Won't Be Long Now

I've been noticing some uddering up from the ewes, so yesterday I went out and crutched everyone (sheared wool from their bellies and hind ends), vaccinated (with CD/T), and trimmed hooves.  I like to crutch the ewes every year because it really helps me see their udders and vulvas and predict lambing times.  I didn't write down breeding dates this year, and I normally do, so I sort of feel like I'm flying blind.  I'll have to be extra careful to pay attention to them and notice when they bag up.

It was hard to get decent pictures of the sheep, partly because my camera is not very good, and partly because the sheep don't really like it when I linger behind them while they're eating. Here are the pictures I did get, more for my records than anything. It's nice to look back and compare udder sizes.

The ram, below...not an udder.

Barley, below.  I think she's the farthest from lambing, but things could change.  

Barley (L) and Darla (R)

Darla (L) and Dixie (R) Dixie is Darla's ewe lamb, I bred her this year.  She's got the cutest little baby udder starting.  

Dixie (L) and Darla (R)

Bean (L), Ram (R)

So I'm sort of thinking Darla or Bean will be the first to lamb, followed by Dixie and then Barley....but that's just a guess.  I think I've got a couple of weeks before we have any lambs.  Hopefully the weather will be a bit more agreeable then.