birth and those that have recently given birth cannot pass up a newborn). We found a mother for Gull's brother, but she was out of luck. Even her own biological mother was too distracted by her new adopted babies to want her!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LxHeSI_7ZxQ/Wwt5R8-We7I/AAAAAAAAAXU/rbThTdWSQhoLhXGlJ1iQluXZPWxl55NGwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180524_155514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LxHeSI_7ZxQ/Wwt5R8-We7I/AAAAAAAAAXU/rbThTdWSQhoLhXGlJ1iQluXZPWxl55NGwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180524_155514.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not sure why; she is very cute.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I have never seen a lamb like Gull before. She is insatiable. She screams any time she is not sleeping or eating. As a day old lamb, she decided at one point that I had not fed her enough, so she jumped out of the orphan box and went looking for a snack. We have since placed Gull with a loving mother but she still lets out a majestic seagull cry whenever she sees me. In Icelandic, gull means gold, so it's a doubly appropriate, since she has reddish/gold pheomelanin marks on her head, legs, and tail.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P8wPOep8NCg/Wwt5IrqURoI/AAAAAAAAAXU/L8SnlM_IEI03XUyjaQQUDP3g6lLKxEwogCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180524_155216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P8wPOep8NCg/Wwt5IrqURoI/AAAAAAAAAXU/L8SnlM_IEI03XUyjaQQUDP3g6lLKxEwogCEwYBhgL/s320/20180524_155216.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What is that...?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ibsH1NcbPpw/Wwt5LWfXdgI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/5QCoqUlMyK4d_-ypSbn89QzkQ9zIE1eoACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180524_155222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ibsH1NcbPpw/Wwt5LWfXdgI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/5QCoqUlMyK4d_-ypSbn89QzkQ9zIE1eoACEwYBhgL/s320/20180524_155222.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XvcSGh6IPOg/Wwt4zFhuZyI/AAAAAAAAAXE/dHk81VJIYeAoHNbC-6R7WLm34zfVvjVYwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180524_164926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XvcSGh6IPOg/Wwt4zFhuZyI/AAAAAAAAAXE/dHk81VJIYeAoHNbC-6R7WLm34zfVvjVYwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180524_164926.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Size comparison of Gull and Lil' Bean (if you were wondering, Gull is rather large for a newborn).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Other than Gull's cries, it was a fairly quiet day. I went to milk a ewe for some extra colostrum and was very surprised to find milk the color of strawberry puree in the bottle. Normally, blood-tinged milk occurs in ewes with mastitis, particularly when they have had a teat unclogged with a hollow needle (sounds brutal, but sometimes it is the only way to unclog a teat). This ewe, however, had no firmness, redness, or swelling, and I had not felt any blood clots or other oddness when milking her. We will simply have to watch her to make sure her lambs are getting enough to eat and her udder does not get worse.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P0RnYvFtuNk/Wwt43wczwzI/AAAAAAAAAW0/nySePNWWX38qXJY7CRnkG3i6bAmKgks0ACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180526_013826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P0RnYvFtuNk/Wwt43wczwzI/AAAAAAAAAW0/nySePNWWX38qXJY7CRnkG3i6bAmKgks0ACEwYBhgL/s320/20180526_013826.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The assist.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZFDwcDoVkOs/Wwt4xNr4eMI/AAAAAAAAAW8/HemiR-D8TLQtxsgpHEs6Rv4elwAr8vMUACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180526_015624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZFDwcDoVkOs/Wwt4xNr4eMI/AAAAAAAAAW8/HemiR-D8TLQtxsgpHEs6Rv4elwAr8vMUACEwYBhgL/s320/20180526_015624.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is her grain face.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The pressure washer was finally here and I was eager to begin cleaning (yes, really), until Helgi went to test it and found that it was broken! I'm told that when Snaedis, Grace, and Carly went to go pick it up, it was quite heavy and they almost dropped it at one point. Carly yelled "No! This is Melissa's dream!" and they managed to pull through, which makes the failure of the pressure washer all the more sad. Oh well, the poop on the floor gets to stick around another day. It is a dry, cement-like mixture that contains some shed wool, and is nigh impossible to remove without damaging the boards underneath. I almost wonder if it could be used as a building material.<br />
<br />
Night shift was uneventful for me, just one old pro of a mom who squirted the babies out with ease. Shutting the feeders at night has helped keep the lambs at a reasonable delivery size, although it is a tough balance between making sure the ewes are getting the proper nutrition, and making sure the lambs are neither too large nor too small. Carly's shift was more eventful. She redid Lil' Bean's/Nano's split (still used to karate chop adoptive siblings) and then had to deal with a yearling whose unruly babies tried to exit at the same time.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XeKv3UKrWQw/Wwt5GNxgvvI/AAAAAAAAAXM/qsL-XOr1TV04lg227zuEIFJeOaHphUG7QCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180525_223722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XeKv3UKrWQw/Wwt5GNxgvvI/AAAAAAAAAXM/qsL-XOr1TV04lg227zuEIFJeOaHphUG7QCEwYBhgL/s320/20180525_223722.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pregnant ewes wishing they could get at the hay.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ePD5e0AGkDA/Wwt47f_72OI/AAAAAAAAAW8/KZQ-D3TH9YMBlyo2aoLY6g1ZLzuPsA9CgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180526_010633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ePD5e0AGkDA/Wwt47f_72OI/AAAAAAAAAW8/KZQ-D3TH9YMBlyo2aoLY6g1ZLzuPsA9CgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180526_010633.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kruna's lambs and friends.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X390bqhJe68/Wwt4uJ9laeI/AAAAAAAAAWo/DbSIhYY0sGAE_ocePryVS9Qhn6zjDeYtgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180526_122825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X390bqhJe68/Wwt4uJ9laeI/AAAAAAAAAWo/DbSIhYY0sGAE_ocePryVS9Qhn6zjDeYtgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180526_122825.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Triplet puddle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pz1DsayDlW8/Wwt4g5eu6PI/AAAAAAAAAWU/t1EswoYdxCcHJEU8WvR93tDDe7vUpfWDQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180526_022229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pz1DsayDlW8/Wwt4g5eu6PI/AAAAAAAAAWU/t1EswoYdxCcHJEU8WvR93tDDe7vUpfWDQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180526_022229.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lil' Bean and her adoptive siblings.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nCwTgu8Ew88/Wwt4-P915aI/AAAAAAAAAXE/ll1lhk33oWgejV6s-gasIQgciH0A4d6rQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180525_223908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nCwTgu8Ew88/Wwt4-P915aI/AAAAAAAAAXE/ll1lhk33oWgejV6s-gasIQgciH0A4d6rQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180525_223908.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one knows I have the power to giver her hay but don't. Explaining it is for their own good does nothing.<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-79017875409668408192018-05-26T08:21:00.000-04:002018-05-26T11:36:47.684-04:00Day 20: Difficult goodbyesToday is the day I leave Hestur for the 2nd time and for the 2nd time I am crying in the Keflavik airport while writing a blog post (history repeats itself, right?).<br />
My day started at 2:00am when I relieved Carly from her night shift. A lot had happened through the night in which she adopted out a handful of older lambs. We have a ewe with mastitis that has declined to the point where she is not producing any milk, even while being treated with antibiotics and was to be euthanized when her lamb was adopted out. We were able to adopt out her lamb to a nice mom with almost equal sized newborns. Loretta, the sweet ewe we have been diligently treating has also declined to where she is unable to ruminate and has lost a noticeable amount of weight in this short time. Our best guess in the swelling in her hind end extends internally to her digestive system, which is not functioning properly. I was also happy to see Lil' Bean aka Nanolamb has a new mother that loves her. She has become so taken with her new adopted mother she has claimed the lambing jug as her property. This is very difficult seeing as she needs to share it with three other, MUCH larger siblings.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhzWzx3dub6LEh-kVXh-jrhOaeMrzLr-7HEZ6lFJ2Cy1543Jq72k7cDZ3m8K5PqcMpFSYaNNGY8kC7Sr1YJLcP8LEYsSRGL3LZRGrv1qap4kUReIwKStoB5JcrfBXGzq24pwI43ItfJg/s1600/20180525_021343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhzWzx3dub6LEh-kVXh-jrhOaeMrzLr-7HEZ6lFJ2Cy1543Jq72k7cDZ3m8K5PqcMpFSYaNNGY8kC7Sr1YJLcP8LEYsSRGL3LZRGrv1qap4kUReIwKStoB5JcrfBXGzq24pwI43ItfJg/s400/20180525_021343.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lil' Bean to the very left.<br />
She was not happy being so far from the heat lamp and after this picture was taken, climbed on top of her new brother and sisters.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Soon we will continue adopting lambs to different ewes until everyone has a reasonable number. These lambs needed to be adopted out ASAP given how gravely sick their mothers are. Lil' Bean is also sporting a flashy splint because after having a romp with us in the barn, we saw she has a bowing leg. Although she is not a fan of the splint, it has straightened her leg and she can use it to karate kick her siblings so she can hog the heat lamp. She is a spitfire and I love it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Before Carly left she helped me check on the newly adopted lambs and make sure everyone was fed and happy because very few sheep can handle 4 lambs on their own. Once all full and happy, I got some extra time to snuggle with Krúna's two lambs and Carly got to go sleep. Krúna's lambs have grown to really enjoy the human attention and if you make your presence know, they skip over with their heads swinging with delight. Their love of our scratches has encouraged the other lambs to approach too (they are leaders already!!).<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-BWuyG22bt5CQ9FmA2w4cudoSYYQDH9MDBNkSmLhQGE9M8FC34U-RpiwK6JkjubAhNB8d4zYBIb-ISSaLE9c0_0ujjeDp3qCAatdX5Q5ws22OUyTJ0JCagWZFCBhj1xSAazG-DDFf2do/s1600/20180522_045313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-BWuyG22bt5CQ9FmA2w4cudoSYYQDH9MDBNkSmLhQGE9M8FC34U-RpiwK6JkjubAhNB8d4zYBIb-ISSaLE9c0_0ujjeDp3qCAatdX5Q5ws22OUyTJ0JCagWZFCBhj1xSAazG-DDFf2do/s400/20180522_045313.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snuggling with their adopted mom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Soon enough, a polled ewe started to lamb out.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1oh3RLMd3cNkx6lKlwYcmaq31aKq1nxqzvDsMEnMSBctRPMzYaaBBx6gcx85h401ZMxtwuV_7ssorneMFHZ3Qz-AvYZDYbJSwvPDB5o7V9Bgv1PajTqZsJsxaKRPnQToSdwOJFdeIqmM/s1600/20180525_040853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1oh3RLMd3cNkx6lKlwYcmaq31aKq1nxqzvDsMEnMSBctRPMzYaaBBx6gcx85h401ZMxtwuV_7ssorneMFHZ3Qz-AvYZDYbJSwvPDB5o7V9Bgv1PajTqZsJsxaKRPnQToSdwOJFdeIqmM/s400/20180525_040853.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In labor and not happy about having her picture taken.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Loretta's lambs were swiftly adopted to her before her own lambs and she was stripped of her colostrum for those lambs that need it. The polled ewe was overjoyed, showing her love my licking all over my arms. Helgi assisted with her own two lambs and the polled ewe was in heaven. She did not know which lamb to lick and stood with her udder exposed to encourage all of her babies to nurse. Again, given that Loretta's lambs are older, they will stay with the polled ewe and we will adopt out her own lambs because they have a higher chance of being accepted by another mom.<br />
<br />
Once all the action died down, I went back to the house to clean up and pack. The second my luggage was rolled out of the bedroom, the cat swiftly moved in and laid on the rug as if to say, "I can finally have my room back".<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhILcLMxfqsjDa8c-yycidnj3MhK7BQvHtAL7zTU0OCt7ow2o7q79oTIaBcmy6VAxO1EW1fmM868u6O4EDyDiiEQMJBgD2-TKrB-KmvpGjiUcADFxqGfRjr4mM6D5zk4YF9Bt8ulPEb7Ek/s1600/20170517_084223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhILcLMxfqsjDa8c-yycidnj3MhK7BQvHtAL7zTU0OCt7ow2o7q79oTIaBcmy6VAxO1EW1fmM868u6O4EDyDiiEQMJBgD2-TKrB-KmvpGjiUcADFxqGfRjr4mM6D5zk4YF9Bt8ulPEb7Ek/s320/20170517_084223.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The same very cat caught sleeping on my bed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After my goodbyes to Snæd<span style="font-family: inherit;">ís, Helgi, <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">Yngvi, Myla, and of course the sheep. Again, I am so grateful for Snædís and Helgi for their hospitality and having this crazy sheep lady for another lambing season. The ups and downs of lambing is an extreme experience that really brings your true self to the surface. Lambing season soon becomes "sheep over sleep". You will get lots of bumps, cuts, and bruises along the way but when you help lambs into the world and you get to see them grown and prosper, it really makes it worth it. The Icelandic sheep are known for their strong personalities, their stubbornness, and their belief that they can take on anyone or anything regardless of their size. Readers are probably thinking, why would anyone want to deal with this? Especially over 800 of them? I have been thinking about these questions a lot but I guess the only real answer is a lot of them remind me of myself. My stubbornness has finally been matched and I always love a good challenge. The most rewarding part of this challenge is when the ewes decide that you are not such a bad human and you earn their trust. Sometimes that process is sped up with a little grain passed to them now and again. 😊 </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">Snædís and Helgi continue to be two people that I look up to and have so much respect for. When working with some many animals, they continue to deeply care about all of their sheep. They want what is best for each and every one of their animals. Their diligent care for the sheep and the attitude to give the proper care and time for a ewe, ram, or lamb that is sick is commendable. The number of sacrifices they have been through to get Hestur to the standard they want is amazing and something more people need to aspire to. The most amazing part about all of this is even with the work and sleep deprivation, they know how to keep it fun for us, smile, and have good humor. I am forever at their beck and call if they ever need help with their future endeavors. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">It could be their respect for sheep, that Icelandic charm, or those eyes 😉, I am in debt to them for giving me another experience of a lifetime. I will only say goodbye for now because I am sure we will see each other again. 💗</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><br /></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176001402619737969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-9259908533233432202018-05-24T20:36:00.000-04:002018-05-24T20:46:26.228-04:00 Day 19 -Tölting the afternoon away Today I headed down to the barn around 8 am. I did some odds and ends cleaning and sweeping as nobody was lambing. We have 3 mothers with mastitis that need assistance feeding their lambs so on the hour I bottle fed everyone. Two mothers had produced singles the night before so I milked each of them and gave the milk to our smallest lamb to keep boosting her and helping her grow. One of her legs has begun to bow so we will be splinting her in the next day or so to help it settle and straighten.<br />
<br />
Right around 11 a huge swarm of Icelandic school children filed into the barn and then dispersed into every corner. I was so impressed by their english and great questions about the umbilical chord and its importance. I did sneak away for a moment as the barn got quite loud. I was able to spend some time with my favorite ram lamb- the brother of the passed lamb who I worked on PT with. After spending so much time with his sister he got very used to me and was always excited to play with my fingers and get some scratches. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ydgOvPdtF0/WwcZGdBe2SI/AAAAAAAAB_s/m-6dDkpOhV046O-2N2QTuqzUy5lxQFgdgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/33300392_10214389753972130_6723628150628024320_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ydgOvPdtF0/WwcZGdBe2SI/AAAAAAAAB_s/m-6dDkpOhV046O-2N2QTuqzUy5lxQFgdgCK4BGAYYCw/s320/33300392_10214389753972130_6723628150628024320_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Here is a picture of the old barn with some ewes and lambs who are headed out to pasture this afternoon. I absolutely love this barn it has so much character.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_wdUzPOVOxw/WwcZXpz2DGI/AAAAAAAAB_4/wgvD7KK7x2w6hajiouM7FaiBXeDPBsAlwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/33493050_10214395930966551_7394656669675814912_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_wdUzPOVOxw/WwcZXpz2DGI/AAAAAAAAB_4/wgvD7KK7x2w6hajiouM7FaiBXeDPBsAlwCK4BGAYYCw/s640/33493050_10214395930966551_7394656669675814912_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Shortly after the children headed home Snaedis informed me we were going riding and I should go to the house and get some food and head out. I was SO EXCITED! The three of us headed down the road( there really is only one road) and off to the right was a beautiful farm owned and operated by Snaedis friend Höski . Here he is on the left. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PesGouZcaPE/WwcbC6r06wI/AAAAAAAACAM/KG-XoF0iSP4gthyX2z-G18CRR5kAykVtwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PesGouZcaPE/WwcbC6r06wI/AAAAAAAACAM/KG-XoF0iSP4gthyX2z-G18CRR5kAykVtwCK4BGAYYCw/s400/IMG_6858.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
We fitted our helmets and then they asked us who had the most riding experience, which was myself. I was given a feisty chestnut mare who I was told was a bit sassy.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zdsbew5p_bQ/WwcbmRa1HbI/AAAAAAAACAc/09jnk11PVXczsDJPddYv4bb-dC3BoijZQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zdsbew5p_bQ/WwcbmRa1HbI/AAAAAAAACAc/09jnk11PVXczsDJPddYv4bb-dC3BoijZQCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6851.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Melissa and Grace were both given dark bay geldings. All were equally beautiful. After warming up in a small ring off we went. I used the camera in the ring to get my mare used to the sound of the click, she was wonderful about the whole thing and I was able to click away as we rode.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lH-Wz9CXEJ4/WwccPfJDNLI/AAAAAAAACA0/fnMnr1ZeLGkw8VvrZxryANefaOIvOvYAgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lH-Wz9CXEJ4/WwccPfJDNLI/AAAAAAAACA0/fnMnr1ZeLGkw8VvrZxryANefaOIvOvYAgCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6826.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sqpfcSBEgfo/WwcccyI4RbI/AAAAAAAACA8/qJ8F_lapTDkQaNK-IXLuaa_TZ0OH9WTkgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sqpfcSBEgfo/WwcccyI4RbI/AAAAAAAACA8/qJ8F_lapTDkQaNK-IXLuaa_TZ0OH9WTkgCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6830.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YyY6yywJ4VU/WwdVigr3yOI/AAAAAAAACCI/z5vKAeREs6kzin7i_XAlKRFUtPq0_VqIwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YyY6yywJ4VU/WwdVigr3yOI/AAAAAAAACCI/z5vKAeREs6kzin7i_XAlKRFUtPq0_VqIwCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6832.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BTcf9AJyfO8/WwdVld5VxwI/AAAAAAAACCQ/R145q7duqh4hp_p81ULbTjSGHSVslyRLQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6843.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BTcf9AJyfO8/WwdVld5VxwI/AAAAAAAACCQ/R145q7duqh4hp_p81ULbTjSGHSVslyRLQCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6843.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
In America us horse people say " Hell hath no fury like a chestnut mare". This mare was no different. She chugged right along and was strong but sturdy. Right after this picture was taken we moved into our first controlled and evenly paced Tölt and it was amazing. A four beat gate, as fast as a canter, where the back does not move. It was truly amazing and my smile did not leave my face! Our horses were amazing and crossed deep( almost up to the chest on them) rivers, moved around rocks and were all around completely wonderful. My mare was sassy to say the least but once we figured each other out she snorted long and low and was happy to have a rider who new what they were doing. Below are some of the younger horses yet to be trained for riding.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9qqnJ2Ohgk/WwdVnj8oxkI/AAAAAAAACCY/TYVfo1FjxFEUB24Vkb9qxrOkaZ8dPHyeQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9qqnJ2Ohgk/WwdVnj8oxkI/AAAAAAAACCY/TYVfo1FjxFEUB24Vkb9qxrOkaZ8dPHyeQCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6855.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-er264VdCDG0/WwdVoqt1mzI/AAAAAAAACCo/6DjhtdHsKpEbQr2jW4RLs7vaJEd21jengCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6860.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-er264VdCDG0/WwdVoqt1mzI/AAAAAAAACCo/6DjhtdHsKpEbQr2jW4RLs7vaJEd21jengCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6860.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WsTDcaNd_Mw/WwdVoIOLYZI/AAAAAAAACCg/_brGNInoHfMMLlp7w_zEGcV0WdiFh3IuQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6847.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WsTDcaNd_Mw/WwdVoIOLYZI/AAAAAAAACCg/_brGNInoHfMMLlp7w_zEGcV0WdiFh3IuQCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6847.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
The picture of the black and white pup is a border collie. The tan pup is an Icelandic sheep dog. Nothing like looking into the eyes of a soulful pup and we gave out many pats and love to them.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3f6delZLjiA/WwdXcI6NftI/AAAAAAAACDI/d6EEtUOapqsLmeo7iGCVxmsOUNlxPRmdQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3f6delZLjiA/WwdXcI6NftI/AAAAAAAACDI/d6EEtUOapqsLmeo7iGCVxmsOUNlxPRmdQCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6864.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4kKdwOw5EyI/WwdXZU6kHMI/AAAAAAAACDA/Oa_uYe2OKas3HWOlDPXxCpDsStwrzzr0gCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4kKdwOw5EyI/WwdXZU6kHMI/AAAAAAAACDA/Oa_uYe2OKas3HWOlDPXxCpDsStwrzzr0gCK4BGAYYCw/s400/IMG_6863.JPG" width="400" /></a>After our ride we were lucky enough to hit the hot springs for the afternoon! We all fell asleep in the lay down hot tub and it was a much needed soak. Snaedis treated us to an amazing dinner and we drove home relaxed and deliciously full.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Below are some pictures I took on our ride home. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SOOjgCqscxo/WwdX6o31p9I/AAAAAAAACDg/qo1CN6cUQkI8O8Rdx__-uzbK0jGMJp57ACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6871.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SOOjgCqscxo/WwdX6o31p9I/AAAAAAAACDg/qo1CN6cUQkI8O8Rdx__-uzbK0jGMJp57ACK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6871.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BE_h3Ub13VE/WwdYNZeCXhI/AAAAAAAACD0/0gvl87hkfaUPiBvFn8_VML6h--t742xpQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6883.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BE_h3Ub13VE/WwdYNZeCXhI/AAAAAAAACD0/0gvl87hkfaUPiBvFn8_VML6h--t742xpQCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6883.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WjrlOxNI0V0/WwdYR0nsP8I/AAAAAAAACD8/S9fDlGAmDlkVny46H07tgZ88lKo3Xqz_gCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6890.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WjrlOxNI0V0/WwdYR0nsP8I/AAAAAAAACD8/S9fDlGAmDlkVny46H07tgZ88lKo3Xqz_gCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6890.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A one lane bridge that scared me... <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cKdOmbwquAg/WwdYgI6CNyI/AAAAAAAACEQ/gg95KgqUeskHlIg1E_yyTEDkTB9N8IU3wCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6901.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cKdOmbwquAg/WwdYgI6CNyI/AAAAAAAACEQ/gg95KgqUeskHlIg1E_yyTEDkTB9N8IU3wCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6901.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I6Ig9sVaIgY/WwdYe6aDehI/AAAAAAAACEI/F0mGIOXtpGsF46PU1uNYJiJj7UlOvqcGgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I6Ig9sVaIgY/WwdYe6aDehI/AAAAAAAACEI/F0mGIOXtpGsF46PU1uNYJiJj7UlOvqcGgCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6899.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_XkrEENy_vg/WwdY2kLN1oI/AAAAAAAACEg/pk4nJzxzkE0L8aKrR5arqN-esI3n3oiigCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6903.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_XkrEENy_vg/WwdY2kLN1oI/AAAAAAAACEg/pk4nJzxzkE0L8aKrR5arqN-esI3n3oiigCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6903.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A beautiful cairn on the top of a ridge</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
When we arrived home the fields were filled with the 150 ewes and their lambs who had been released into the fields that day as the weather was great! <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PC5L5DwwVsY/WwdZSQk1a8I/AAAAAAAACEs/r5EfFSdVTaQsA0sVeOskGSWkwwMjg47pgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6906.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PC5L5DwwVsY/WwdZSQk1a8I/AAAAAAAACEs/r5EfFSdVTaQsA0sVeOskGSWkwwMjg47pgCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6906.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dukmYq4cxaE/WwdZUrUxi0I/AAAAAAAACE0/7EYifMsUx2IIssJ4dSzAyDmU2fyORwt5ACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6907.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dukmYq4cxaE/WwdZUrUxi0I/AAAAAAAACE0/7EYifMsUx2IIssJ4dSzAyDmU2fyORwt5ACK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6907.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7x7OtRpgH8/WwdZU_crrZI/AAAAAAAACE8/ozuq6Yufg3gqmiBZFMp6bl03GBYPeHThwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6910.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7x7OtRpgH8/WwdZU_crrZI/AAAAAAAACE8/ozuq6Yufg3gqmiBZFMp6bl03GBYPeHThwCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6910.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
It was an amazing day. I am so grateful for the opportunities I have been given while I have been here.<br />
<br />
I had night shift this evening, uneventful with lambing but still plenty of hungry babies to bottle feed around the clock and barn cleaning to be done.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-56526075580878647502018-05-24T17:41:00.000-04:002018-05-24T17:41:38.441-04:00Day 18: The Viking Horde<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DfqbYlKBTIc/Wwco0XKmN9I/AAAAAAAAARw/jnJpGlkPyrUWKfTh7wJWx1lxMjA24Or7ACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180522_165237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DfqbYlKBTIc/Wwco0XKmN9I/AAAAAAAAARw/jnJpGlkPyrUWKfTh7wJWx1lxMjA24Or7ACEwYBhgL/s320/20180522_165237.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seems suspicious.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SOVo9COL8uw/Wwcoi_IHgZI/AAAAAAAAARg/1ius4F33_RgWlFfjUjD0rklvHXSsOnp_wCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180522_034116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SOVo9COL8uw/Wwcoi_IHgZI/AAAAAAAAARg/1ius4F33_RgWlFfjUjD0rklvHXSsOnp_wCEwYBhgL/s320/20180522_034116.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the feed bunks to open in the morning.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I had an eventful shift this morning. I have helped deliver many lambs here at Hestur, but somehow I had not dealt with a backwards one until now! Lambs can fit through the birth canal just fine coming hind legs first instead of front legs first, but the problem is this position can cut off circulation to the lamb's umbilical cord before its head is out, which can lead to lambs with oxygen deprivation and/or lungs full of fluid because they tried to take their first breath inside mom. Luckily, this lamb needed minimal repositioning and was the ewe's second so she was nice and dilated. I got her out in time and did not need to resuscitate her.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-APqvVNbe9zM/WwcoxKpmhEI/AAAAAAAAARs/HQAkvpdd51gaODkQCZRQ0ySx_rCtoe1AACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180522_165157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-APqvVNbe9zM/WwcoxKpmhEI/AAAAAAAAARs/HQAkvpdd51gaODkQCZRQ0ySx_rCtoe1AACEwYBhgL/s320/20180522_165157.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was exceptionally windy today and the house proved to be a good windbreak.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9lQ8z3nBi54/WwcpboydlgI/AAAAAAAAASA/aUImm_QycU4N4VZ_KwX8O5yfRO4M42EswCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180522_165348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9lQ8z3nBi54/WwcpboydlgI/AAAAAAAAASA/aUImm_QycU4N4VZ_KwX8O5yfRO4M42EswCEwYBhgL/s320/20180522_165348.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very good windbreak, in fact.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2EbIULvEsw/WwcpgAuVecI/AAAAAAAAASE/ItnUyGnFGz01Wfzt5dzUfWgPiIZshQSbACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180522_165400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2EbIULvEsw/WwcpgAuVecI/AAAAAAAAASE/ItnUyGnFGz01Wfzt5dzUfWgPiIZshQSbACEwYBhgL/s320/20180522_165400.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm sad that I missed watching a sheep climb stairs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8_wMeZCETO4/Wwco9FuCzEI/AAAAAAAAAR0/sPxNDwELX245LqAB4fV5RYBxAdG3rsjbQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180522_165248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8_wMeZCETO4/Wwco9FuCzEI/AAAAAAAAAR0/sPxNDwELX245LqAB4fV5RYBxAdG3rsjbQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180522_165248.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rainbow faintly visible through sheep and rain.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After making certain the lamb was okay, I was cleaning up when I became faintly aware of a din growing rapidly closer. While my mind was still registering this, multiple doors burst open at once and in poured a horde of Icelandic schoolchildren! Okay, it probably wasn't more than 50 or 60 of them, but it seemed like more because they went everywhere, even into lambing jugs if not stopped. The language barrier turned out to be of minimal issue as most of the older children knew English well and were eager to test out their skills on a native English speaker. The tiny lamb born a few days ago, which I've taken to calling 'Nanolamb' for lack of a better name was a big hit among the children, most of whom wanted to know why she was so small (sorry, world, we have no answers).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-StDEovuzRYg/WwcttIvW_YI/AAAAAAAAATE/z1M02Fd0xp01FiG_301ov9hSJ9iVBPOGACLcBGAs/s1600/20180524_001113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-StDEovuzRYg/WwcttIvW_YI/AAAAAAAAATE/z1M02Fd0xp01FiG_301ov9hSJ9iVBPOGACLcBGAs/s320/20180524_001113.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nanolamb getting some exercise with Carly.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RNll4AsS6p0/WwcuNwKN7SI/AAAAAAAAATc/aJoERyG1MYUw3MOBzsg1xpGb_x7Tbc5YwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180524_154807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RNll4AsS6p0/WwcuNwKN7SI/AAAAAAAAATc/aJoERyG1MYUw3MOBzsg1xpGb_x7Tbc5YwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180524_154807.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speaking of tiny lambs, here's Pip!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mjw8JXs51Oo/Wwct-TkQfwI/AAAAAAAAATU/z8q8dvsZNbMK2KYlpR-ZA-qCsbjupMeVgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180524_155017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mjw8JXs51Oo/Wwct-TkQfwI/AAAAAAAAATU/z8q8dvsZNbMK2KYlpR-ZA-qCsbjupMeVgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180524_155017.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pip looking more like a marshmallow Peep.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />I had a moment of confusion during my night shift, as I moved a ewe to a jug because her hind end looked suspiciously like she was prolapsing and I wanted to monitor her more closely. When Grace arrived, she told me that she'd noticed the ewe and the most likely explanation following an exam earlier was that the ewe had been stepped on by another ewe... down there. Ow. We applied some cream to reduce swelling and pain, and left her in the jug to recuperate in some peace and quiet.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wq2sZhYo4sE/WwcqjbrFXDI/AAAAAAAAASc/XJFFAT5t2U4K6fPDoKGRJoSWnNtW-QOfwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180524_020949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wq2sZhYo4sE/WwcqjbrFXDI/AAAAAAAAASc/XJFFAT5t2U4K6fPDoKGRJoSWnNtW-QOfwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180524_020949.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This yearling always has the same exact expression and I always laugh.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RUNB_GZDMdA/WwcpyXH0QJI/AAAAAAAAASQ/nqI3-cW1nqQGAJ2C-Ghgk9JsFdI3mSfvACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180523_034243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RUNB_GZDMdA/WwcpyXH0QJI/AAAAAAAAASQ/nqI3-cW1nqQGAJ2C-Ghgk9JsFdI3mSfvACEwYBhgL/s320/20180523_034243.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I call her 'RBF' but she's much nicer than her facial expression implies.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z08dqkNpLzU/WwcshV3TljI/AAAAAAAAAS4/s924dcXO5xYVTf8sEIWx1J0K55482Y3CACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180521_035211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z08dqkNpLzU/WwcshV3TljI/AAAAAAAAAS4/s924dcXO5xYVTf8sEIWx1J0K55482Y3CACEwYBhgL/s320/20180521_035211.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ewes may act as beds sometimes, but the lambs also serve as pillows, so it evens out.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DVc-jCvUkQo/Wwcp5z0VJyI/AAAAAAAAASU/T7EC0CZjbX810x6kxD146xY-SgfFn6-PACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180523_034356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DVc-jCvUkQo/Wwcp5z0VJyI/AAAAAAAAASU/T7EC0CZjbX810x6kxD146xY-SgfFn6-PACEwYBhgL/s320/20180523_034356.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Badgerface mouflon spotted ram lamb, out of one of Snaedis's favorite ewes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-73489837275016344292018-05-23T08:14:00.000-04:002018-05-24T16:03:01.751-04:00Day 17: Bónus, Waterfalls, and Urine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I started my day at 330am to switch shifts with Melissa at the barn. I opened the door to see a dusting of snow on the fields. This unusually cold spring has been tough on the sheep and us. The cold, rain, hail, and snow has put a halt on us being able to let groups of moms and lambs out to the fields which means we need to continue making room for the new moms and lambs we have already lambed out in the three barns. The moms and lambs that are currently out in the fields, with the help from their leadersheep, Becca Jr., have found different spots to protect themselves and their babies from the wind and wet. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There is a bit of an overhang on the house and I saw the lamb (in the picture below) napping by the door. He and his mom have been sleeping against the house regularly now, and Carly and I have run into him before. I tried not to disturb his nap, or run him off from the nice shelter, so I took another exit from the house. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHpX4V31wZPlBj9gLXnAJnH3jFSb26LuUFHct_RUhlgdmpB2Hc2Y21Xhvg8hhmWHAVagSi2st8TQ9TwyttikujEq4DXiO5fNnt_CUtQ3H1wzQkqg4ZSiipWBmdtroXFTDmTsunjmoKlmI/s1600/20180520_181052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHpX4V31wZPlBj9gLXnAJnH3jFSb26LuUFHct_RUhlgdmpB2Hc2Y21Xhvg8hhmWHAVagSi2st8TQ9TwyttikujEq4DXiO5fNnt_CUtQ3H1wzQkqg4ZSiipWBmdtroXFTDmTsunjmoKlmI/s320/20180520_181052.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It has been a very uneventful doing the early morning shift. All the sheep are still sleeping, or just waking up and hoping for some food. In the past few days, it seems to only be Melissa being graced as the chosen sheep midwife. The pregnant girls have had their feeders shut at night for a few days now and they have come to accept it. There are still the odd ewes that stand on the feeder and give me a staredown, but most are very close to (or past) their due date, making them very uncomfortable and without the energy to continually stare me down without a payoff. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-x3QiKrSTI1OUiDLI8OjhC9eChh11DbEE-W0SMgDEa5VNzRM7B9QVu1Uku176WmgNJ9rf7TX0bLlHyZBrA7w3DV4smr95XxOIYIMvEiZ6UQzIrZIKXad4lLfa-V45Ze40OyECoZH5vmk/s1600/20180515_223014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-x3QiKrSTI1OUiDLI8OjhC9eChh11DbEE-W0SMgDEa5VNzRM7B9QVu1Uku176WmgNJ9rf7TX0bLlHyZBrA7w3DV4smr95XxOIYIMvEiZ6UQzIrZIKXad4lLfa-V45Ze40OyECoZH5vmk/s400/20180515_223014.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Staredown for food</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Without anyone lambing, I check on the lambs that need a little help nursing, or supplemental bottle feeding and the ewes with health problems. I am happy to say our two ewes with milk fever are recovering nicely. Both have nice warm ears, are up and moving, and are happily eating their extra portion of grain and hay, to their neighbors' displeasure.<br />
Helgi came to switch shifts with me so I could get a quick nap in before heading out to do some sightseeing. Our fi<span style="font-family: inherit;">rst stop was at <span style="background-color: white;">Hespuhúsið, a wool dyeing studio run by a woma<span style="font-family: inherit;">n named </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Guðrún. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZmednfquyYknzczzCiYqwprv7NQDgaMu71bPbIpsX1ClCYfQQEgLjuTYn053gvRL7yxiYawV_eFq7hQ492PJzxku6BlZt0FmkHWf8PsX6BpSu9WYzN2h-DrGQIpTrPN_txma4rcOWe0E/s1600/IMG_6742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZmednfquyYknzczzCiYqwprv7NQDgaMu71bPbIpsX1ClCYfQQEgLjuTYn053gvRL7yxiYawV_eFq7hQ492PJzxku6BlZt0FmkHWf8PsX6BpSu9WYzN2h-DrGQIpTrPN_txma4rcOWe0E/s400/IMG_6742.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Although it is usually by appointment only, Snædís was able to get us in last minute because some of the yarn at the studio has been made from wool from Hestur farm. What makes </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">Guðrún's studio so interesting is that she uses traditional techniques and plants to dye her wools. In fact, she did a Master's thesis on the traditional uses of native plants in Iceland, Sweden, and Denmark, and has written a book on just the Iceland botanical traditions with the attached folklore (I have already pre-ordered my copy). One of the very old techniques for wool dyeing was using urine to set the dye. We were all a little bit put-off by the idea, but she went on to explain some of the mysteries behind why urine works well and one big chemical component is ammonia. She has only tried to use urine once to set a dye and it was with cow urine. She put an ad in the newspaper asking for help and a local dairy farmer provided her with what she needed (after a few questions). It took close to 200L of cow urine and over a week of heating it, letting it cool and oxygenating the mixture. (I could not imagine the smell.) She said urine from different species (including human) and ages creates different color changes and no one is really sure why (if anyone in the chemistry field is looking for a Master's thesis). And if you are wondering (because that was my first question), the wool, once rinsed, does not smell like urine after the process. We segued from urine into the native plants used and what color they turned the dye. Plants including lupine, different types of lichen, spruce cones, onion peel, etc. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQDif-IwK_5tU_BFMdyOl0e5InsdwEOqNEyEdUGCizbGC2Mx2397xgfnmuuIs1Y2gVxqDlZ_4gFIpg6YNSyFEdxJJcXSKYdo8ABI5wAvFR8XZP1a39wh5IltPj4s90_QSji-VCU1PkHg/s1600/IMG_6737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQDif-IwK_5tU_BFMdyOl0e5InsdwEOqNEyEdUGCizbGC2Mx2397xgfnmuuIs1Y2gVxqDlZ_4gFIpg6YNSyFEdxJJcXSKYdo8ABI5wAvFR8XZP1a39wh5IltPj4s90_QSji-VCU1PkHg/s400/IMG_6737.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6L6oils3Q9RsZkdV8R6ox81pEwxZmZSzf9Ijlg8g0RJYJ-sGdmbeHYZgr16JbyfxK_DO0Pf4e-RU3Nv5EVW6v74iBFyF7j4LJUueSV5nZkWvGf4IEfg4dyF1CI7uWBjBJVwqKuR00-tc/s1600/IMG_6739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6L6oils3Q9RsZkdV8R6ox81pEwxZmZSzf9Ijlg8g0RJYJ-sGdmbeHYZgr16JbyfxK_DO0Pf4e-RU3Nv5EVW6v74iBFyF7j4LJUueSV5nZkWvGf4IEfg4dyF1CI7uWBjBJVwqKuR00-tc/s400/IMG_6739.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">She had plenty of dye pots going in the studio and we got to see the rainbow of colors she was able to produce by all parts of the plants. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPfptuxmTM0GPJdaaBjKVy5ETKHk-9vn1-MoOMpN0fx-SAPID6IcVFgLJ2-zaah7OqbknFp15b_A_TJN6Z4fYM0v-Dx5NpLbiqcSiEjnV9UWUjdjiFUSOi7daCfbn_fXwDABzS71h6AE/s1600/IMG_6734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPfptuxmTM0GPJdaaBjKVy5ETKHk-9vn1-MoOMpN0fx-SAPID6IcVFgLJ2-zaah7OqbknFp15b_A_TJN6Z4fYM0v-Dx5NpLbiqcSiEjnV9UWUjdjiFUSOi7daCfbn_fXwDABzS71h6AE/s400/IMG_6734.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">Some colors cannot be made from native plants in Iceland like blue, purple, and pink, and the plants required are imported or have become an invasive species on the island. Hot pink, on the other hand, can only be made from a South American beetle that lives on cacti. This beetle is also used for hot pink food dye as well (something to think about when you are biting into a pink colored baked good). </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">We spent about equal amount of time picking out yarn to purchase. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJ07x5wvIUxb3Ua9DN2DtmsegRUnj2Xm4QwrSe0QFhzw23VQfb7IeX29iGsnosAxy5TW58WG-J8EicJ4A17T1AIz5ZztQCunnh7bo2q8vIBVM_BUWWXKCrDMcklqkrSzhnF8YIbB-HR4/s1600/IMG_6732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJ07x5wvIUxb3Ua9DN2DtmsegRUnj2Xm4QwrSe0QFhzw23VQfb7IeX29iGsnosAxy5TW58WG-J8EicJ4A17T1AIz5ZztQCunnh7bo2q8vIBVM_BUWWXKCrDMcklqkrSzhnF8YIbB-HR4/s400/IMG_6732.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melissa pondering if she should get a skein of every color</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">All of the colors she had available were mesmerizing. It really got all of us motivated to knit our own Icelandic sweaters. Before we left </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">Guðrún suggested we go see her very beautiful and a bit spoiled Icelandic chickens. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKRPg36F2ZAlYqSaGu4CzIjY8L0BOLltTVFYNr9cG3a9FHNUHl9vHsrOEjDADwrGlmzdyieBnu-C6mXtKDZwBgIUScBroOffhbdbmjQPOdB7Of22An_VB5YJSqPghvVDWFGy4GMOnQsu0/s1600/IMG_6743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKRPg36F2ZAlYqSaGu4CzIjY8L0BOLltTVFYNr9cG3a9FHNUHl9vHsrOEjDADwrGlmzdyieBnu-C6mXtKDZwBgIUScBroOffhbdbmjQPOdB7Of22An_VB5YJSqPghvVDWFGy4GMOnQsu0/s400/IMG_6743.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chicken Whisperer Melissa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
While we were on our way to our next stop we saw a local stable moving some of their young horses to another field by running them along the road with a dog in the front and a dog in the back. It was an amazing experience, making Carly very happy.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKso-lmpnOKROXDus1zxrMGj9R4iqnM51xNK_MaGiX5lx-OQi-nsP4_MVQzRGY5j55rCjBUfprnYYL5JO2sOfxiKLXeb7GTElItGXJwJGiyQM0IZppPykc4RYKnU-5ourfMsV2BCJ4CiU/s1600/IMG_6754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKso-lmpnOKROXDus1zxrMGj9R4iqnM51xNK_MaGiX5lx-OQi-nsP4_MVQzRGY5j55rCjBUfprnYYL5JO2sOfxiKLXeb7GTElItGXJwJGiyQM0IZppPykc4RYKnU-5ourfMsV2BCJ4CiU/s400/IMG_6754.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVQE92QbqCm0-EkjPEjBnrYbO9yLs_eapt42Q4AYkoJuDbV_3nI_vHBbee1eNf_fPDldIlZwaMcEWIyfbr4-_-pKNbR4xmrHb1ZwuREv1oou9dRakmJFf0oCEHqK38doVJr8vi1Yc-n0/s1600/IMG_6761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVQE92QbqCm0-EkjPEjBnrYbO9yLs_eapt42Q4AYkoJuDbV_3nI_vHBbee1eNf_fPDldIlZwaMcEWIyfbr4-_-pKNbR4xmrHb1ZwuREv1oou9dRakmJFf0oCEHqK38doVJr8vi1Yc-n0/s400/IMG_6761.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">Our next stop was to get a quick meal from a bakery in Borgarnes and stop at Bónus to pick up some licorice candy for home (I got all of your favorites, mom!). Bónus is a grocery store with a disturbing pig icon that both terrifies and mystifies. I also picked up a reusable bag so that I can mystify those at my local Hannaford the next time I get groceries. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1a4ma9oC5JHqBEVXymLGMU29O2cyDQlBdmPAWjcbcvLEuO-t-zaD2dXEuKCFCb0HtD9_ZaTKT1SQtuQ_5S_i-iA06Lx8KKMB7Di93DAWl_XC8FU1BjTL4arsssTHyfDB-N8nbvqqnDE/s1600/bonus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="350" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1a4ma9oC5JHqBEVXymLGMU29O2cyDQlBdmPAWjcbcvLEuO-t-zaD2dXEuKCFCb0HtD9_ZaTKT1SQtuQ_5S_i-iA06Lx8KKMB7Di93DAWl_XC8FU1BjTL4arsssTHyfDB-N8nbvqqnDE/s320/bonus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">Once we fueled up, we headed out to Húsafell to go<span style="font-family: inherit;"> see </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #000a12;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hraunfoss, a very beautiful waterfall. It had been raining most of the day and the sky opened up for just the right amount of time for us to check out the waterfall and get back into the car. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #000a12;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #000a12;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsuWcpmnKDEzS4Cpvk_hjpeolepvpnLYyWOLqcyKcc8cFz5G5pBVC3QVjMf-eox9oY8l1ZuH7GwOr-L0JLkfynw-L3gLhypF3nyCFL5y99fAEls8gHZbbcV8ldUZyD6pp_iZvHx3o_zM/s1600/20180521_164529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsuWcpmnKDEzS4Cpvk_hjpeolepvpnLYyWOLqcyKcc8cFz5G5pBVC3QVjMf-eox9oY8l1ZuH7GwOr-L0JLkfynw-L3gLhypF3nyCFL5y99fAEls8gHZbbcV8ldUZyD6pp_iZvHx3o_zM/s640/20180521_164529.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After a great day of sightseeing, we returned back to Hestur for a nap and prepare for our night shifts. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176001402619737969noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-65003554161732444932018-05-21T20:59:00.001-04:002018-05-21T21:07:41.200-04:00 Day 15 Lamb PT <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Day 15 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Today my day began around at 8 am after a 8-12 shift the night before. Melissa had taken the night shift and filled me in on a difficult birth which had left a ewe lamb unable to use her hind end. She was placed in a box as her mother pawed her vigorously to get up which only made things worse. I spent about an hour doing PT with her that morning. Moving the legs and starting to add resistance. On my evening shift I repeated the PT and she made slow steady progress throughout the day and is now doing great. As a precaution her mother has been marked as a stay at home fields with the purple. Just incase. </span></span><br />
<span id="docs-internal-guid-5dc8c268-854c-886b-a569-5436f2fde382"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-5dc8c268-854c-886b-a569-5436f2fde382"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nb2W2-xX5mA/WwNogKz0AyI/AAAAAAAAB6Q/59Yt8UiBuowJokySk8lr0XweS8OOyQjLwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nb2W2-xX5mA/WwNogKz0AyI/AAAAAAAAB6Q/59Yt8UiBuowJokySk8lr0XweS8OOyQjLwCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6730.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-5dc8c268-854c-886b-a569-5436f2fde382">
</span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-5dc8c268-854c-886b-a569-5436f2fde382"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-5dc8c268-854c-886b-a569-5436f2fde382">
</span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-5dc8c268-854c-886b-a569-5436f2fde382"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-5dc8c268-854c-886b-a569-5436f2fde382">
</span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-5dc8c268-854c-886b-a569-5436f2fde382"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-5dc8c268-854c-886b-a569-5436f2fde382">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">An extremely small ewe lamb arrived over the night. She is so small the scale cannot register her. Despite her small size she refuses to give up. Her two normal sized siblings are big eaters, so we collect from other ewes who have more to give and feed her hourly. She is cozy under a heat lamb. Her front legs have a bit to much mobility in the lowest joint. She tends to walk on her heals instead of her hooves. I suspect with time she will straighten out. <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jyaOBodxdAo/WwNpWG9bA2I/AAAAAAAAB6c/nKkA-sYduysmhaNtwSYOUhwpfQyECwlVACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6720.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jyaOBodxdAo/WwNpWG9bA2I/AAAAAAAAB6c/nKkA-sYduysmhaNtwSYOUhwpfQyECwlVACK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6720.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m08N2c0fkM0/WwNpXHwvpYI/AAAAAAAAB6k/4z_6Nq43cZ82H2Vv6QKnRrCUQPjJE6lSACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6722.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m08N2c0fkM0/WwNpXHwvpYI/AAAAAAAAB6k/4z_6Nq43cZ82H2Vv6QKnRrCUQPjJE6lSACK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6722.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oubyYz7ESPk/WwNprP5X4GI/AAAAAAAAB68/3CEskCLgEjktDLt0Q_fxJ4bpBteiACK6gCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oubyYz7ESPk/WwNprP5X4GI/AAAAAAAAB68/3CEskCLgEjktDLt0Q_fxJ4bpBteiACK6gCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6718.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I helped sneidis tag some lambs by recording weight color and mother's number. This can get tricky when we have had to swap around many lambs to make everything work. Record keeping is so important. I did my best to pronounce the rams names and failed miserably but it made for a good laugh. Upon entering a pen to tag some lambs the mother did not get up. At first I thought wow what a calm mother, upon feeling her ears she was ice cold her udder is just massive and producing so much took it's toll on the older ewe. This is our second case of milk fever, and for a flock this big that is really good. I added some extra grain in front of her which she did not touch and further confirmed out concerns. Animals with milk fever need to be boosted with calcium as fast as possible. Grace and I did several injections adding to 80 ml of a calcium based serum in the morning.The other milk fever ewe received her calcium as well, lower dose of 40 ml day two. Both are doing great. Stalls with milk fever are marked with orange duck tape. Melissa and grace followed in the evening with more injections.</span></div>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YdW_UxuJO0c/WwNp6NT4L9I/AAAAAAAAB7I/kHBgwiDQN9QhgR9DEd6xnQWjKUzf0q1vwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YdW_UxuJO0c/WwNp6NT4L9I/AAAAAAAAB7I/kHBgwiDQN9QhgR9DEd6xnQWjKUzf0q1vwCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6723.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The second ewe lamb with mobility issues had not made any progress. The best I could do was keep her fed and on dry bedding. She is to weak to stand and now suckles lying down. Her mum is so kind to allow us all in her space to help the little lamb. She has since been euthanized and is in a better place. Rest in peace little angel<3 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CUgoheN1WVU/WwNqRjMCV8I/AAAAAAAAB7Y/yQsQpuw4PX8r_x1bpdxxZUq2618dPMA-QCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CUgoheN1WVU/WwNqRjMCV8I/AAAAAAAAB7Y/yQsQpuw4PX8r_x1bpdxxZUq2618dPMA-QCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6729.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QIs2i8QwQzs/WwNtS3zlAyI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/gmYrxXkCidE3tRBq2Mj8oxPfKn3h7fHrwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6727.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QIs2i8QwQzs/WwNtS3zlAyI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/gmYrxXkCidE3tRBq2Mj8oxPfKn3h7fHrwCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6727.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our swollen ewe who we named Loretta is finally starting to return to normal. Around her tail head is still quite tight and swollen but we are seeing progress! She continues to eat and produce for her two lambs. She is amazing. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B1KGokGEm-E/WwNqeG3tU1I/AAAAAAAAB7g/m5fNwzGmYkAes5ceXAoMw3mdxxABt4E7wCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B1KGokGEm-E/WwNqeG3tU1I/AAAAAAAAB7g/m5fNwzGmYkAes5ceXAoMw3mdxxABt4E7wCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6719.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Helgi Grace and I tackled two mum's who needed to have cysts expressed/ lanced. No pictures of this. Because. It was. Nasty. One was a knee joint abscess of sorts, I noticed the lambs we're nursing off of her while she was laying down( meaning she was not getting up very often) upon inspection her right knee was very swollen medially. She was happy to have the pressure relieved. The other was a cyst near the tail head of a ewe who has yet to give birth. Best we relieve that pressure now so it didn't burst in our faces while we pulled a lamb from her. Yes. Yum. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Many beautiful healthy lambs arrived today with the help of Grace Melissa and myself. Through the ups and downs seeing new mom's lick a baby clean is just heartwarming. A difficult birth called for helgies assistance in my night shift later that evening. A ewe had pushed a head through a very tight cervix. Once pulled out Helgi have her CPR to bring her back. I grabbed the bourbon and dabbled her nose and mouth to stimulate a big breath, as well as moved her legs in a running motion and kept her head up. It is truly amazing these lambs can endure so much. Less than an hour later she was up and nursing. A blessing truly. </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hv5vNsYsmVU/WwNqpd3CTlI/AAAAAAAAB7s/NJ0UFby4NhUXsM68YPFUbH9sp1VeycTagCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6725.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hv5vNsYsmVU/WwNqpd3CTlI/AAAAAAAAB7s/NJ0UFby4NhUXsM68YPFUbH9sp1VeycTagCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6725.JPG" width="320" /></a> Here is a great lamb pile of cuteness, and below some happy lambs and moms out on pasture by the house. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mQY0cHP0alc/WwNrAw9bSiI/AAAAAAAAB8E/j5SPl72JFpcoxGMNIn2-crHaXTX55GZfQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6808.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mQY0cHP0alc/WwNrAw9bSiI/AAAAAAAAB8E/j5SPl72JFpcoxGMNIn2-crHaXTX55GZfQCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6808.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5hJq4ChKjsQ/WwNq_UE_ydI/AAAAAAAAB78/WtND2fJTTcYeBQAuhEAt64LAM0Q3YRxwQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6805.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5hJq4ChKjsQ/WwNq_UE_ydI/AAAAAAAAB78/WtND2fJTTcYeBQAuhEAt64LAM0Q3YRxwQCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6805.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-82159109345788403622018-05-19T15:25:00.000-04:002018-05-19T15:25:23.332-04:00Days 13 & 14: Switched at Birth... and also a few days after!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cmfpC6lpP3U/WwBvI9JBe0I/AAAAAAAAAQk/tUpFpF6-0zkkGzdi-I6Vl2DAWcTL9pxXQCLcBGAs/s1600/20180517_141209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cmfpC6lpP3U/WwBvI9JBe0I/AAAAAAAAAQk/tUpFpF6-0zkkGzdi-I6Vl2DAWcTL9pxXQCLcBGAs/s320/20180517_141209.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rZp9xB1T_jY/WwBpW5vPzVI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fnqH5T-VGxoISrasl47XWg5DXS-u_MAJQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180516_085550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rZp9xB1T_jY/WwBpW5vPzVI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fnqH5T-VGxoISrasl47XWg5DXS-u_MAJQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180516_085550.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Human I demand grain"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I guess this post will be to catch us up on both days 13 and 14 (approximately in that order). Days run together here, with the near-constant light and the odd hours we are working.<br />
<br />
First of all, our orphans were adopted! We had a very fortunate occurrence: two ewes carrying single lambs went into labor at about the same time. Adoptions are most likely to be successful if the lamb is presented to the mother before her own lamb is born. When we can, we collect amniotic fluid from other births. Then, when a single ewe goes into labor and is dilated and pushing, we take a lamb in need, dunk it in warm water, and then the amniotic fluid, and present it to her as if she birthed it (oddly, the adoptive mothers rarely question why their "newborn" lamb is up and walking and often already has ear tags...). Because our two orphans, themselves adoptive brothers, are so close, both emotionally and in terms of how well they compete for milk (we usually can't adopt out very large or very small lambs for this reason), we gave them both to the first ewe who gave birth and gave her own lamb to the second ewe. When I took the first lamb out of the orphan box to dunk him, the second leaped out of the box after us, so it's good they stayed together! They have a strong bond.<br />
<br />
Our next interesting case is that of two lambs who got separated from their moms while they were in the group pens. As you can see from the second picture, all the group pens are connected by the food trough. Occasionally, a particularly curious lamb hops up in there to explore. Usually they go back to mom and their pen on their own, or are found in the hay feeder, or discovered by someone noting a mismatch of the number of lambs. But it was discovered that two lambs had gotten misplaced, and it had gone unnoticed for several days because they were in each other's jugs, so that the counts were correct! Both family reunions were spoiled, however, by the fact that the mothers no longer recognized their own lambs! They go by smell, and neither lamb smelled like their mother anymore. Most ewes fiercely protect their udders from other lambs as they do not want their own to go hungry. We had to tie both ewes up so that their babies could nurse again. Luckily, both ewes re-accepted their lambs after about a day.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yaVcdqXhKRY/WwBqVFUluoI/AAAAAAAAAP4/uP32ah11v-IyuTPP_g3HvtDBSFoQD-LqQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180518_135049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yaVcdqXhKRY/WwBqVFUluoI/AAAAAAAAAP4/uP32ah11v-IyuTPP_g3HvtDBSFoQD-LqQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180518_135049.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White wagtails are insectivorous, and welcome visitors in the barn!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V_ZeN4p1-BQ/WwBpxAg_KMI/AAAAAAAAAPI/bSROYgJ-7Nc4h8VskR3RSkFYtwq-9ZQmwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180517_223237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V_ZeN4p1-BQ/WwBpxAg_KMI/AAAAAAAAAPI/bSROYgJ-7Nc4h8VskR3RSkFYtwq-9ZQmwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180517_223237.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most of the mothers graciously let their babies use them as a bed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X8HBD-u19TM/WwBqKi-t5VI/AAAAAAAAAP0/egAZO6b5mZM0cbvPZXhFLycF2p88oej_QCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180517_225423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X8HBD-u19TM/WwBqKi-t5VI/AAAAAAAAAP0/egAZO6b5mZM0cbvPZXhFLycF2p88oej_QCEwYBhgL/s320/20180517_225423.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some more sheep snuggle buddies, my favorite photographic subject. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-itCD0pHlfHA/WwBp_69eZSI/AAAAAAAAAPY/5faPbVW880EVT--rZTeY5aN23k-u0lrQwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180516_121150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-itCD0pHlfHA/WwBp_69eZSI/AAAAAAAAAPY/5faPbVW880EVT--rZTeY5aN23k-u0lrQwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180516_121150.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lamb puddle. Green marks on the back denote they are triplets.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Since I'd missed out on the "fun" of trimming the ram's horns, Helgi taught me to trim the horns of a ewe whose horns were so long they were starting to rub at the wool on her shoulders. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XqzXGi8BwDQ/WwBp1w_9r9I/AAAAAAAAAPM/mnk1FZH8mlMkrAQkV7PRxsbQJtlXOLhQgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180518_112221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XqzXGi8BwDQ/WwBp1w_9r9I/AAAAAAAAAPM/mnk1FZH8mlMkrAQkV7PRxsbQJtlXOLhQgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180518_112221.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She doesn't look too resentful...right?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
He later showed us how to make lamb coats like the one Carly talked about in her post. We all watched, as it could be useful someday, but Carly was the only one brave enough to try it. Our ewe with the swollen vulva from yesterday was arbitrarily named Loretta, because we'd been calling her "Puffy Butt" which is accurate but kind of a tragic name and I decided she needed a better one. She was no less puffy despite lots of antibiotics and some careful cleaning of her hind end, so Carly gave her an ice and aloe compress. Loretta is very sweet and takes all these treatments in stride.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4HsSceUv5FY/WwBpqaKZKlI/AAAAAAAAAPI/rWqu9DEw-A0E0xeE1irLrc74muuwjVNYACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180517_214921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4HsSceUv5FY/WwBpqaKZKlI/AAAAAAAAAPI/rWqu9DEw-A0E0xeE1irLrc74muuwjVNYACEwYBhgL/s320/20180517_214921.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loretta, non-puffy end.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the evening a ewe tried to run Carly down while she was being transferred to a jug, but Carly was able to grab a barrier and block her in time. Another ewe in labor was apparently done with pushing and decided that I was her lamb instead, and tried to clean me off as I worked to get her lambs out. She succeeded in removing the duct tape from my boots.<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
Day 14 was a bit calmer and quieter. We did lots of transfers from the jugs to the group pens.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mjt6V6onrgk/WwB0s55MMTI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/G9m0A2LIN-AEXSmRpnKTxA3G63ZmUZNwQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180518_130022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mjt6V6onrgk/WwB0s55MMTI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/G9m0A2LIN-AEXSmRpnKTxA3G63ZmUZNwQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180518_130022.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'd write an explanation for this face, but I don't have one.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-27PgoqljABE/WwBqPdWT3_I/AAAAAAAAAPw/7LDwPbW77PoRgUfAho-oPZZaxAdeoM82ACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180518_130557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-27PgoqljABE/WwBqPdWT3_I/AAAAAAAAAPw/7LDwPbW77PoRgUfAho-oPZZaxAdeoM82ACEwYBhgL/s320/20180518_130557.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carly with several lambs in the basket and mom following behind.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WzGJqYfgWVg/WwBqRZb-s1I/AAAAAAAAAP0/-Y5hv25-G1Y7SncARnIlivWtlT7FX2fsACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180518_130607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WzGJqYfgWVg/WwBqRZb-s1I/AAAAAAAAAP0/-Y5hv25-G1Y7SncARnIlivWtlT7FX2fsACEwYBhgL/s320/20180518_130607.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Putting lambs in the pen so mom will follow.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We had a bit of panic when Carly found a ewe with only one hind leg sticking out from her backside, but luckily Snaedis was there and got the lamb untangled and out alive. Pip's brother was adopted out a little while ago, and she's been taking advantage of all the extra milk! She's rounder, but unfortunately no taller.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eNCd9bF9e-Q/WwBqGav9ebI/AAAAAAAAAPo/-bYhOKaeS6UMpe_VPqqTLriOmFfcKP05QCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180518_121208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eNCd9bF9e-Q/WwBqGav9ebI/AAAAAAAAAPo/-bYhOKaeS6UMpe_VPqqTLriOmFfcKP05QCEwYBhgL/s320/20180518_121208.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace, Pip, and Snaedis finding out that Pip will nibble anything.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tZ65S_1hhxA/WwBqcnvwEoI/AAAAAAAAAQE/ky3lpv-BxKcGby4wLMPSLcikCu3NOOL4QCEwYBhgL/s320/20180518_141921.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kruna's babies and their new friends/partners in crime.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tZ65S_1hhxA/WwBqcnvwEoI/AAAAAAAAAQE/ky3lpv-BxKcGby4wLMPSLcikCu3NOOL4QCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180518_141921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tZ65S_1hhxA/WwBqcnvwEoI/AAAAAAAAAQE/ky3lpv-BxKcGby4wLMPSLcikCu3NOOL4QCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180518_141921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NqOrHxTy0sw/WwBqnT13GNI/AAAAAAAAAQM/W7tBdlqBnrQZMIk6gCDqiYKMNLedWWw2QCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180518_160304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NqOrHxTy0sw/WwBqnT13GNI/AAAAAAAAAQM/W7tBdlqBnrQZMIk6gCDqiYKMNLedWWw2QCEwYBhgL/s320/20180518_160304.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Becca Jr. and her lambs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ewiDz5jmREE/WwBqrmPhSJI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/T4-Ww1AbbLEO13klZ_FhIXlq5yatwXpqgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180518_164753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ewiDz5jmREE/WwBqrmPhSJI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/T4-Ww1AbbLEO13klZ_FhIXlq5yatwXpqgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180518_164753.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheep in the driveway. They are also everywhere else, as many of the ewes and lambs have been turned out now.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One ewe complained during early labor, but when she was dilated enough for me to check the position of her lamb, I found it was undeliverable, head-only. Once I fixed this, she was quiet! Carly did a great job untangling some large lambs, and although one struggled a bit after birth, he will likely recover.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2JMwXsSXtQ4/WwBqt_YjMQI/AAAAAAAAAQU/y3L8JaExH7klPp1DGGFFjRdKUoKaQYKzACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180519_010823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2JMwXsSXtQ4/WwBqt_YjMQI/AAAAAAAAAQU/y3L8JaExH7klPp1DGGFFjRdKUoKaQYKzACEwYBhgL/s320/20180519_010823.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the basement window after night shift.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br /></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-54621642343466945172018-05-18T14:00:00.001-04:002018-05-18T14:15:16.413-04:00 Day 12 The Running of the Rams View as I look out the kitchen after some breakfast. The remnants of the bushes are kept only for scratching posts and the sheep love them! Grace has a theory that the sheep scratched so intensely that they are responsible for Iceland having no trees.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OCUN2AB_oKc/Wv8LvU1r9CI/AAAAAAAAB0w/od8T68Gh-NIuVQlTbennADqOS621k179ACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OCUN2AB_oKc/Wv8LvU1r9CI/AAAAAAAAB0w/od8T68Gh-NIuVQlTbennADqOS621k179ACK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6686.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c5WqHm7w4Ok/Wv8Op_XB1fI/AAAAAAAAB1w/r9DPdE3Z830CU797_0icK3r650R4cnG6gCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c5WqHm7w4Ok/Wv8Op_XB1fI/AAAAAAAAB1w/r9DPdE3Z830CU797_0icK3r650R4cnG6gCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6561.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The days seem to be mixing together. Grace and Melissa have been sleeping great but I am so used to the darkening of the sky, transitioning to a night of light has not been so easy. This day began with re-bedding, using lesser quality hay, for the larger lambing jugs which hold 2 moms with lambs. Many of the new lambs are so excited to see anything new and jump on the piles of hay like it is the best thing since sliced bread.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ToBeZGBB9UY/Wv8MhW5PU3I/AAAAAAAAB1A/1-8sKZIyGx4JLcRdiMTQmxmP_Ka6Z7EEQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6614.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ToBeZGBB9UY/Wv8MhW5PU3I/AAAAAAAAB1A/1-8sKZIyGx4JLcRdiMTQmxmP_Ka6Z7EEQCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6614.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I began to help a ewe in labor who had been struggling to make progress for some time. When I reached in it was evident that two were headed out at the same time, one was backwards. A medium sized ewe was first. Upon further investigation of the second it was backwards with horn buds and I called for assistance. Helgi helped me talk through how fast to pull and the angles to help the horn buds cause less damage to the mum. The ewe was easy enough to pull once her brother's feet were out of the way. Less than a minute after the ewe was out it was crucial to begin pulling the ram. Together with great force we moved him into the world. Ribs were cracking and mom was straining but both survived and are doing well.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-99qE02cn8i8/Wv8X8BV7sJI/AAAAAAAAB38/htp2F2Xg9rAqoQzMHXl5nBnaLYFIEyJOgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/32854773_10214355959447288_4227380651248058368_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-99qE02cn8i8/Wv8X8BV7sJI/AAAAAAAAB38/htp2F2Xg9rAqoQzMHXl5nBnaLYFIEyJOgCK4BGAYYCw/s320/32854773_10214355959447288_4227380651248058368_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vtLD2Aqtvi4/Wv8X7xVfYdI/AAAAAAAAB30/3Bk2L1CVAZY8mxfemlgossEE4IkvoAkLgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/32836850_10214355957967251_8519157817339281408_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vtLD2Aqtvi4/Wv8X7xVfYdI/AAAAAAAAB30/3Bk2L1CVAZY8mxfemlgossEE4IkvoAkLgCK4BGAYYCw/s320/32836850_10214355957967251_8519157817339281408_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The lamb in my last post who was wearing a coat was finally accepted by his new mom, and the coat was removed. It usually rots out but this particular coat dried up and formed an interesting picture.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-13j1LqGUYHk/Wv8M08q4tQI/AAAAAAAAB1M/etmvWAr-X2IlusUPtQdlWTaVBFRxNJ2cgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6684.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-13j1LqGUYHk/Wv8M08q4tQI/AAAAAAAAB1M/etmvWAr-X2IlusUPtQdlWTaVBFRxNJ2cgCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6684.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vOwc5kl76rw/Wv8LlNaIQFI/AAAAAAAAB0o/i8OteDEfpd0mymoXWYq5iflVtgTRJlL3wCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vOwc5kl76rw/Wv8LlNaIQFI/AAAAAAAAB0o/i8OteDEfpd0mymoXWYq5iflVtgTRJlL3wCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6685.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Mid morning Helgi asked for some assistance bringing in the rams from the home field so their horns could be trimmed and they could be sent out to the larger fields down the road. We jumped at the opportunity to work with these big boys... So eager... ha.<br />
<br />
<br />
Myla( the farms young sheep dog) was happy to assist in rounding up the rams and facing them towards the barn with Helgi's instruction. She always wants to please and tries her little heart out. Grace and I moved in behind the rams, I raced behind the group to shut the gate. Success.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vAsutgNRHWw/Wv8Nh_eX6TI/AAAAAAAAB1Y/JDeePwHN6lcoejt-7CxO3k0EIeNBA1eMwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vAsutgNRHWw/Wv8Nh_eX6TI/AAAAAAAAB1Y/JDeePwHN6lcoejt-7CxO3k0EIeNBA1eMwCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6497.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xE8Or1pH51U/Wv8NoyKwBtI/AAAAAAAAB1g/NaNUzwa_sykiNXBIGkAC9zosJ7keKweRACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xE8Or1pH51U/Wv8NoyKwBtI/AAAAAAAAB1g/NaNUzwa_sykiNXBIGkAC9zosJ7keKweRACK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_6558.JPG" width="640" /></a> Here she is facing off with Scot Junior the leader sheep standing in the road. They have a history....</div>
<br />
Once the rams were in the barn we assisted in the trimming of the horns and the removal of plates. The plates are screwed into the horns to help them grow away from the head by proving tension in the correct place. Grace sat atop the ram holding the horns and I sat behind with my knees squeezed into the hips. A wire with serrated notches is passed over the horn with pressure and speed, much link a nail file. As long as you don't go to close to the base of the horn no veins are effected. It was awesome to see! For several rams the trimming went well. Until we got to a specific ram whose name Sterkur translates to "strength" who is close to 250 lbs. He is shown below. Strength was able to lift both Grace and I off the ground ( feeling as though we were going into the roof)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kvGEPZrwITo/Wv8JbIH20aI/AAAAAAAAB0c/N7KU1NHJgOA0bXIa93HTWCMo7-e6c6rGgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kvGEPZrwITo/Wv8JbIH20aI/AAAAAAAAB0c/N7KU1NHJgOA0bXIa93HTWCMo7-e6c6rGgCK4BGAYYCw/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="240" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Strength was then tied up with a rope to hold his head still and yet. He still managed to buck us both off, and rock the barn foundation. The temperaments of these rams differ greatly from on to another. After Strength we held Scot Junior who is the leader sheep in the background of the photo above. He stood absolutely still and did not move a muscle. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
While Grace and I wrestled the rams, Melissa wrangled two loose ewes and lambs back to their pen. A dead mother was found in a group pen and her two ram lambs were devastated and depressed. They were brought into the new barn and Melissa gave them a bottle and we all made fast friends. The darker snout was much more depressed than he brother and took a lot of attention and snacks to keep him going. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-krLcy7rqW7M/Wv8R4cddeVI/AAAAAAAAB2A/gS1BElzkmNMXFKoQgS500w2PhrPrSf3kwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/unnamed-3.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BYBNKsi4oRI/Wv8R5fT2wxI/AAAAAAAAB2I/AVxFcfvBppAbdbedzTzJUEpnUgLXomnzgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/unnamed-2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BYBNKsi4oRI/Wv8R5fT2wxI/AAAAAAAAB2I/AVxFcfvBppAbdbedzTzJUEpnUgLXomnzgCK4BGAYYCw/s320/unnamed-2.jpg" width="240" /></a><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-krLcy7rqW7M/Wv8R4cddeVI/AAAAAAAAB2A/gS1BElzkmNMXFKoQgS500w2PhrPrSf3kwCK4BGAYYCw/s320/unnamed-3.jpg" width="240" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nMtm67HbUEI/Wv8R74Y6oaI/AAAAAAAAB2Q/7QW3fKjfKwADuw4RMldXL-qRHNd3ipPawCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/unnamed-1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nMtm67HbUEI/Wv8R74Y6oaI/AAAAAAAAB2Q/7QW3fKjfKwADuw4RMldXL-qRHNd3ipPawCK4BGAYYCw/s320/unnamed-1.jpg" width="240" /></a> Here I am giving some encouraging baby noises to the scared little guy. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A ewe with an extremely swollen vagina was found. It is so swollen it is almost hard to describe, She was struggling to urinate and poop and her tail was unable to lay flat. We moved her to a single pen so she had constant access to food and water. She was given a cocktail of medication, and I have rubbed her with a mixture of aloe and crushed ice. We are hoping for the best, and hope she can continue to pass her waste so she does not become septic. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Below is grace and the trailer full of the first set of rams headed out to pasture. Melissa let the second group out later that afternoon. So nice to see them sauntering off into the evening with so much pasture to snack on. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8uvQrVWwMS8/Wv8Swoxc2YI/AAAAAAAAB2g/flipZOWcUvkO1VGjQIVc01d5qyM5oMQwQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6694.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8uvQrVWwMS8/Wv8Swoxc2YI/AAAAAAAAB2g/flipZOWcUvkO1VGjQIVc01d5qyM5oMQwQCK4BGAYYCw/s400/IMG_6694.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2yp_dGlUZTg/Wv8TB2nG9kI/AAAAAAAAB2s/9T8w7i7Uwt4Hds9OsBYZdUyYTuSrblbIACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2yp_dGlUZTg/Wv8TB2nG9kI/AAAAAAAAB2s/9T8w7i7Uwt4Hds9OsBYZdUyYTuSrblbIACK4BGAYYCw/s400/IMG_6699.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Here is are some photos I took in the truck while on my way to the ram pasture. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EyxvTGXAe8M/Wv8TrGXY2AI/AAAAAAAAB24/Hump5BigPNYqcdJpT1dStEHSULoeOj4tQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6705.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EyxvTGXAe8M/Wv8TrGXY2AI/AAAAAAAAB24/Hump5BigPNYqcdJpT1dStEHSULoeOj4tQCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6705.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZiNlAcmz4vw/Wv8TtfbwaXI/AAAAAAAAB3A/o4NTmy3lMJIvK6fKRBDYRaWN8XYTeFWSQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6708.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZiNlAcmz4vw/Wv8TtfbwaXI/AAAAAAAAB3A/o4NTmy3lMJIvK6fKRBDYRaWN8XYTeFWSQCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6708.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WAiGvH3RCRg/Wv8TysBCHhI/AAAAAAAAB3I/v2EFjByhnrIQEw_oxRoaHeZe9YzRAjYCQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6702.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WAiGvH3RCRg/Wv8TysBCHhI/AAAAAAAAB3I/v2EFjByhnrIQEw_oxRoaHeZe9YzRAjYCQCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6702.JPG" width="320" /></a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I slept so well after this day. I blame it on Strength. </div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-63645435511792338332018-05-16T20:09:00.000-04:002018-05-16T20:09:48.432-04:00Day 11: Fast Learners<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cgCJWUV7aKg/Wvxku1hK59I/AAAAAAAAAME/lHwKvFGRM_42W568OdqrVsQS3THxfNjLgCLcBGAs/s1600/20180514_174221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cgCJWUV7aKg/Wvxku1hK59I/AAAAAAAAAME/lHwKvFGRM_42W568OdqrVsQS3THxfNjLgCLcBGAs/s320/20180514_174221.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view out the front window of the Lancer on our way to Borganes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /> Yesterday was rough. We made sure to take plenty of lamb breaks, and on Snaedis's insistence, an afternoon trip to Borganes, where we had a nice meal and visited the Egil's Saga exhibit at the Settlement Museum. It was both fascinating and a little bit disturbing (When he was only 7, Egil killed a kid who beat him at ice hockey. His mother was proud).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6lffsIbbasc/WvxlTWmriLI/AAAAAAAAANE/anWo-PzahMY321IUL2hNck78TFZOWtXCgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180514_123700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6lffsIbbasc/WvxlTWmriLI/AAAAAAAAANE/anWo-PzahMY321IUL2hNck78TFZOWtXCgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180514_123700.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from inside a group pen.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oNgqC_-DK_c/Wvxlb8EI6GI/AAAAAAAAANE/FbQxdbH7QIY2ywkdPPHiYcKFdCKi5LD2QCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180514_123951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oNgqC_-DK_c/Wvxlb8EI6GI/AAAAAAAAANE/FbQxdbH7QIY2ywkdPPHiYcKFdCKi5LD2QCEwYBhgL/s320/20180514_123951.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What are you looking at?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-enyy2gOwu-w/WvxlWwzyxOI/AAAAAAAAAM4/RTv2Rluz5ZgrFQ-eypwvfkI-teDDt4GwgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180514_123939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-enyy2gOwu-w/WvxlWwzyxOI/AAAAAAAAAM4/RTv2Rluz5ZgrFQ-eypwvfkI-teDDt4GwgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180514_123939.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A leader lamb, with what's possibly its permanent facial expression.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VKnU7XCpN0Q/WvxmkSnpetI/AAAAAAAAANY/rVtdK1I_ATU5MDgrl76yZhJrRJUFifKcACLcBGAs/s1600/20180514_124149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VKnU7XCpN0Q/WvxmkSnpetI/AAAAAAAAANY/rVtdK1I_ATU5MDgrl76yZhJrRJUFifKcACLcBGAs/s320/20180514_124149.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This vicious brute mauled my boots.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WQ0jZwWp_fI/Wvxl3kugO5I/AAAAAAAAANU/V7GhmZbG7cQY4uU48hdYoXPZsvOv0XVBwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180514_124808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WQ0jZwWp_fI/Wvxl3kugO5I/AAAAAAAAANU/V7GhmZbG7cQY4uU48hdYoXPZsvOv0XVBwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180514_124808.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then she went for my coveralls as a second course.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
During our night shift, something unpleasant but well timed occurred. I went to check the position of the lamb of a ewe who was not progressing, and there was no room in there for me to move my hand and feel around. She was dry, swollen, and I could not feel any legs. Grace and Snaedis's mother also investigated and had no idea what was going on. It took Helgi to extricate the lambs. He believes the first lamb was coming neck first, legs in a tangle, but even he isn't certain. He had to pull the second lamb in line before he could extricate that one. Typically, lambs assist in their own births by positioning themselves correctly when possible, with their front legs forward (often, if you pick up a very young lamb, its instinct is to throw its legs up in the air above their head, which is deeply adorable). Because the first lamb was in such a bizarre position, it is likely he died shortly before his mother's labor rather than during the delivery. The second lamb was alive when Helgi pulled her out, but she could not take her first breath despite our assistance, likely due to the long and difficult delivery. Instead of remaining in shock, the ewe was eager to lick her babies, which made me think she would pull through herself.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So we had a ewe who, despite her terrible ordeal, and losing her own two lambs, was ready to be a mother. And we had two leader lambs who that very day had been orphaned. So we adopted Kruna's babies to this ewe. She has no idea what she's in for!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Flash forward to today. The ewe and her two adopted babies are getting along great. The only slight hitch is they are too tall to nurse from her easily! Carly took some time and got the lambs to lay on their knees when nursing. An hour later, she asked me to check on them. All it took was a slight nudge in the direction of the udder and they were nursing like Carly taught them to! A day old and they're already showing leader sheep smarts.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fq2Q54PsGa8/WvxsOftYANI/AAAAAAAAANw/WqmnQ4X77HE26ZzZ0PNcCvxm4_d8LDYaQCLcBGAs/s1600/20180516_113048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fq2Q54PsGa8/WvxsOftYANI/AAAAAAAAANw/WqmnQ4X77HE26ZzZ0PNcCvxm4_d8LDYaQCLcBGAs/s320/20180516_113048.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kruna's lambs, seen here as motion blurs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZiBwDup_0n8/WvxsSJvlqgI/AAAAAAAAAN0/T_NXi84GuXInNPJ3z6ATHu9Iuxk8bMOswCLcBGAs/s1600/20180516_113130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZiBwDup_0n8/WvxsSJvlqgI/AAAAAAAAAN0/T_NXi84GuXInNPJ3z6ATHu9Iuxk8bMOswCLcBGAs/s320/20180516_113130.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leader sheep will climb anything.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was a relatively calm day, especially compared with yesterday. Grace and Carly repainted the ewes carrying singles and triplets with pink and green marking chalk, respectively. It is important to know how many lambs a ewe is having. If she's having one, a lamb in need can be adopted to her, and this is most likely to be effective if done before her own lamb is born. In the case of triplets, it's good to know to expect three! During this process Grace finally spied the mythical creature Carly and I had both mentioned to her.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l7WxLKqXNXI/WvxlONY09dI/AAAAAAAAAM4/-xnhv1L56QQhpGyg5Oo52XY3fcCvIB3lwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180514_130001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l7WxLKqXNXI/WvxlONY09dI/AAAAAAAAAM4/-xnhv1L56QQhpGyg5Oo52XY3fcCvIB3lwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180514_130001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We dubbed her "Lowrider"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TsQTmp9H5PI/WvxlAp2T5bI/AAAAAAAAAMk/HtMcQxxdpmkv3OkahDyCEqa0tgPDVMtGwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180515_142507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TsQTmp9H5PI/WvxlAp2T5bI/AAAAAAAAAMk/HtMcQxxdpmkv3OkahDyCEqa0tgPDVMtGwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180515_142507.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seen here next to ewes of more normal proportions.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--JqLH_HKB6c/WvxlERH6WKI/AAAAAAAAAMw/0AzsAUgk7-M1WzHWKgtJfr3y-zNMgTGpQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180515_213521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--JqLH_HKB6c/WvxlERH6WKI/AAAAAAAAAMw/0AzsAUgk7-M1WzHWKgtJfr3y-zNMgTGpQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180515_213521.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will the babies be lowriders as well? Only time will tell.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Later that day, she gave birth to two lovely babies. Grace and I managed to extricate a lamb with massive hornbuds from another ewe. And a yearling gave birth to a beautiful moorit (brown) lamb, only the third this year.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gnJGqkTPxrs/Wvxk3LaoEGI/AAAAAAAAAMY/OaBl9SKddU46FEPel-8AGR38bZUX7A1JgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180514_012113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gnJGqkTPxrs/Wvxk3LaoEGI/AAAAAAAAAMY/OaBl9SKddU46FEPel-8AGR38bZUX7A1JgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180514_012113.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That explains why she was grumpy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u1AKSJCROBc/WvxlJXd59mI/AAAAAAAAAMw/wYDzCvEC41wT4Prt8PiarhfL3ezPML2TQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180514_105513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u1AKSJCROBc/WvxlJXd59mI/AAAAAAAAAMw/wYDzCvEC41wT4Prt8PiarhfL3ezPML2TQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180514_105513.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two lambs that ran up to Grace and I earlier. We believe they may be orphans that were adopted out.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-11127233609711203462018-05-15T21:46:00.001-04:002018-05-16T06:55:02.855-04:00Day 10: The Queen of Hestur FarmToday was the hardest day at Hestur this entire lambing season. Late yesterday, Krúna went into "labor". I use quotations because her cervix was closed so the lambs could not enter the birth canal, which means the mother does not know to push. Helgi was there to help her manually dilate her slowly and to help get the lambs out, while Carly was there to comfort her. It was an especially hard delivery and her ram lamb cut her along the birth canal as he came out. Being the stoic and strong sheep she is, she was still able to stand and walk while he placed her and her babies in a deluxe lambing jug so she could recover. Given the amount of trauma and tearing, Helgi gave her a cocktail of medicine to help her recover. Her milk had not come in so I pulled out all the stops to find her babies the best and freshest colostrum and bottle feed them. She made her low happy mom baas as I bottle fed them next to her and she cleaned them. During our night shift, Melissa and I would regularly check in on her and the babies, she would still accept a nice handful of grain. We ended our night shift by giving her babies one last bottle and switched with Hallí. We arrived the next morning to see she had declined significantly. She had a heat lamp on her but her ears and legs were ice cold and she was unable to stand. We took shifts sitting with her, rubbing her back and making sure she knew we were with her. She made one last attempt to stand on her own when Snædis arrived at the barn, but that would be her last attempt. I was with her giving her cheek scratches and telling her she was loved when she took her last breath. She likely had a number of complications but what took her was, what we think, a blood infection. There was not a dry eye in the barn that day and even the sheep were very quiet and gloomy for the rest of the day. After her passing, her son, Scott Jr. was seen standing alone in the pouring rain at the very edge of the fence closest to the barn coming to pay his last respects to his mother. His group followed suit in a display that gave me chills. The group lined up along the fence looking into the barn as if they were saying their goodbyes. In honor of such an amazing leader sheep and reigning Queen of Hestur, this post will be about Krúna and her legacy.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwAFoVrqJuWGG_oIHaAB3L1yFgFDULYjRvP5s5gDG6A0kCvjxcx18vILVKpzFFCY4uZzrwDEcXaj8AmEAdIpSQgzSSXGaegGVltHix0LuAF6inamLZGnn0RXRzsPMb0TutNw84G2nI5Y/s1600/20180506_151929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwAFoVrqJuWGG_oIHaAB3L1yFgFDULYjRvP5s5gDG6A0kCvjxcx18vILVKpzFFCY4uZzrwDEcXaj8AmEAdIpSQgzSSXGaegGVltHix0LuAF6inamLZGnn0RXRzsPMb0TutNw84G2nI5Y/s320/20180506_151929.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Krúna loving her cheek scratches</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When I arrived at Hestur last year I was not sure what to expect and how the sheep would react with a stranger coming to help them lamb out but when I entered the barn, I saw a very tall sheep reaching out her head to me looking for a scratch and some grain, and I am sure past students can say the same. She would part the sea of other heavily pregnant sheep with ease in order to get to where you are standing.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMK0gWUSXLIBm0GHDEvthnh_jcVMpTNx34CpEt5wSofTDG_TTjYdU69vhVO-kN9w1beTvk8MJVjQzoaXwWwspM-F40Mxc_tVnk76jLoCSzITFudEzzJwjzqORJX1B3oBVWciigxbM37c/s1600/20170508_154225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMK0gWUSXLIBm0GHDEvthnh_jcVMpTNx34CpEt5wSofTDG_TTjYdU69vhVO-kN9w1beTvk8MJVjQzoaXwWwspM-F40Mxc_tVnk76jLoCSzITFudEzzJwjzqORJX1B3oBVWciigxbM37c/s320/20170508_154225.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the picture of my first introduction to Krúna last year.<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
She knew how to get any bystander in the barn to come and give her scratches by maintaining eye contact with her person of choice. Nobody could deny that face scratches! Krúna was at Hestur before Snædís and Helgi came and when they met it was an instant connection. She would not accept scratches before they arrived but would still accept grain (who wouldn't?). Last year when she had similar lambing troubles she screamed until Snædis arrived to help her. There were plenty of other people in that barn that could have helped her but she only wanted one.<br />
Although she did not complain while in the barn (though it was very difficult to convince her to get into the barn) her favorite place was out in the highlands during the summer. When she was outside, we did not exist. Once outside, to Krúna it was about her babies and adventure. When she and her lambs were initially turned out in the fields around the house, she would run (never walk) the perimeter of the fencing to survey her area, while also looking for some weak points in the fencing in the chance she can get out to the mountains early, with her babies always trailing behind her. I was able to witness her lead her group into a larger field (called the small mountains) where she also had to survey the perimeter that could take her days. The other sheep are drawn to her, she had some serious magnetism. We did not have any difficulty herding the first group into the next field because they had Krúna at the front of the line.<br />
Krúna had many wonderful babies in her 8-year life, so she leaves behind many pieces of her to carry on her loving and caring nature, as well as, intelligence. She also leaves large boots to fill for Becca Jr. who we hope will take over for her mom.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BeEj-0esDe2AB5_HMjyKfeUvTMpUSGLlcBZDWypxgjrGS_f1uAt-7knzb4Nb1LCkcSPC593G-_W_EOD2fRqQHUuIL_jQI55NpjoEnu5zV0mJFq9eW3qgk8vYtABAUChTYZAFmv9ca_g/s1600/32762103_10155255319361949_1294666244397465600_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BeEj-0esDe2AB5_HMjyKfeUvTMpUSGLlcBZDWypxgjrGS_f1uAt-7knzb4Nb1LCkcSPC593G-_W_EOD2fRqQHUuIL_jQI55NpjoEnu5zV0mJFq9eW3qgk8vYtABAUChTYZAFmv9ca_g/s320/32762103_10155255319361949_1294666244397465600_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
She diligently watched over her flock in the spring and summer, then aided in leading the flock back to the farm in the fall. She was a vital part of the farm and will be greatly missed by human and sheep alike. ❤<br />
<div>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176001402619737969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-67677384525535548202018-05-14T18:51:00.001-04:002018-05-14T19:24:36.779-04:00The movement of life <span id="docs-internal-guid-6e08528c-60c8-6035-9a91-f93601487b41"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Day 9 </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-ac50ea44-60c9-1845-38b2-19afb9dedcd8" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><img height="416" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/PX_zq7OclnTyLb0Ua5jv9-l_QoLreNHr3RMdwbPqQJ44c1W_nftidcKp9bGyPSoqQO504SnAcBIWEQuB4TDehEac8OCy-0WlXKb9rhG6VK1FBhZ9uBm4SR8KJQVvJK6C1iazwRzr" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="624" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.7px;">Another day began here at Hestur at 8 am for a morning shift. Many of the yearling moms and babies were released out to the fields along with a beautiful leader sheep named Grace junior. Before sending them completely out they are placed into a larger pen to make sure the babies are keeping up with Mom and listening well. Once everyone is getting the hang of more space and keeping with Mom the gates are open and off they go. The morning was spent shifting everyone around and making space for the 200 ewes left to lamb. Here are several pictures of lambs who have arrived in the past few days. The colors are beautiful and rare First is a bager face ewe and her new lambs.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.7px;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/yJH8w0KbGhevyEoM1JpnSJOBD0y8M6HYg-CTvc0djc5KtHedsnXxtjlggnWzaf69h3XyHkLebpDXmBG1P2tBICcI8FlBLV5kMJkvYakH7pz8dPBo4weiTCWYQ4HtiVWR56una6jv" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="557" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/yJH8w0KbGhevyEoM1JpnSJOBD0y8M6HYg-CTvc0djc5KtHedsnXxtjlggnWzaf69h3XyHkLebpDXmBG1P2tBICcI8FlBLV5kMJkvYakH7pz8dPBo4weiTCWYQ4HtiVWR56una6jv" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="624" /></a><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/zXDV_Emt33kcdUtEum0wfvEhlZ-IhQxrrJn6SzykRudFtuKTYNNZbbjYGaQWevm8c7Nzer5lwpfwNcjnB5nocpVbNFitZTDb8Ap4U6vnW44Ij_rd-CVIyH7oL9lhomAggHaThZ_W" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="523" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/zXDV_Emt33kcdUtEum0wfvEhlZ-IhQxrrJn6SzykRudFtuKTYNNZbbjYGaQWevm8c7Nzer5lwpfwNcjnB5nocpVbNFitZTDb8Ap4U6vnW44Ij_rd-CVIyH7oL9lhomAggHaThZ_W" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="624" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/es315ZLMBMQeq68o5TG7KQskahD2p8zM3W7Vnex1oObPTxLQ-XsChAa8BhztOGH02YDlkUSFbADo06uhNS_eqOg4CwWn6iFLcO4yj-PAvirPyHT5nc1ikY7xht-G5mi60D9zT3eZ" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/es315ZLMBMQeq68o5TG7KQskahD2p8zM3W7Vnex1oObPTxLQ-XsChAa8BhztOGH02YDlkUSFbADo06uhNS_eqOg4CwWn6iFLcO4yj-PAvirPyHT5nc1ikY7xht-G5mi60D9zT3eZ" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="624" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><img height="416" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/rGFLbkhoFIR3Xd82Lm9KQWsrYRyNy-h6CrVpiCHV1T4OnlPxqMj8MbAFtLkkDvlXwygM7h4GZkM9VzvO53EWYQw9M2cz68XQHVlBewDucoozQi94n5QidcPTyBIE8KpsT6lREqZy" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="624" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><img height="416" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/GmT4BdKHtWMfenR_uZwBgpRo-EvCJydGmuoY384m8UMbsFVPaFKRcmC3YsQ3-niEefF_KUhDjnhlT7kVL5xOFvf_kceZsyWSVXAhmMR0zw80z3Nrx0lgLiSUJT0vL3iiNrDxBhcG" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="624" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Look carefully.That’s three lambs for mom. The black spotted one was adopted to a ewe who’s lamb did not survive birth. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Another ewe had a set of triplets, one of whom was rejected as he was not able to stand. We all took turns bottle feeding him throughout the day and he remained in the pen with his mom, in a box to protect him for the most part from his mother's instinctual horns. He acted as though he was heat stressed, with short staggered breaths. Perhaps he has an issue with a lung or the ability to circulate oxygen. He was removed from the pen as his mother had rejected him completely. Melissa and I carried him around for company, I took him out in the sun and showed him the view. He passed several hours later. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Grace found another ewe had lambed in the group pen around lunch time. Here Grace is running down the wall with a lamb in the sack( nose cleared off) . It is important to remove the lamb from the group pen as soon as possible as the other ewes will remove the sack and </span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">sent and perhaps the mother will then reject the lamb. </span></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><img height="416" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/aF2Zw8PSHMrpfp_EVpXqJdiboOxnndWeAAs8NfR-pjDz1GrHtLyZVhRFHr7q9jXGZSrimsWpWT8vR9W7wBiCy6qbgvhxQNJWzaUCh1D1BhCnUSi6uSdLJRJRcrmbvhgW_XqD--KS" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="624" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.7px;">Upon moving her down the shoot she decided to turn around.. and rammed past Grace. I raced and met her at the corner where we had a stare down face off. I was ready for the worst as she tried to take me down but we wrestled and ended up in the correct direction </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.7px;">and headed for the lambing jug. </span><br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">The lambs (in utero) continue to grow larger and so do their horn buds. Melissa spent quite some time helping a yearling dilate. Together we pulled a ram who was close to 12lbs. It was an extremely difficult birth and he did not make it. In some way a lost lamb can be a blessing </span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">as the ewe was given another lamb who’s mother was not producing enough for a set of three. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Here is a leader sheep lamb enjoying her long legs. This is not her mother haha. </span></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3rD5Ia1kvvM/WvoR6HKFbOI/AAAAAAAABwI/UV8qVKWkzToOHOPSJu0rClhTDrf3Nm-bgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3rD5Ia1kvvM/WvoR6HKFbOI/AAAAAAAABwI/UV8qVKWkzToOHOPSJu0rClhTDrf3Nm-bgCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6584.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BYKhmbcG4EA/WvoVP88F0uI/AAAAAAAABwU/rLXk7DIe4JQpcmoBp2LNF3wirug8TF8qQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BYKhmbcG4EA/WvoVP88F0uI/AAAAAAAABwU/rLXk7DIe4JQpcmoBp2LNF3wirug8TF8qQCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6631.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Here I am looking happily at a lamb who I helped treat for an eye infection. He is doing Great! </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Melissa and Grace took a short break before a night shift and I remained for the afternoon and evening. I had an amazing experience feeling the rings of the cervix. A ewe had dialed completely, except for the last ring, or the first ring the lambs needed to pass through. It </span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">was about the size of a quarter and one leg was popping through. It was over half an hour of working my fist through and expanding the ring with assistance from dilating lube. A ram with large horn buds was found on the other side with both of his legs tucked underneath </span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">himself. After helping set the legs I flipped the cervical ring over one horn bud at a time. Then attached the wire for assisted pull. It took a lot of focus and patience. The bouncing baby boy was happy to greet the world. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Melissa and Grace arrived for the night shift at 8 pm, and I went down to see the horses. The dappled mom let me closer to her grulla foal and I was thrilled. He will be white one day, but for now he holds a beautiful dun stripe. </span></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/i22a5KAM7ll52W34MJ458RlXSP4oASk8whGXaX9Zf-Be9cIY0vZd7I7RY6E1vsBHr9_G0dRzLYYD59o3xe_u4e-2L7IRYXkIPUbF7lkgBw6lNQaWTN1pTbe0uVaOtx0LY_FrU1cR" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/i22a5KAM7ll52W34MJ458RlXSP4oASk8whGXaX9Zf-Be9cIY0vZd7I7RY6E1vsBHr9_G0dRzLYYD59o3xe_u4e-2L7IRYXkIPUbF7lkgBw6lNQaWTN1pTbe0uVaOtx0LY_FrU1cR" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="624" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><img height="416" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/svecQeX9kkMw0OMC0UubDUHTWSQcx6VH0cs8N7QJA1f3n6YFTCMrphmVY-exxDOVzMJUivq-HOC6GV_oNR6vHlQXIv5gim0JP7SS8D1LdZByulpMEqgOQNB-WpWJe0A2gJOl2h09" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="624" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">I brought them apples. But they had no idea what they were. Next time I'll try carrots, sugar cubes, or possibly sunflower seeds? Im not sure they have ever been offered anything other than hay and bread. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Melissa and Grace wrangled through the night. Melissa crowd surfed on several moms after sliding on the grates while trying to grab a mom in labor from the group pen. I was not there but I really wish I was! Another large single from a yearling needed help from both Grace </span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">and Melissa to enter the world, he is doing great! No matter how much lubrication and dilation, tearing still occurs especially with a boy this big ( 12 lbs) and a yearling . This yearling had an outer tear visible to the eye and of course was in pain, yet got up almost immediately after </span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">giving birth, and allowed Melissa to milk her by hand while she got acquainted with her baby. These ewes are troopers to say the least. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">There is a reason for each job we preform. For the milk that Melissa collected a lamb got a boost of energy as it was dealing with the journey of adoption. A large white ewe had laid down and suffocated her lamb who was several days old.An orphan was in need of a mother, but adoption is not so easy. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">The timing is critical for a mother to be producing so many hormones right before birth or just after a birth to adopt a lamb who is not hers. The lamb must be covered with amniotic fluid that is warm enough( we keep a bucket of fluid that is collected from ewes with large water </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.7px;">bags). Lambs that are dry have to be submerged in the fluid so that they can be licked clean by the adoptive mother.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.7px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.7px;">Sometimes we add salt to the back of their head and spine to stimulate licking. The mother who squished her lamb is several days passed this peak in hormones. She would only take what smells like her lamb. To make this happen her original lamb who had passed was skinned. A coat was made and placed onto the orphan.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><img height="416" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/WFnpETNJd_Qv2VpuwLE2EFL6JDI8L3ZLgW0OREXb5gKNoxGWd2OZDW9MbKumDcAiHRbuuWIwp9uAJdinu0KjqT6ydmk_xZmZ_ZQAR6GYkDcznLM6YEMkLaU3wcFAESB4EX7XcdEq" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="624" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Pictured is </span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Snaedis assisting the lamb to nurse. All three of us learn so much with every </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">birth. And </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14.666666984558105px; white-space: pre-wrap;">most result in the begging</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> of new life. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">What an experience, so many blessings, </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">so much still to learn. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<img height="416" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/rX5eA-Bv4rTlqH1Tcnxr46oc7sowfP-mbVaFmlxRPHq9dE-cEqIEzr6MR2TtAP4Ttpzf283U5uPecIynERHTrqVsGNR58ipe2K_rO_OMSb4yPPA2V7VF3CfnoWDowzLnDL5-Zcds" style="border: none; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; transform: rotate(0rad); white-space: pre-wrap;" width="624" /></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-67307357807952173802018-05-14T12:51:00.000-04:002018-05-14T12:51:49.503-04:00Day 8: Pizza and Eurovision<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Today, Snaedis rearranged our schedule so that we did one, long day shift and had the night off to experience pizza and Eurovision! Many new sheep were turned outside today, and the weather was fairly nice.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I assisted with one interesting delivery where both babies were quite large (10-12 lbs or around 5kg). I helped the mother a little with the first one, as it had horn buds, but she required no help at all with his smaller sister. Often, when a large lamb is born, they've been a little starved of oxygen and can be a little lethargic, but the little ram lamb was up and on his feet in under 5 minutes, and his sister was similar.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sDjz3a9buoA/Wvlm9oaf7cI/AAAAAAAAALA/GPPln-wYJ6MRuzkragtyg3aMlairwH6kgCLcBGAs/s1600/20180512_022520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sDjz3a9buoA/Wvlm9oaf7cI/AAAAAAAAALA/GPPln-wYJ6MRuzkragtyg3aMlairwH6kgCLcBGAs/s320/20180512_022520.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I dubbed him the superlamb, but really it's the mom that's super. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Carly had a bit of a rough time, as she assisted with two deliveries in a row where one of the lambs had been dead for some time before delivery. Fortunately the group pens with frolicking lambs are very therapeutic, so she sat with them for a while and felt better.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Cam702UwR8/WvlnMOJYgMI/AAAAAAAAALE/ReebPIcZOUghjOSADErXnkW4QTFmiSq8QCLcBGAs/s1600/20180512_122244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Cam702UwR8/WvlnMOJYgMI/AAAAAAAAALE/ReebPIcZOUghjOSADErXnkW4QTFmiSq8QCLcBGAs/s320/20180512_122244.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some more snuggle buddies.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VXQZJHNvdKY/WvlnQKzhBrI/AAAAAAAAALM/QXmubEk19KggoSkZC_qmBvV7dBt1PI44QCLcBGAs/s1600/20180512_131138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VXQZJHNvdKY/WvlnQKzhBrI/AAAAAAAAALM/QXmubEk19KggoSkZC_qmBvV7dBt1PI44QCLcBGAs/s320/20180512_131138.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lamb puddle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We also had some sheep escapades. I had a few sheep escape on me when I was going to move one into a jug but fortunately Snaedis's parents were on the case, and they got them back in the pen with ease. I think her dad even enjoyed the challenge. Later, a sheep who was being transferred decided to abandon her lambs and run in the opposite direction. I put up a gate in her way and she just jumped over it! We recaptured her and reunited the little family.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Eurovison was quite something. We struggled a bit with the whole "well, it's not necessarily who sings the best" concept, especially Carly, the only singer among us. She was really rooting for Estonia. I guess there was a stage jumper, but I missed that part, much to my disappointment, because I was busy helping with the pizza half of pizza and Eurovision night. I probably wouldn't have enjoyed Eurovision much by myself, but watching with a group, with nice food and some beer, was very fun!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V20BKHlOChU/WvlnVcY6hFI/AAAAAAAAALQ/iyxB4NAq31McDyN-FDnKvZSAIyng1X2UQCLcBGAs/s1600/20180512_131153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V20BKHlOChU/WvlnVcY6hFI/AAAAAAAAALQ/iyxB4NAq31McDyN-FDnKvZSAIyng1X2UQCLcBGAs/s320/20180512_131153.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A group pen with a leadersheep and lambs. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PSWCva2j5zo/WvlngpRs_yI/AAAAAAAAALc/ydlqVnwRTp8364M3yMIy-l5wYhbtFdB7ACLcBGAs/s1600/20180510_195409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PSWCva2j5zo/WvlngpRs_yI/AAAAAAAAALc/ydlqVnwRTp8364M3yMIy-l5wYhbtFdB7ACLcBGAs/s320/20180510_195409.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sassy leader lamb. I believe sassy is the only flavor they come in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-77784742509347976992018-05-13T07:05:00.000-04:002018-05-14T13:15:06.042-04:00Day 7: Scott Jr. and FoalsIt has been a very busy time at the barn. We are past the halfway point of the lambing season but it still feels like the peak. They seem to appear in bursts, usually, during "the lambing hour" which falls between 1-2am when we are supposed to be changing shifts but instead we usually stay little longer so Hallí doesn't have all the fun. During our day shift, we had a steady flow of ewes lambing, the weather was beautiful so plenty of group pens were processed and moved outside so they could enjoy the spring weather. I moved one ewe with a lot of resistance from her friend that threw herself in front of the gate that I was trying to exit. I was still able to take her friend to a lambing jug by moving a bit faster than the heavily pregnant ewe, but she had another trick up her sleeve. Once I secured her friend on the other side of the barn in a lambing jug, I did another sweep of the pregnant ewes to see she was putting a lot of energy into pushing a water sac out so she could ensure a place with her friend. Seeing this, I made sure she was in a neighboring jug so that they could stick together.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GtqKs9kj9j3Vp7zoEMxagCVB1j4lmQCSn-lb5UIlB_ceBTES3LS_U6tJeIGlv5Gwzs7IP5IJAoWfxHj-cFy8HABoefCre8wIiZmf2mOJLxGU4GrZ_UJCjSw9NtQvJMg2nGRAj5Cvrvk/s1600/20180506_142212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GtqKs9kj9j3Vp7zoEMxagCVB1j4lmQCSn-lb5UIlB_ceBTES3LS_U6tJeIGlv5Gwzs7IP5IJAoWfxHj-cFy8HABoefCre8wIiZmf2mOJLxGU4GrZ_UJCjSw9NtQvJMg2nGRAj5Cvrvk/s320/20180506_142212.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panicking her lambing friend has left.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After Carly had such a whirlwind introduction, she continues to learn quickly and is a very much needed part of the group. She worked most of the day shift helping lambs that struggled to nurse and get the much-needed colostrum from mom. When we help a ewe lamb out, depending on who else is lambing, we can spend some time helping the lambs stand and nurse, but when it gets really busy we are lucky to watch the lambs stand for the first time. Once we iodine the umbilical cord, give them a preventative tab, strip and wipe down the mom's udder, we move on to the next ewe. Most lambs are quick to stand and nurse but we had some problem lambs that were just confused about the whole thing, or had a traumatic birth and were slow to rise. It takes a lot of patience to deal with a lamb that is struggling to figure out how to nurse. It gets very frustrating when you place the lamb at the udder, in most cases placing the teat in the mouth, and they 9 out of 10 times spit it out to cry for help.<br />
<div>
We have two new orphans whose mother passed away very unexpectedly. In order to adopt them out, we needed to have two ewes expecting a single lamb to give birth at the same time so that we could adopt both to one mother and then giving the one single lamb to the other single giving her twins as well. It is complicated work to ensure we do not break up two very adorable siblings. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCedkHi-PfKCCqeHcu22VL7JFv1t05wZ8WpsDp9MAaTqbGGoXgF5HAVde1z8Jc2Tf4H9BZdQjXz1yf0jUQs1q50XptVTgeRXYhollICGM7K9t6fEcyvvmAj-v_1UzH0oTxAUOHD-M5mZk/s1600/20180506_224223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCedkHi-PfKCCqeHcu22VL7JFv1t05wZ8WpsDp9MAaTqbGGoXgF5HAVde1z8Jc2Tf4H9BZdQjXz1yf0jUQs1q50XptVTgeRXYhollICGM7K9t6fEcyvvmAj-v_1UzH0oTxAUOHD-M5mZk/s320/20180506_224223.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div>
Until that situation happens, we will feed them and provide a lot of love.<br />
As the ewes move past their due dates we have been seeing very large lambs from many which is hard on the mom and on the lamb. I helped a 2-year-old, who would be a first-time mom with her lambing. I checked on her progression and just felt the feet, I had to go a little further in the birth canal to find the head was so large it could not easily fit in the birth canal. I was able to get the loop around the horn buds and while guiding the feet and keeping the chin up so the head would slide easily through the birth canal, the lamb's head got stuck at the pelvis. After some tense moments of pulling the lamb and maneuvering was out and standing within a few minutes which was a huge relief.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8oQ3wmXoSBdzYPfYU1Wfx6tUXgSiBIXFm-dSugwc0l1H5etdcI3Nsebi_pEvh88OsC_ShynzsafxyEAdBnVWqibwmm9qpmcGTKB495-VJUI2maKb7enQIRnvKGV0gvmcl02LGqRX1F0/s1600/20180510_191652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8oQ3wmXoSBdzYPfYU1Wfx6tUXgSiBIXFm-dSugwc0l1H5etdcI3Nsebi_pEvh88OsC_ShynzsafxyEAdBnVWqibwmm9qpmcGTKB495-VJUI2maKb7enQIRnvKGV0gvmcl02LGqRX1F0/s320/20180510_191652.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He learned to use his voice before his legs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It seemed like one ewe after another there were many tense moments in which we did not know how the lamb would fare but they would prevail and we could exhale. After the tense day shift, we decided to go out to visit the broodmares and two foals residing in one of the fields. Before we could reach them we had to get past Scott Jr., the leadersheep ram, and his group. Scott Jr. is a very large, intimidating ram that is very flighty when it comes to any situation. Last year, what I saw of him was a blur of his hind end running from me. This year, he was stuck in the barn during the cold snap and I was able to get a glimpse of him with the promise of grain and a cheek scratch.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5hnePIqsr-O1zYAbXOLmV_N1zKI8TnAE8BYxviLN60HHd86oF-z4JPpFTk-JwkxiTs6zvHVTuByBBIPGHWVdUCzeplHzDUO8PLqM0TJHxWu1ZuOVQzIcq1YIGwROFICt9tshICFxPMg/s1600/20180506_225425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5hnePIqsr-O1zYAbXOLmV_N1zKI8TnAE8BYxviLN60HHd86oF-z4JPpFTk-JwkxiTs6zvHVTuByBBIPGHWVdUCzeplHzDUO8PLqM0TJHxWu1ZuOVQzIcq1YIGwROFICt9tshICFxPMg/s320/20180506_225425.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Q4_0hc47aPzbBhsXrnE0HiNOKgMM6Xo7T3Dgq5lKO3GA2ngbhAA8wwjKYvWSduYk7VPm9qj3vJDwHLBWm47i7NxrMcWMkHpANkm9wKE9IuTxtJ7ouHrW3O2_ZQyo6j2rLW-j4xT8lkw/s1600/1526205251248216609907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Q4_0hc47aPzbBhsXrnE0HiNOKgMM6Xo7T3Dgq5lKO3GA2ngbhAA8wwjKYvWSduYk7VPm9qj3vJDwHLBWm47i7NxrMcWMkHpANkm9wKE9IuTxtJ7ouHrW3O2_ZQyo6j2rLW-j4xT8lkw/s320/1526205251248216609907.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Krúna is Scott Jr.'s mother and also loves grain and a good cheek scratch. Do you see the resemblance?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
However, we did not know there was a rift between him and Myla, who accompanied us out in the field. What transpired was an epic standoff caught on camera by Carly and ended as quickly as it started by Scott Jr. running away leaving everyone behind. </div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TyRekr0kFScWrP12zL45VS8iyeDl9x53j0ZJ1hJ209JNUGRXtV4ylIlzqjRSoS5CWxpXiSfMaGkQ_6MTwDi-IdeJuxjnf4QQ2vcPxIWZdzQ5wsZv7PNQUKhY1HDZ4c0KfhWgXyELv4M/s1600/FB_IMG_1526170705634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TyRekr0kFScWrP12zL45VS8iyeDl9x53j0ZJ1hJ209JNUGRXtV4ylIlzqjRSoS5CWxpXiSfMaGkQ_6MTwDi-IdeJuxjnf4QQ2vcPxIWZdzQ5wsZv7PNQUKhY1HDZ4c0KfhWgXyELv4M/s400/FB_IMG_1526170705634.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Epic standoff captured by Carly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We reached the mares who proceeded to check out pockets for any treats then let us distribute scratches and take in the view.<br />
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTFXjLaP12Fm2iBuDUbd2HT99AsZpr3XRVzXiNFzqbJ8uKdKBowgoX4hJdn8Z3LThqsg9gvkuRu-dn4vaMXGWHB9YUFORXJok37oY_OsLOwse2K7hO1VbOklxNHY0c0YIUMVFktkNiBQ/s1600/20180511_173553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTFXjLaP12Fm2iBuDUbd2HT99AsZpr3XRVzXiNFzqbJ8uKdKBowgoX4hJdn8Z3LThqsg9gvkuRu-dn4vaMXGWHB9YUFORXJok37oY_OsLOwse2K7hO1VbOklxNHY0c0YIUMVFktkNiBQ/s320/20180511_173553.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmXvbqUsBhr0mSO9lQPwZ9LbmFPnFsxXmKPxhCSEuG61T0Nb40twekP2_ZV3-pfN8IsdFOXnSHkJjdAKyM9XbbmbNThyphenhyphenYdj6Nj4j_3nB90iCfJ-8wc8r8N-gKfCYrcVKOMAjT7eagkm4/s1600/20180511_173650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmXvbqUsBhr0mSO9lQPwZ9LbmFPnFsxXmKPxhCSEuG61T0Nb40twekP2_ZV3-pfN8IsdFOXnSHkJjdAKyM9XbbmbNThyphenhyphenYdj6Nj4j_3nB90iCfJ-8wc8r8N-gKfCYrcVKOMAjT7eagkm4/s320/20180511_173650.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAH1ZVY0To8pjqhY6HnMwaqR0pNR4nYfjC1MSLKiAQpYiVqmUbj0iP1-GezcHfBYJwOGICl3g7E3G5-YbsYTJdIJFFYrjHZs9wSe-jAF3Cj-scFSHkg9r6A-JAWblW1M40BUSumkplz0/s1600/FB_IMG_1526170727017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAH1ZVY0To8pjqhY6HnMwaqR0pNR4nYfjC1MSLKiAQpYiVqmUbj0iP1-GezcHfBYJwOGICl3g7E3G5-YbsYTJdIJFFYrjHZs9wSe-jAF3Cj-scFSHkg9r6A-JAWblW1M40BUSumkplz0/s320/FB_IMG_1526170727017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7F9MGwTPY2imUKaWuaLwbp-M_hQQoZNjVzMtKDz8WmBtJpXagez80fidv81KxYcoufNQxbZCSH1zTDG4JCCdH-L4MIuubyeFOxuv1AGg7_y3bP9S0-j_AzxE50fMYaLPccSzIcPkiNek/s1600/FB_IMG_1526068341511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7F9MGwTPY2imUKaWuaLwbp-M_hQQoZNjVzMtKDz8WmBtJpXagez80fidv81KxYcoufNQxbZCSH1zTDG4JCCdH-L4MIuubyeFOxuv1AGg7_y3bP9S0-j_AzxE50fMYaLPccSzIcPkiNek/s320/FB_IMG_1526068341511.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Even though I have been out to that spot a handful of times now, it still puts me in awe. Out in that field, as the horses approach you and the light shines through the clouds on the mountainscape, it is unreal. Time seems to stop as you look out at the fields and mountains. I am sure Helgi and Snædis are very used to their front yard and view but if given some extra time, I go out and try to memorize the lines and colors of the land so that I can hold it in my memory for years to come. After spending most of our break out with the horses, we were able to take a quick rest before heading to the night shift. It was business as usual with a busy night shift of lambing, caring for special case lambs, our orphans, and ewes with udder issues.<br />
While I was in the middle barn tending to a ewe with milk clots in her udder, Carly had a ewe that had just passed the lamb's head (with horn buds) and the legs were not along for the ride. For these cases, you have to quickly push the lamb back, past the pelvis so that you can retrieve the legs and pull them forward. With a polled lamb this is difficult, with a horned lamb it is the most difficult. The hornbuds point back for a more streamline birth, pushing them back in is like removing a fish hook. Carly was able to get the head back in and get the legs forward to bring a very lively and large ram lamb into the world. Melissa has become quite the lamb untangler. Carly had a ewe with twins that were not making any progress. It turns out the very longlegged babies were intertwined like a pretzel. Much like a sharp shooter in the west, Melissa stepped up to the challenge and with quick hands had the lambs untangled and one out in the jug in record time. After a very busy night we said goodbye to the sheep, especially our wildchild, Pip (who continues to thrive) and headed back for some much needed sleep.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xYqSns1bXu0xgjD_0I-DqQzi1oEAFrLBaKmNjf8vUPuEykJj_c7nXNknjCeOH3I2-pOUsKFtq-G_LhDuXT2LeQCt9ZMXfFbYIm6e9gWNCXpAcgQiRFwFA6NQoSRoPfIKQMHoxxcG6tI/s1600/15262090518311448904317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xYqSns1bXu0xgjD_0I-DqQzi1oEAFrLBaKmNjf8vUPuEykJj_c7nXNknjCeOH3I2-pOUsKFtq-G_LhDuXT2LeQCt9ZMXfFbYIm6e9gWNCXpAcgQiRFwFA6NQoSRoPfIKQMHoxxcG6tI/s320/15262090518311448904317.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pip getting a taste of Melissa's coveralls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176001402619737969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-21760697618776267852018-05-11T16:57:00.000-04:002018-05-11T16:57:09.023-04:00Day 6 Welcome to Iceland Carly , no time to waste Hello to all. My first official Iceland Blog,<br />
<br />
I arrived on a red eye flight to ice land, Grace and Melissa picked me up at Keflavik airport at 5 am. We detoured on our way home and spent some of the early morning in Reykjavik. It was early enough that there were no people, just street cats out to greet us. We grabbed a croissant and walked around the quiet city admiring the street art, monuments and of course some window shopping.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mbCRvEcfuPk/WvYCX5tmZfI/AAAAAAAABow/QOlNiOkrCGQLqJjQPgTigvhXtT_bGh0nACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6456.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mbCRvEcfuPk/WvYCX5tmZfI/AAAAAAAABow/QOlNiOkrCGQLqJjQPgTigvhXtT_bGh0nACK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6456.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1CaGUxeU08U/WvYCY4TUL2I/AAAAAAAABo4/IK-klEyftNwT5j4N-5s-YsHm8ezbIHSgACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6454.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1CaGUxeU08U/WvYCY4TUL2I/AAAAAAAABo4/IK-klEyftNwT5j4N-5s-YsHm8ezbIHSgACK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6454.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IpxP8V9Ke0g/WvYCUvu05QI/AAAAAAAABoo/eOcrR-UZaMcuNp8saD9fF-IO9k3ucjBnQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6452.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IpxP8V9Ke0g/WvYCUvu05QI/AAAAAAAABoo/eOcrR-UZaMcuNp8saD9fF-IO9k3ucjBnQCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6452.JPG" width="213" /></a> After grabbing some groceries we headed to the farm. I do not remember any of the ride and slept like a baby. We arrived to a long driveway, several sheep sunning themselves in the driveway, with Icelandic horses on one side and Icelandic sheep on the other. It was an amazing introduction.<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KBTQYDpxkok/WvYBpUtKYqI/AAAAAAAABoU/ehneL0QSK-oa5JR5k5IGoFddtlrTvv_5QCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KBTQYDpxkok/WvYBpUtKYqI/AAAAAAAABoU/ehneL0QSK-oa5JR5k5IGoFddtlrTvv_5QCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6560.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U6mDk1AdPNA/WvYCTCb-4LI/AAAAAAAABog/-eL1PiGGSfkiqjxGSZ7PBvJstek9gzumwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_6479.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U6mDk1AdPNA/WvYCTCb-4LI/AAAAAAAABog/-eL1PiGGSfkiqjxGSZ7PBvJstek9gzumwCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_6479.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
After a quick meal we rested for the evening, until our night shift. I have arrived just as peak lambing has hit, for a first night it was full to say the least. We had upwards of 18 ewes lamb in our 9pm-2am shift. We had several two year old ewes lamb with difficulty passing the horn buds through the cervix. After watching the loop technique and assisting Grace on several births I attempted a successful pull on a very large very stuck ram whose large buds made for a great resistance on the loop. His sister squirted out afterwards and mom was quite relieved for the whole thing to be over. One of the older ewes mannaged to escape our eye, possibly her sack popped before we were able to catch her, but she managed to birth in the group pen. Grace quickly grabbed the lamb and I did my first cross pen wrangle (where you grab the horns and pull with all your might in an area where you cannot let go or the sheep can get away). All the while Melissa disentangled a lamb ball and helped straighten some beautiful twins out. Later in the evening upon investigating some hungry lamb cries I found a very small ram lamb looking lethargic and crying. Upon further inspection mum was found with a very lopsided udder. I was able to milk her and found her to be displaying signs of mastitis (watery, chunky and bloody milk) With two small newborn lambs Grace and I did decide to tube the smaller lamb and add a heat lamp to the jug. He was adopted to a mom with a single later that morning as well as placed him under a lamp. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-21351473101187163192018-05-10T14:01:00.000-04:002018-05-10T14:01:26.046-04:00Day 5: The Running of the Sheep<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pGeVroctty0/WvRxFmXptvI/AAAAAAAAAIw/z7Ik402-PRQNKklf0w-M0G6LHhrL57qWwCLcBGAs/s1600/20180509_195555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pGeVroctty0/WvRxFmXptvI/AAAAAAAAAIw/z7Ik402-PRQNKklf0w-M0G6LHhrL57qWwCLcBGAs/s320/20180509_195555.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They seem to enjoy sunning themselves on the warm driveway. Luckily there is a livestock gate between the driveway and the road!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Today was the first day the weather was nice enough to release the beasts! The ewes and older lambs in the oldest portion of the barn were sent on their merry way, which both made them happy and freed up that space for more mommas and babies to be cycled in. While Grace helped hold down the fort with the pregnant ewes, I assisted with the process of moving the sheep. Some of the sheep were trailered to the fields across the road, while other were released on the fields surrounding the farm.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DsZinE2QFms/WvR2JO6tr3I/AAAAAAAAAJI/87z8yXY0GCkVf_b2OfMB4b-JRglcBN7egCLcBGAs/s1600/20180509_160923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DsZinE2QFms/WvR2JO6tr3I/AAAAAAAAAJI/87z8yXY0GCkVf_b2OfMB4b-JRglcBN7egCLcBGAs/s320/20180509_160923.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of 8 or so ewes being processed at a time, wondering if she can get back in the group pen without us noticing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ioRZFhQjLDo/WvR2yQOFzII/AAAAAAAAAJQ/OHk8wbzuOBwonf6eMMrE6Oh26T-WF-QXACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180509_162926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ioRZFhQjLDo/WvR2yQOFzII/AAAAAAAAAJQ/OHk8wbzuOBwonf6eMMrE6Oh26T-WF-QXACEwYBhgL/s320/20180509_162926.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mothers seemed to remember this process, the babies were just happy to have a new place to explore.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The trailer can hold about 8 ewes and their babies. The ewes and lambs were separated by a divider inside the trailer. They weren't too pleased about that, but it kept the lambs from being accidentally stepped on in transit. Before getting them in the trailer, the lambs were all given some medication (I think a dewormer?), and any single lambs out of a mature ewe were marked, so that when the sheep are checked later, the person doing the checking won't panic when they see only one lamb (yearlings typically have one lamb, full adults two). Each ewe was additionally checked for mastitis. And then, they were loaded in, and the screaming trailer was off to the fields!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ECiwdFFRxwg/WvR3XYjoOeI/AAAAAAAAAJY/ZcarTk5Yefgaf-dm7rt73Sa-gp7YKhO3QCLcBGAs/s1600/20180509_163717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ECiwdFFRxwg/WvR3XYjoOeI/AAAAAAAAAJY/ZcarTk5Yefgaf-dm7rt73Sa-gp7YKhO3QCLcBGAs/s320/20180509_163717.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lambs exploring after being given dewormer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a4BKrhQwBWM/WvR3ZHLQuRI/AAAAAAAAAJc/fRLla-4u0VEJZUqEz8q7SZxiVoKL58wEACLcBGAs/s1600/20180509_163711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a4BKrhQwBWM/WvR3ZHLQuRI/AAAAAAAAAJc/fRLla-4u0VEJZUqEz8q7SZxiVoKL58wEACLcBGAs/s320/20180509_163711.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello, new friend!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The same process was repeated with a group of yearlings and their babies, except they all went onto the closer fields and were far more confused by everything!<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyQBFHHUhAa1lKkqvrw4xSzpyT-OCHPoXQZDRXfERAyPReRRjEjgSgFXy-VCU_TbX-SOBvaL02UXbDUiNkTKw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div>
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
<br />Once all the proper ewes and babies were out, I headed back to the new barn and pregnant ewes. We had one ewe who we thought was expecting triplets, as she had a green mark on her head. All the sheep are ultrasounded earlier in their pregnancies and marked according to how many lambs they have. An adult ewe gets a red mark for a single lamb, and a green mark for triplets. Twins are the most common and are not marked. Yearlings most commonly have only one lamb, and get a green mark for twins. Additionally, the number of lambs for each ewe is recorded, as are any other data about that ewe, but when we are rushed, we often go by just the head mark. This gave us a surprise with this particular ewe, as she was recorded as expecting four lambs!<br />
<br />
The first lamb came out without major problems and was perfectly healthy. When I went in to check for the second, however, I had to flag down Grace. I was able to reposition the feet, but when I felt for the head... I wasn't sure what I was feeling. I knew I had the head, but I couldn't find the nose! Grace confirmed my suspicions: we were most likely dealing with a stillborn and/or deformed lamb. When she got the lamb out, it was indeed stillborn, and looked mostly normal, save for its nose, which was deeply squished in and probably the cause of death and due to crowding in the womb. The ewe went on to have another healthy baby, and we thought we were done... until we came back later and saw her having another! Sadly, this lamb was also deformed and stillborn. I guess four lambs is too many! The ewe and two live lambs seemed to be doing well, though.<br />
<br />
Later in the day, I experienced the first death of a lamb I was delivering. The mother had delivered a large, healthy ewe lamb with a little help from me, and I subsequently checked the position of the second and made a minor correction. I let her work on it by herself, and when I came back, one of the lamb's legs had gotten tucked back since I corrected them. Nonetheless, the mother took it in stride and was able to deliver the lamb with little trouble, as this one was smaller than the first. It was another beautiful ewe lamb, very much alive, however there was a serious problem-- she could not breathe. Grace and I both worked to to make sure her airways were clear and Grace even did mouth to mouth, as well as dabbed alcohol under the lamb's nose (which often induces them to take a breath). The lamb's heart was beating quite strongly for what seemed like an impossibly long time, but she simply could not inhale on her own, and she passed away. Based on what we had observed, Snaedis and Helgi think the most likely explanation is the lamb had deformed lungs/diaphragm.<br />
<br />
On a much more positive front, Pip is doing very well! She makes up for her tiny size (2.6 lbs/1.2kg) with extreme sass and can now reach her mom's udder with a little help.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LelA8xvICk8/WvSFFXz_klI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/Il2Iu5o8ZzUE9ng9VwVD1DSGMEddWb62ACLcBGAs/s1600/20180509_112029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LelA8xvICk8/WvSFFXz_klI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/Il2Iu5o8ZzUE9ng9VwVD1DSGMEddWb62ACLcBGAs/s320/20180509_112029.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pip is also disproportionately loud for her size.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kASFVNnbpYU/WvSFt983brI/AAAAAAAAAKA/RjFIqmcT1ZYD38LQTF82p4BpjMUBfXSegCLcBGAs/s1600/20180508_144424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kASFVNnbpYU/WvSFt983brI/AAAAAAAAAKA/RjFIqmcT1ZYD38LQTF82p4BpjMUBfXSegCLcBGAs/s320/20180508_144424.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some more cuddle buddies.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gjBJSC_g6hw/WvSFxmhJq1I/AAAAAAAAAKE/RYSQWHaXNJkRfc4vpFWg3HDqzVWrr7TigCLcBGAs/s1600/20180508_144525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gjBJSC_g6hw/WvSFxmhJq1I/AAAAAAAAAKE/RYSQWHaXNJkRfc4vpFWg3HDqzVWrr7TigCLcBGAs/s320/20180508_144525.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seems like an odd arrangement but they seem happy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4pvXR5S3Vkw/WvSF_NHN-0I/AAAAAAAAAKU/QBZRxS6wz1kPq4rjwUIr19PmQCH2iuvywCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180509_165018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4pvXR5S3Vkw/WvSF_NHN-0I/AAAAAAAAAKU/QBZRxS6wz1kPq4rjwUIr19PmQCH2iuvywCEwYBhgL/s320/20180509_165018.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe a lamb, maybe a marshmallow Peep.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-9549527746003738502018-05-09T20:51:00.000-04:002018-05-22T10:33:52.681-04:00Day 4: Between a Ewe and a Hard Place<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rZOQ0Fg3cTE/WvOFschDpVI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/nGUKdTO993gFlWHponjT_hGPO-L2eM_YACLcBGAs/s1600/20180508_110103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rZOQ0Fg3cTE/WvOFschDpVI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/nGUKdTO993gFlWHponjT_hGPO-L2eM_YACLcBGAs/s320/20180508_110103.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A white wagtail, known as 'mariuerla' in Iceland and "Ahhhhh! So cute!" by me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We began the day with a lovely serenade from this little guy on the front porch. At the barn, I found the yearling resting comfortably under the heat lamp while Xena and Oolong cuddled together for warmth in the corner.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zsyna9BpW0Y/WvOGkYKJE1I/AAAAAAAAAHY/2FW2ivsTK6Y2Z7YZpWQ8Zo8rL1a4qTQCwCLcBGAs/s1600/20180508_113108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zsyna9BpW0Y/WvOGkYKJE1I/AAAAAAAAAHY/2FW2ivsTK6Y2Z7YZpWQ8Zo8rL1a4qTQCwCLcBGAs/s320/20180508_113108.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not the face of a sheep who is sorry for her actions.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e2DebCOPjq4/WvOGlld7v_I/AAAAAAAAAHc/VNoj1OJdFewPG9Y8SSt0qltW3yaXaebggCLcBGAs/s1600/20180508_113059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e2DebCOPjq4/WvOGlld7v_I/AAAAAAAAAHc/VNoj1OJdFewPG9Y8SSt0qltW3yaXaebggCLcBGAs/s320/20180508_113059.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xena and Oolong have it covered, though.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Grace and I found ourselves dealing with an interesting situation later. Grace spotted a ewe in labor (so nothing out of the ordinary yet). Normally when a ewe is found to be in labor, we shut all the aisle doors except for any leading to the jug we have prepared for her, and then move her out of the group pen. The ewe then follows the corridors and any blockades we have set up to direct her, and ends up in the jug (in theory). This minimizes the time the ewe is handled, which is easier on everyone involved. Anyway, Grace had caught the ewe and was moving her out of the pen, when Myla, the farm's Border Collie, decided she wanted to "help."<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7JqtXnxPf9k/WvOJegJPByI/AAAAAAAAAHw/xJaaDLI1AzYcPZSRoIqIv9G8ZwzgfnwOACLcBGAs/s1600/20180507_205626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7JqtXnxPf9k/WvOJegJPByI/AAAAAAAAAHw/xJaaDLI1AzYcPZSRoIqIv9G8ZwzgfnwOACLcBGAs/s320/20180507_205626.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pictured: Agent of chaos, and her kong toy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Next thing we knew, this is what the aisle leading to the jug looked like:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-THeaLZzCjS4/WvOJ5TXARTI/AAAAAAAAAH4/NA1KCK21Nz84D2qoRs8bmfE8ClH-zsiPgCLcBGAs/s1600/20180508_114940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-THeaLZzCjS4/WvOJ5TXARTI/AAAAAAAAAH4/NA1KCK21Nz84D2qoRs8bmfE8ClH-zsiPgCLcBGAs/s320/20180508_114940.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<div>
I tried to encourage the poor, corridor-wide, heavily pregnant ewes to go back as gently as I could, initiating a backwards shuffle-waddle from the line of ewes. Most of them turned around when they reached the corner.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PEWmJEofHL0/WvOKf4NmiqI/AAAAAAAAAIA/3N2qEs9HJzcmLqTzMeRSWH2m-W57XooPgCLcBGAs/s1600/20180508_115902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PEWmJEofHL0/WvOKf4NmiqI/AAAAAAAAAIA/3N2qEs9HJzcmLqTzMeRSWH2m-W57XooPgCLcBGAs/s320/20180508_115902.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We were heartbreakingly close to the group pen when the ewe in front decided she could shuffle-waddle backwards no more. She stopped and could be neither dislodged nor moved around. We tried calling Myla to fix the mess she made and she strangely had no interest in fixing it despite being very eager to help us earlier. It took Helgi wading in and basically picking up the lead ewe and turning her around to unclog the corridor.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Later, I found myself assisting a yearling with a fairly large lamb. I got him out, and felt for the position of the next, which was fine. It seemed much smaller, so I figured I'd let the yearling work on that one on her own. The next thing I knew, the tiniest lamb I'd ever seen squirted out with one push, spraying me with amniotic fluid. The yearling expressed her thanks for my help by licking the fluid off my face and hair while I was tending to the babies.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yB2AGneIsTY/WvOOAJBt7VI/AAAAAAAAAIU/Zir_xPrtbmoo-9iXkloFGQzLgc5m797KACLcBGAs/s1600/20180508_133218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yB2AGneIsTY/WvOOAJBt7VI/AAAAAAAAAIU/Zir_xPrtbmoo-9iXkloFGQzLgc5m797KACLcBGAs/s320/20180508_133218.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I named her 'Pip' because 'Pipsqueak' was too big a name.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Pip's a feisty little ewe, but she had to be bottlefed initially because she was too short to reach the udder! We weighed her later and she was a mere 2.5 lbs (1.1kg).<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Grace managed to help a pretty mouflon ewe (Stetja, although I'm not sure I spelled it right) deliver two massive babies (around 12 lbs/5.4kg each!), a ram and a ewe. All of them took it in stride. When we came back for our next shift, however, we found the ewe lamb weak and lethargic. We treated her for watery mouth, but she passed away two hours later, a horrible lesson for me on how quickly this disease can kill a lamb. As she had been vigorous at birth, nursed, and received a preventative antibiotic like all the other lambs, the best explanation Helgi could come up with was she was so big, the colostrum she got wasn't sufficient for her body size. Even though hours had passed since her labor, Stetja was still willing to adopt a lamb from another ewe who was having trouble caring for it, because she's a champ.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We didn't have much time to dwell on the unfortunate situation because it was a crazy night of lambing. We think Helgi jinxed us earlier by telling me how to deliver lambs from weird positions, because lambs in weird positions is exactly what we ended up with. I dealt with my first case of tangled lambs (Grace says it's like trying to untie a knot you can't see, and also everything is sticky). I still don't have a mental image of how the lambs were positioned, but I picked one of the heads I could feel, found the front feet, and went from there, and that worked. Grace meanwhile was trying to move a ewe in labor and ended up with the contents of a waterbag in her boot! She didn't let that stop her, and didn't complain about it for the rest of the shift, either. It did move 'sock day' higher up on our laundry priorities, though.</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-86753642024086744262018-05-08T07:04:00.000-04:002018-05-09T06:36:14.494-04:00Day 3: Attack of the Yearlings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The weather was a bit more spring-like today with rain instead of snow and hail. The fields are visible and the first group of sheep (non-pregnant ewes and rams) was let outside, as well as the mare and foal that were being kept in from the cold. </div>
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7uNzJzPPzjprPppvcobufFctMcR53GOZNV8WbBSg8hnBjMSU9c4MyEwc19xjoS7hkukg9F0LSqD-bqMYm_ZcfWGupA_sB9CCbohw7OswI-FSx7ipEuB2ONeiNNZ74NhyphenhyphenGtkAGJgNpqs/s1600/20180507_205629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7uNzJzPPzjprPppvcobufFctMcR53GOZNV8WbBSg8hnBjMSU9c4MyEwc19xjoS7hkukg9F0LSqD-bqMYm_ZcfWGupA_sB9CCbohw7OswI-FSx7ipEuB2ONeiNNZ74NhyphenhyphenGtkAGJgNpqs/s320/20180507_205629.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
We started the day with some cleaning. There were only a few ewes lambing and with everyone down at the barn we could get a lot of work done. While we cleaned, additional groups pen were put up, ewes and lambs were moved and more lambing jugs were opened up. I swept the yearling pens with a helper. While all the other yearlings panicked by my presence in the pen, she seemed curious.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23fgGmYFkBaVrgT6Uj5ZUlmXttKJ8uVnKcPn9FVeg_v9ufAzFzJP9-WR_JjwWZe5telEtX3NrwYAIB_mc2RD6n3CxqHY8TCenUMqpgZ7nGGu448OWFMYcRYwpPOYwx2XHLcM89mnmxaw/s1600/20180507_115717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23fgGmYFkBaVrgT6Uj5ZUlmXttKJ8uVnKcPn9FVeg_v9ufAzFzJP9-WR_JjwWZe5telEtX3NrwYAIB_mc2RD6n3CxqHY8TCenUMqpgZ7nGGu448OWFMYcRYwpPOYwx2XHLcM89mnmxaw/s320/20180507_115717.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Melissa worked on cleaning a pen with the older ewes, who are unphased by Melissa's presence and were more concerned about her attention not being on them and their need for scratches.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0UWxpJBkDMMMmfX7EzvRZ9pVWp1_eB5p_nVtp1ii1y7XGlgYrPrS9Zk22-6yz79Wm3CRTWuI5gKGewhBqgxUDN_E9KzLc3YUYTlinur1Nd9fBT7OLH05BtjIuXXJ7u3zQdlsGLbcqoc/s1600/20180507_144824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0UWxpJBkDMMMmfX7EzvRZ9pVWp1_eB5p_nVtp1ii1y7XGlgYrPrS9Zk22-6yz79Wm3CRTWuI5gKGewhBqgxUDN_E9KzLc3YUYTlinur1Nd9fBT7OLH05BtjIuXXJ7u3zQdlsGLbcqoc/s320/20180507_144824.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We were happy to see that in the early hours of the morning our orphans were adopted by a wonderful mother. I went to go see them, but with there new mother they could not care less about me and I don't blame them, she is an awesome mom. </div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKy7tD_q1Ppu-RH4j4USeDBeaMJDbGih6SYmEdGvmrw6wPQ7gWZcMO5M82FHoIC2ZC8jiELAjBVzLgYVyD_iQsqhm8szaUgqMJ9qUthK76lxcai0H2PJy1RVvmFSsb1XfMHrA9cAAhmnQ/s1600/20180507_224339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKy7tD_q1Ppu-RH4j4USeDBeaMJDbGih6SYmEdGvmrw6wPQ7gWZcMO5M82FHoIC2ZC8jiELAjBVzLgYVyD_iQsqhm8szaUgqMJ9qUthK76lxcai0H2PJy1RVvmFSsb1XfMHrA9cAAhmnQ/s320/20180507_224339.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBv-MiAKPTuQNRRMXz6R7-nj6I9o5CtuiRFup_UAFnL8NNFioFy2nBl75FH9pqg5-uSbj8dy9u8dlMInMq0zpWZ9Hfa18fMQm2eayjE8JQ1mGuO2lqXXiIrd4vEpZf_Z_s-nrGklSZkVc/s1600/20180507_224421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBv-MiAKPTuQNRRMXz6R7-nj6I9o5CtuiRFup_UAFnL8NNFioFy2nBl75FH9pqg5-uSbj8dy9u8dlMInMq0zpWZ9Hfa18fMQm2eayjE8JQ1mGuO2lqXXiIrd4vEpZf_Z_s-nrGklSZkVc/s320/20180507_224421.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We got good news about the ewe that was not fond of her lambs and had one side of her udder that had blood clots. Helgi was able to get the larger clot that was blocking the teat and milk the majority of the clots out, by the end of the day her milk was flowing much more smoothly. She was also starting to tolerate her lambs, and maybe even liking one of them. She will continue wearing the rope on her head in the case she starts to become violent with her lambs again and we have to tie her to the side of the jug.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCLHWtHf2GxGIyC9FcQnr1YVUjwRv-j43-qQQy7XRQDxUo3sY9MJRDH8LUSwIq852tmgy5-AtGXmORJbSJMlSuZa3fHxvNXAex261hSWljYzN1DfXCT1QrGSmeDaU6GfFvWpxihlVNdC0/s1600/20180507_213906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCLHWtHf2GxGIyC9FcQnr1YVUjwRv-j43-qQQy7XRQDxUo3sY9MJRDH8LUSwIq852tmgy5-AtGXmORJbSJMlSuZa3fHxvNXAex261hSWljYzN1DfXCT1QrGSmeDaU6GfFvWpxihlVNdC0/s320/20180507_213906.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With so few active lambings, we spent some time checking in with some ewes and lambs that needed extra attention. I was tasked with milking out an older ewe. Snædis suggested I bring multiple one-liter bottles which I thought was funny. Just softening up one side of her udder, I milked out a full liter of milk. The ewe showed her thanks by pulling on my ponytail while I was looking underneath her. To her credit, my hair almost matches the haylage being fed to them. We ended the milking session with shoulder and chest scratches.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW8J8tDSiFGtAsZX1aHldbkhws-4XAhcux_PjlQFPmtRV0tIH5PcTcc794qN3PsH6ugUFBPZA0GBqj_LnyjJPoEmB_5pgSfqD_PusTy-tLPzvBVzppGh9wOuBUVqdCIvnCr8g6y1ht5qo/s1600/20180507_123611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW8J8tDSiFGtAsZX1aHldbkhws-4XAhcux_PjlQFPmtRV0tIH5PcTcc794qN3PsH6ugUFBPZA0GBqj_LnyjJPoEmB_5pgSfqD_PusTy-tLPzvBVzppGh9wOuBUVqdCIvnCr8g6y1ht5qo/s320/20180507_123611.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
We had another ewe and lamb that needed some help. A ram lamb had yet to figure out how to nurse. His sister had figured it out first thing and was happily napping while we got to work. Mom was immensely patient and even positioned her legs so the teat could not be missed, but the little ram lamb went everywhere but the teat. Even after Melissa placed the teat in his mouth, he spit it out and searched up his mom's belly for food. After both Melissa and I working on this problem child, he eventually latched on and was able to nurse to everyone's relief.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDGL_UBkjz0fzpncbyhRxugezZNMeiqs_rYaKurpNY4oMKRB2jEMqKWdYeYZXrmbsc2JNpz7TYYL6suLJu9Gra3Fk6LCmzWoHe0B6CrrrgVz1gSvTm0-lAC3gkzoAVnPDxbAhE8KdITo/s1600/20180507_124543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDGL_UBkjz0fzpncbyhRxugezZNMeiqs_rYaKurpNY4oMKRB2jEMqKWdYeYZXrmbsc2JNpz7TYYL6suLJu9Gra3Fk6LCmzWoHe0B6CrrrgVz1gSvTm0-lAC3gkzoAVnPDxbAhE8KdITo/s320/20180507_124543.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Things started to pick up in the afternoon and we had a steady flow of those lambing out. Melissa was able to successfully use the patented loop technique Snædis had taught her, which she was excited about. She also had a case of triplets that made me do a double take. The 1st lamb to come out was good-sized and it was assumed the two following would be smaller. The last two were just as large as the 1st lamb making it a head scratcher... where did those lambs come from? There are two options, either the ewe had planned an elaborate magic trick to where Melissa finds out the 3rd lamb was an illusion or this ewe's uterus is the Tardis.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When we returned for our night shift, I helped an older ewe with her single lamb, and given her sweet mom skills, she was given a lamb from a yearling that had twins. First-time moms usually do best with one lamb to look after and feed... two can be a bit overwhelming. When I took the lamb, the mother did not notice. She was eating a snack, took a nap, woke-up 30 minutes later to realize she only had one lamb. She was distraught and decided to scream non-stop for the rest of our shift (which was until 2am). Not only was the lamb currently in her care clearly not the favorite, she got another yearling next to her to scream in unison for some time. We ignored her, so she climbed up the side of her lambing jug to announce to the whole barn I am a baby snatcher.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzdpz3pT4boD7fqQhBfIxI2lySLv-mvpSdUmoeE-cE8ScMA6snK1TvyMEClVsN531J1Mw77NwHlJ1elsP2sOw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
We had a number of yearlings lamb out through the day and three that decided they wanted to lamb out together at midnight. Given the size of my hands, I am not helpful when it comes to yearlings until the lamb has passed the pelvis, so it was all Melissa, which she took in stride. This would have have been easy breezy for the two of us but we could not communicate with the angry yearling screaming over us. Also wanting to be part of the group an older ewe with triplets started to lamb out. The first yearling lambed out without any assistance unless you count us cheering her on and checking the lamb's position. The 2nd yearling passed a water sac, then got up and started eating, which was very concerning. By this time, Snædis's dad, Hallí, had come to switch shifts with us and decided to check things out. He felt two heads and four legs all trying to come out at the same time. With swift maneuvering, he had her first lamb out. After giving her some time to meet her lamb, Melissa went to check the 2nd lamb who turned out to be upside down. With a gentle twist and pull, the 2nd lamb was out. Triplet mom was also not concerned with the passing of her water sac which was because her 1st lamb was a stillborn in a tucked position, unable to move into the birth canal. Once the stillborn was removed she easily had her last two, very lively lambs. After all this action, we left Hallí to keep watch of the last, very shocked looking, yearling. We called it a night after saying goodbye to a two of our favorite lambs, Oolong and Xena Warrior Princess, who were very tiny lambs a yearling had yesterday but continues to need some extra guidance when it comes to nursing.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIerC-EKJBTBhbEZF-g7R6SgCLgpuiBx1oNcgQs34VA3DE3-Dx0DdAdQrcYFZZqooKoVxJxHTq8avmLqsUP2L2dTd9aDUdGYRruDYXdj6ENIS5JAh7lb-VFepJZJCmkHY7Nsokv8tQ6iU/s1600/20180507_134212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIerC-EKJBTBhbEZF-g7R6SgCLgpuiBx1oNcgQs34VA3DE3-Dx0DdAdQrcYFZZqooKoVxJxHTq8avmLqsUP2L2dTd9aDUdGYRruDYXdj6ENIS5JAh7lb-VFepJZJCmkHY7Nsokv8tQ6iU/s320/20180507_134212.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizMfDf2kWss8OUo9RmOzQJCz_5WKUYlGwYU4oYbWH4wkOuGbdMsasd8rSZwVFR9LcpDdCxZCNLeca3sSzKYGFP49xxgs8ttNVq-HhyphenhyphenN9HNDX4etTU7FRmOu1YPGoGL-Hdg91CywZCADY/s1600/20180507_135040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizMfDf2kWss8OUo9RmOzQJCz_5WKUYlGwYU4oYbWH4wkOuGbdMsasd8rSZwVFR9LcpDdCxZCNLeca3sSzKYGFP49xxgs8ttNVq-HhyphenhyphenN9HNDX4etTU7FRmOu1YPGoGL-Hdg91CywZCADY/s320/20180507_135040.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 24px;">Þórhallur </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 24px;">Þórhallur </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 24px;">Þórhallu</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176001402619737969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129789243269496869.post-47271406118692052412018-05-07T16:10:00.000-04:002018-05-07T16:10:34.638-04:00Day 2: Hail Yes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zthMqcYJO1E/WvCaXBkDZEI/AAAAAAAAAEw/2suT5PkD4V4Ao5-4hvcod3wc3z1dBwZ2ACLcBGAs/s1600/20180506_004331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zthMqcYJO1E/WvCaXBkDZEI/AAAAAAAAAEw/2suT5PkD4V4Ao5-4hvcod3wc3z1dBwZ2ACLcBGAs/s320/20180506_004331.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking pretty done with this nonsense.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For Grace and I, barn chores started at 11:00am. The weather was rather spectacularly unpleasant. Initially there were just strong winds, but then there was snow, fierce enough that when I looked up from the sheep and out a window, there was just whiteness. Ear tagging and moving of sheep commenced as usual. Sadly, our worst fears about the sickly lamb from yesterday were realized-- she had watery mouth, which is an opportunistic E-coli infection, and unfortunately is not treatable after a certain stage (she had received antibiotics earlier, but to no avail). She was euthanized because she was trembling and seizing and there was no reason to prolong that. The orphans must not have had healing powers, but they did snuggle with her in her last few hours, and I like to think that helped.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N2oInOEoNxQ/WvCWY7_v-wI/AAAAAAAAAD4/UgnxHpOmpZ4J6ygsLfwOtr9SQudiunwhQCLcBGAs/s1600/20180505_190256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N2oInOEoNxQ/WvCWY7_v-wI/AAAAAAAAAD4/UgnxHpOmpZ4J6ygsLfwOtr9SQudiunwhQCLcBGAs/s320/20180505_190256.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That was depressing, so here's a picture of the farm's cat cuddling up near me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />During a lull in activity, I got some grain and tried making friends with Becca Jr., a spunky leadersheep. I've been informed that if I'm friends with Becca Jr. things will be much easier for me. I got her to take some grain and was able to scratch her head, so hopefully that's progress.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e6xqwqjz2-8/WvCXwxxlYdI/AAAAAAAAAEE/-PWotTBvYakHpL8yS0iwVuLO7ff_aqTnwCLcBGAs/s1600/20180506_153508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e6xqwqjz2-8/WvCXwxxlYdI/AAAAAAAAAEE/-PWotTBvYakHpL8yS0iwVuLO7ff_aqTnwCLcBGAs/s320/20180506_153508.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's also quite possible she just wanted to spite Grace.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-isoOu2iWmGY/WvCYmu94aGI/AAAAAAAAAEU/3MUMtCJS2a4Pw1bNKknVfO6fop3uQMCiQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180506_151929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-isoOu2iWmGY/WvCYmu94aGI/AAAAAAAAAEU/3MUMtCJS2a4Pw1bNKknVfO6fop3uQMCiQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180506_151929.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Becca's mother Kruna, meanwhile, doesn't shun anyone as long as they have grain.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jGQIw2oWkxI/WvCZf270WKI/AAAAAAAAAEg/QBXm-zQ0PQM6exVZKqNuXiwGMRfG79KnQCLcBGAs/s1600/20180506_143136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jGQIw2oWkxI/WvCZf270WKI/AAAAAAAAAEg/QBXm-zQ0PQM6exVZKqNuXiwGMRfG79KnQCLcBGAs/s320/20180506_143136.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mostly wishful thinking, but the black spot on this ewe lamb's back as well as her facial markings reminded me a little of Fiddlehead back at Witter Farm.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Later, I found myself having difficulty helping a ewe deliver a large lamb. I flagged down Snaedis, who showed me her patented method wherein she puts a loop over the lamb's head, puts her foot in the other end of the loop and uses that to apply pressure, leaving her hands free to help loosen the vaginal opening and anything else to help the lamb out. I wish I had a picture of that, but it took her mere seconds to pop the lamb out, it seemed. It was rather awe-inspiring.<br />
<br />
I had a good laugh later when I was making the rounds and checking for labor signs. There was one yearling I paused near for further evaluation because she seemed to be working on something, pushing a bit, and sitting up off the ground slightly. I soon found out, however, that all she was working on was a fart!<br />
<br />
We went on break at 3pm. The good news is the snow had stopped. The bad news is it hailed on us instead as we walked back up the hill to the house. The hailstones were about the same size and shape as grains of road salt, so it was just unpleasant rather than painful or injury causing. I tried to keep my hands from getting hailed on by tucking them in my pockets and ended up with pockets full of hailstones for my trouble because the hail simply blew in around my wrists.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V5bKRHEe32Y/WvCfnow9BLI/AAAAAAAAAFM/Tsg4Oolk9QMA8N5IQPVWtQv6tnDVxA1PgCLcBGAs/s1600/20180506_205715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V5bKRHEe32Y/WvCfnow9BLI/AAAAAAAAAFM/Tsg4Oolk9QMA8N5IQPVWtQv6tnDVxA1PgCLcBGAs/s320/20180506_205715.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The walk seems longer when you're walking through hail.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When Grace and I returned to the barn around 9, there was a new leadersheep lamb. I'm sure leadersheep have been described here before, but for those who haven't read through all the previous blog posts, they are a sort of subspecies of Icelandic sheep who are taller, leaner, and more intelligent than a typical Icelandic sheep. I didn't get a good photo opportunity for that one, unfortunately.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pA01eBBWDJg/WvCiZ9_BOEI/AAAAAAAAAFg/8UhsbZNezBg72OhRMBYo77tbzJgAItVzQCLcBGAs/s1600/20180506_152529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pA01eBBWDJg/WvCiZ9_BOEI/AAAAAAAAAFg/8UhsbZNezBg72OhRMBYo77tbzJgAItVzQCLcBGAs/s320/20180506_152529.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luckily Grace got this picture of a different leadersheep lamb being sassy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
There was also a yearling who'd had two of the tiniest babies ever. She didn't quite grasp the whole "you are a mom now" concept and was really scared and kept trying to escape the situation by jumping out the hay trough.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eHAiXefEh8E/WvCjCt9pXbI/AAAAAAAAAFo/_ErWozG4XkwFDKBKmsSfQ4rwvlD1SCXpwCLcBGAs/s1600/20180506_222846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eHAiXefEh8E/WvCjCt9pXbI/AAAAAAAAAFo/_ErWozG4XkwFDKBKmsSfQ4rwvlD1SCXpwCLcBGAs/s320/20180506_222846.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"What are these things?"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ci4mbxrP_Xs/WvCjGelkAyI/AAAAAAAAAFs/LrIl1HLHtA0ordMDATptC9Di_eeCm6ymgCLcBGAs/s1600/20180506_222857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ci4mbxrP_Xs/WvCjGelkAyI/AAAAAAAAAFs/LrIl1HLHtA0ordMDATptC9Di_eeCm6ymgCLcBGAs/s320/20180506_222857.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh right, these are babies. They do also resemble jellybeans more than the average lamb.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I was tasked with making sure the babies got something to eat, which involved pinning a very squirrely and motivated yearling, and then getting the babies to actually latch, which they didn't quite know how to do, which made a total of four of us who didn't quite know what to do. After much struggling on everyone's part, the babies had full bellies and settled down for a nap.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Soon after, I found myself assisting a somewhat feral sheep who had a correctly positioned lamb but didn't care to push it out. I stepped in when its tongue started turning blue. The problems continued afterwards, because she was totally uninterested in licking it off. She got the second lamb out without assistance, but subsequently decided to eat instead of tending to the babes. I soon found out a possible reason when I went to strip her teats-- she has chronic mastitis and her teats were full of milk clots. I was able to clear one teat, from which we obtained colostrum for the twins. Meanwhile, the triplet mom that caused us some stress yesterday, in the adjacent jug, picked up the mastitis ewe's slack and began cleaning the soggy lambs through the slats. Since it was a cold night and snow was coming in through the vents, we ended up popping both lambs in her jug temporarily for her to finish the job.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4SEBbKboa_U/WvCl1G57zKI/AAAAAAAAAGE/EalrZEcJAbs13PvgUfAJuIVea41LIEtRwCLcBGAs/s1600/20180506_225846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4SEBbKboa_U/WvCl1G57zKI/AAAAAAAAAGE/EalrZEcJAbs13PvgUfAJuIVea41LIEtRwCLcBGAs/s320/20180506_225846.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A later shot of our MVP of the night snuggling with her lambs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Our last lambing before we left at 1 or 2 am (not sure... time is a blur, or an illusion, or something like that.... I'm a bit tired) was a yearling expecting twins. Grace had checked the position of the first lamb and found that it had one leg back. Since I have smaller hands, I went in and was able to find the second leg and pull it forward, but the problems did not end there. The lamb was big, and had a big head, and big ol' horn buds. I tried, but I just could not get a lambing loop over its head. I had to resort to pulling the legs, as Grace assisted by pressing the vulva area to help push the lamb's head out. It was tough. I nearly cried because I felt bad for the yearling, and Grace was pretty sure the lamb was dead. When we got him out, however, he was very much alive, and the yearling immediately accepted him and began licking him vigorously. The second lamb was also large, but came out more easily. The yearling had to take some time before her legs started working again, but they did, and mom and babies all seemed to be in good spirits when we left.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MUjsNxWKP4M/WvCqPsqk-dI/AAAAAAAAAGY/nxYPsI-M6PAtIxnyr4IH6RASK7QcwF6tACLcBGAs/s1600/20180507_005656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MUjsNxWKP4M/WvCqPsqk-dI/AAAAAAAAAGY/nxYPsI-M6PAtIxnyr4IH6RASK7QcwF6tACLcBGAs/s320/20180507_005656.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I thought the baby might even suckle like this, but she waited until mom got up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v9qBCKe4CH4/WvCqPqR4HvI/AAAAAAAAAGc/9gOizbqmqHQRmONkm_ssHVxFmv4uw1F4QCLcBGAs/s1600/20180507_005704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v9qBCKe4CH4/WvCqPqR4HvI/AAAAAAAAAGc/9gOizbqmqHQRmONkm_ssHVxFmv4uw1F4QCLcBGAs/s320/20180507_005704.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proud mother and both of her giant babies.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0