Problems

catchall for all lambing “issues”

The mystery of slow-growing Soay sheep lambs

The mystery of slow-growing Soay sheep lambs

When I started this blog, it was my intention to write only about subjects on which Steve and I felt we had a basic grasp of the research or professional writing about the problem confronting us.  This time, I am stumped and so is Steve, and we can rely only on our own observations of a number of our Soay sheep.  […]

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Even bummer lambs grow up, sigh

Even bummer lambs grow up, sigh

I have such mixed feelings about Patterdale, our first and only bottle baby.  She seemed so vulnerable when she first arrived and then as she started to grow in our breakfast nook, yattering away to be sure we knew she was there and needed milk — all the time.   Both Steve and I had to resist the urge to smother […]

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Bummer Lamb Update:  More Lessons Learned

Bummer Lamb Update: More Lessons Learned

When last we met Patterdale, she was just a few days old, traumatized by her mother’s rejection, confused by her wanderings in the Maternity Ward, wishing she could have continued as Tolcarne’s adoptee, and a bit uncertain about her prospects in the makeshift pen in our breakfast nook.  Not to mention the nearly hourly strife of going nose-to-nose with […]

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A Bummer Soay Lamb:  Lessons Learned

A Bummer Soay Lamb: Lessons Learned

It was a dark and stormy morning last Thursday.  I was in town and Steve was running the lambing operation solo.  Delighted to find Fulmar with a big (5 lbs, 4 oz) ewe lamb in the area reserved for pregnant ewes, he jugged them and then went about the normal routine of quieting the din […]

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Break A Leg:  Venus lambs successfully, and how!

Break A Leg: Venus lambs successfully, and how!

Neither traditional dictionaries nor any of the numerous websites that trace the history of “Break A Leg” have seen fit to include lambing in their list of definitions, or Soay lambing as a possible source for the expression.  They obviously haven’t been reading this blog. Breaking a leg sure brought Venus good luck.  Last year, with her leg intact, she delivered a pair of […]

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