Windward, we have Lambs!At long last, the first birth of the season
This morning we awoke to the one call we didn’t expect for at least
another week. Roy answered the phone and Heather called out "we have a
baby!" At once there was a flurry of activity as we raced to get
dressed and get down to the new mother. Venus, our pet duck had to be
put in her pen for the day and we were on our way down from Alpha to
find out who had given us our first lamb of the season.
lambs outfited with jackets
and orange rain coats
the latest gear from "Lambs End" :-)
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Coffee was forgotten, clothing simply thrown on in the hopes of getting
down there just that little bit faster. As we approached the dinning
hall Gaia and Shadow were coming out and I asked if Tara knew as well.
Gaia let us know that Tara was going for Joseph so that he could
experience his first new lamb. Roy continued on down the hill to reach
Joyce, watching the new mother, and see if his assistance was needed
there.
Meanwhile I raced to Heather’s to get the lambing kit and entered to see
Heather drawing the first shot that the baby will receive. Going over
the procedures and making sure that everything was in readily available
that we talked about who it might have been. Heather knew it that the
mom had a fluorescent orange collar. To me that meant only one thing,
the first mother of the season had to be my girl, Mattie.
By the time I got to Mattie all the tough work had been done. The baby
appeared healthy approximately seven pounds and a beautiful pure white
baby boy. Now personally I always rooted for the babies to be girls
since it is so much harder on the baby boys that first day.
(Explanation to come) I nuzzled Mattie and petted her face telling her
what a wonderful job she had done. The baby was already mostly dry
which said that she knew exactly what she to do.
Gathering the baby in my arms we lead Mattie over to one of the small
jugs (small pen) where she could be with her baby in peace to bond. I
checked the baby over visually first and then went to test out Mattie to
be certain she was producing milk that could be gotten by the baby. It
was all good, she was fine. Roy by this time had gotten her some
alfalfa and I was able to turn my attention to the baby.
Terri supplementing one of the
little ones while momma looks on
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Tara gathered it in her arms while I got the shot out and all the other
paraphernalia that it takes to do all the postnatal things to a baby.
I gave it the shot that includes vitamins to give the lamb a boost. The
next step was to get the lamb a baby aspirin. The first year I was here
for lambing we didn’t do that, but over time I think Heather decided
that the aspirin was a good idea from the baby’s point of view.
The next step while the baby aspirin begins its job is to cut the
umbilical cord and to coat it with iodine to keep out infections. The
excess bit of cord is then tossed over the fence to attract the ravens
away from the area where mothers are having their babies. The placenta
is also found and tossed over the fence. No one likes the idea of
feeding the ravens since they aren’t our favorite birds, but no one
wants to take a chance on a raven getting any big ideas about the
newborn lambs.
[Walt offers an alternate perspective on the ravens.]
Once the aspirin had melted I took a band and banded the baby’s tail.
This is a process most know as docking. You put a very tight rubber
band around the tail at the point you want it to fall off and by the act
of cutting off the circulation so early the end of the tail simply stops
growing and eventually falls off. Male babies also have to have their
testicles banded (yes it’s the same idea as the tail). Usually by this
time the baby drops like a rock when you put them down.
This little guy then was put into a lambing coat (actually a converted
arm or leg from an old sweatshirt or sweatpants) and finally this year
the baby was given an orange raincoat. The raincoat perfectly matched
Mattie’s collar, which was kind of nice.
Once all the work is accomplished its time to sit back and enjoy the
little lamb. This one was the typical little white lamb with little
curly-Qs of fleece, just a touch of pink showing at ears and nose, and
the cutest little face you could ever want to see. He is beautiful and
so gentle and sweet just like his mother. Although my first year here
Mattie led the teenage rebellion when the flock went out. She was the
ringleader and a royal pain; it is nice to see what a lovely young lady
she turned into.
Lamb arrival day is truly a wonderful thing here at Windward. You can
see the smiles on people’s faces and it just lights up everyone’s
heart. It is the harbinger of spring here, the sign that there is life
and miracles around us just waiting to happen. Tara is going around
with a beautiful smile, Roy just wanted to get to his cup of coffee but
the secret smile shone though his gruff exterior. This was the first
newborn lamb for Shadow and Gaia and both were suitably impressed with
Mattie’s offering.
And me? Well I’m a believer in the miracle of life in all its myriad
variations. It is the proof that at least something I do here matters.
Naturally I’m pleased as punch that the first mother of the season just
happened to be one of my very special "girls." My four best girls
include Buffy, Kayla, Picaboo, and of course Mattie.
Lambing season might be a lot of work, but it also carries some of the
greatest rewards for all of us. I know that whatever the next weeks
bring it will be filled with tears, smiles, hard work, lack of sleep,
worry, and the miracle of newborn life.
Mattie in an open jug
looking for her lamb
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NOTE: Sadly Mattie lost her baby. None of us are certain what
happened, but we all feel the loss and a sense of guilt wondering what
we missed, or what we took for granted. It has been over two weeks
since this event and while I wrote the article right after the birth I
just felt odd about turning it in with the baby’s death.
Walt finally
convinced me to go ahead and share this since it is a perfect example of
the highs and lows of dealing with animals. First we all soared the
heights of exhilaration and then plummeted to the depths of despair. No
matter what happened we all took it as a reason to be ever more vigilant
so that we wouldn’t lose any more lambs for the season. And our Mattie
went on to save Zdora’s twins with her milk. At least a lot of good
came from our loss.
Walt comments:
This is my fifteenth winter here, and I've come to see the ravens, as well as the two other predators we have to factor into our plans, the owl and the coyote, as forces which are part of the balance lying at the heart of life here in the woods. They were here long before we came, and I have no doubt, will be here long after we're gone.
Terri wrote about using the afterbirth to attract the ravens. My observation is that they're at hand and waiting well before we even know that the hour of birthing has arrived. I've long since gotten used to the roosters to such a degree that their homey calls in the early morning don't even touch my awakening mind, but the raven's cry is something very different, and very ancient. When ravens are awing, something old within us knows that death is nearby.
In Norse mythology, the raven is the carrion bird, the symbol of war's desolation and havoc, ever ready to prey on both the living and the dead. Every year, we pay a "nature tax" in chicks and ducklings to the ravens, and while lambs are larger, they too are either quick or they're raven bait.
Tossing the afterbirth to the side doesn't so much attract the ravens, as it serves to distract them. They clearly do not care whether their tithe is living or dead, so by satisfying the ravens' hunger in this way, the mother and lamb gain time to recover from the birth stress. Once ewe and lamb are on their feet, the ravens have to content themselves with mice and carrion until another opportunity presents.
It's probably just my imagination, but this spring I'm hearing more raven cries than usual, but perhaps that's just the mind's way given the war clouds on the horizon. Or perhaps it's just because I'm currently focused on preparing for the Norse event we'll be holding here in May.
Ragnaroc Battle in the Age of the Gods
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