Baby Lambs

One sure sign of spring is the birth of baby lambs.  Our neighbor has a couple of sheep and each spring we look forward to watching the lambs that are born.  The sheep are Suffolk sheep.  These sheep have black legs and a black face, but their wool is white.  Here is a picture of one of the sheep and her lamb.  Notice that the lamb is black.  As it gets older, it will gradually grow wool that is white, like its mother.

Last year each of his sheep had twin lambs and it was so much fun to watch these little lambs run and play, just like children.  

Also, notice that the lamb has a long tail.  Yes, that's right, sheep are born with long tails, like other livestock.  However, early in their lives the tail is removed in a process called "docking".  This sounds cruel, but it is better for the animal because it helps to reduce the build up of feces which can encourage fly larvae.

The ewes are very watchful of their lambs.  Notice the ewe in the above picture is taking a stern look at me while I was taking this picture.  I have seen them charge toward an errant dog that happens by the fence.