Warning: the following pictures are graphic images of a sheep giving birth!
Our last ewe to lamb, Emerald, cooperated with us last Saturday, April 28, by giving birth at a reasonable hour--9pm! I had noticed her nesting and acting very about-to-give-birth-y, so I grabbed my camera and declared, "I'm sitting in the barn until this lamb comes!"
That was at 7 pm, so I didn't have too long to sit in the cold. She began having contractions around 8, and then things went pretty fast. Morgan, Mike and my mom-in-law, Jude were all present. Morgan is only 7 and handled things very well. She quietly asked questions as things progressed and wasn't phased at all.
Contractions
Bag of water emerging.
Hooves and nose emerging through the bag of water in the "diver" position.
The bag of water breaks and things get slipperier (hooves and nose again).
Head emerging.
Shoulders emerging.
Body emerging
Body mostly out. At this point, the sack came off the lamb's face and she started breathing. If Emerald had given birth standing, gravity would have helped finish up.Emerald was finished pushing, and the little lamb more or less kicked her way into the world.
Welcome to the world EmmyLou!
Gooey but alert.
Up and searching. She was a little confused about which end had milk for a while. She finally got it.
This was the best entertainment in the barn!
Starr (the llama on the far left) had a hard time containing herself; she wanted to help lick Emmylou clean. She kept sticking her nose between the slats of the birthing pen until Emerald finally gave her a strong head butt.
Lick, lick, licking
The next morning, all clean and fluffy.
Out in the pasture on a foggy Wednesday morning (4 days old).