Dotty, Minnie, Nina, Margot and Lady Go Outside!

Another day, another group of pet lambs exploring outside the lambing shed for the first time.

In the baby pink is Minnie, born on 4th March. She's a Texel/Dorset. She's very, very cute! She was born very small and her mum was terrified of her. Mum didn't have much milk so I took her on as a pet.

This is Nina's behind. She was born on 10th March. We sorted out the morning's mess with the ewes and then Dad appeared with this lamb. My first thought was that one of the pets had escaped, but it didn't look like one of them. Nina had slipped under the door shortly after being born and spent her first hours wandering the shed before pushing herself in between the pens and the wall, becoming stuck. Thankfully Dad spotted her! No ewe owned up to being mum and so a pet she became.

In the red snood is Dotty. She's out of Fiona who had her first lambs this year on 27th February, a girl and a boy. Fiona didn't have much milk to start with so I took both lambs off of her. Dotty was more sickly than her brother Dash so when Fiona's milk came to her it was Dash who was returned and Dotty remained as a pet. It took some work to get Dotty to drink well but it has paid off.

In green is Margot (often nicknamed Badger for obvious reasons). She was born on 15th March. Her mother was a Mule who had no milk at all. Margot's sister died suddenly when she was a day old but Margot has thrived as a pet. She's very soft and huggable.

The lambs had a lot to see.

The final lamb in the group was Lady. She was born on 13th March. She was called Lady because when she was young she was very calm and dignified - not so now! It took a couple of weeks but once she came out of her shell she wasn't quite so ladylike.

The daffodils were still on the lane when I took these and the girls enjoyed nibbling on them.