How exciting! We were fortunate enough to be home yesterday to witness the birth of our first Dorper lamb! The labour was intense and I must admit, at some times I was a bit uncomfortable, reminiscing about my own labours!The ewe would stand up, hoof the ground and then lie down, straining her neck and stretching her face towards the sky as she pursed her lips and pushed. My children were completely mesmerised by the entire process.
When the lamb eventually pushed through, the ewe abruptly ran to the middle of the flock, with a lamb halfway through the birthing process. The other sheep scattered at the sight of this terrified ewe (resembling a push-me-pull-you from Dr Doolittle) . Suddenly the lamb dropped and natural instinct took over. She cleaned her little boy and he was standing on wobbly legs in no time. Completely beautiful.
Even better was what we witnessed this morning. Our Alpaca Kerrie, who was purchased in the hope that he would help to protect the sheep, was standing guard, protecting the lamb from any unseen dangers. It's truly wonderful when a plan comes together!
