Sea Salt

Struck me as slightly bonkers that I am going to the shop to buy sea salt when I am surrounded by the sea which contains ...  salt ... so I made some!

It was surprisingly easy.  Took a large container with me one day when I went swimming and filled it up with water.  Let it sit for a few days for the sediment to settle (there really wasn't very much sediment at all) and then siphoned it into my preserving pan and put it on a low heat to steam away.  When I was down to the last half inch of water I tipped it out into a tray to let the last of the water evaporate -- and presto -- magic -- salt!  7 litres of water made about 300 grams of salt.  Things I never need to spend money on again!  :)

And we're done!

Greedy Ewe finally lambed yesterday morning -- and it's another black girl!  This was another nice quick one -- I checked her at about 10:15 and she hadn't started yet and at 11:45 she was all done -- just the way I like it!  :)

So that's seven lambs from six ewes -- three boys and four girls.  18 days from start to finish which I think is about as tight as I could have gotten it.  Now to start thinking about/planning for shearing...  Anybody want to talk to me about rooing?

Twins!

Last night was quite the roller coaster of emotions for me!  Brown Ewe had been standing apart since before Curly Ewe lambed, but she was really taking her time about it.  Finally started about 6pm last night -- and she was pushing and pushing and time was going on so eventually I decided to give her a hand.  Front legs out but head wasn't coming and I started to worry and then she decided to stop pushing altogether and get up and eat some grass!  At this point I was fairly convinced that the lamb was dead and I was thinking that I needed to get the lamb out to save the ewe but I didn't know how to do that so sent Danny for the farmer next door....

...and in the length of time that it took Danny to get down there and back, she decided to start pushing again and the lamb came out and it was alive!  AND THEN, the farmer said that she thought the ewe was carrying twins and PRESTO I pulled out another lamb!!!!! 

So in the span of 20 minutes I went from thinking I had a dead lamb and possibly a dead ewe to having two healthy very alive lambs!  Woo hoo!

The white lamb in the front here is the first lamb and that little black smudge in between him and the ewe's rear legs is the second.  This photo was taken about half an hour after she finished.

24 hours on and they are both doing well -- this is the first lamb -- a ram lamb.

And this one is a GIRL!  Woo hoo!  I finally have a dark ewe lamb!!!!!  Not the world's greatest photo but you can see that her head is a sort of warmish brown shade compared to her darker black body -- I am in love!  I think she is my new favourite lamb...  :)

So that just leaves Greedy Ewe to lamb now -- fingers crossed it's soon as I think she's getting fed up with all the lambs everywhere and not having one of her own!

Fourth lamb!

Curly Ewe lambed yesterday afternoon about 3pm -- first of my ewes (including at Bwlchyrhyd) to ever lamb in the afternoon!

I really like the warm brown colouring on this one -- so of course that means it's a boy!  Why are all the ones I like best boys?????!

Mummy totally did not want to let me tag her lamb!

Halfway!

They've been coming thick and fast!  This is lamb number three -- another ewe lamb -- born to White Ewe yesterday morning about 8:30 -- and I actually saw this one being born -- first time I have actually seen a live birth from one of my ewes!  Welcome to the world little girl!

I had White Ewe tipped to lamb first as she was so big, and she is still pretty big now, so perhaps there will be a surprise twin in a few weeks?  (Yes, it's a thing...)

Three ewes left to go -- none of them showing signs yet so back to the waiting game...