Lambing this spring has not been without its challenges. One of our Shetland ewes, who has been a great mom and had no trouble in the past, ended up with a vaginal prolapse three weeks before delivering. While not dangerous in itself, the prolapse means that the ewe must wear a harness until delivery, to hold everything in. The ewe can be bred in the future, but chances are, she'll always prolapse, and will have to wear a harness every year. However, when Maple went into labor, she never had contractions. The bag appeared, and 20 minutes later, another bag appeared, and that was it. She kept looking behind her and squatting like she had to go to the bathroom, but nothing else. So, we brought her into the barn and when I felt inside her, the first lamb's head and hooves were right at the entrance to the birth canal and Maple was fully dilated. So, I had to go in and pull the lambs out. They are beautiful, healthy babies, but no more breeding for Maple.

The last ewe to deliver was our smallest ewe, Ada, and it was her first time. The short of it is that she rejected one of her lambs, and he's now residing in our living room. He's a tiny thing, and now five days later, I'm still not sure he's going to make it. However, there is no shortage of love for this guy around here...