The wait is over, our first lambs of the season have finally arrived!

May 11th Finally, lambing season is officially over! Eva had her lambs by Dakota (with a little help). She's a large ewe anyway, but she was so big from not being able to get much exercise. She had slipped on the ice last year and broke her foot and the weight of her pregnancy on that foot made it difficult for her to get around much, walking slowly to the feeder and back to the barn. She had a very tiny stillborn ewe lamb and two VERY LARGE, beautiful ram lambs, a coexpressed black/grey mouflon and a solid black. All are doing well this morning.

May 6th, Awhile later Snoja decided it was time for the arrival of her lambs.  A nose came first so I new I had to go in and find a leg and delivered a feisty white ram lamb by Valuur.  She had a beautiful ewe lamb by herself a short time later.  Another beautiful set of twins by Valur.  I am always impressed with his lambs and I can see I have greatly under used him.  Very beautiful lambs.

May 6th, Monika was a total surprise.  I had her due date a few days off.  She looked uncomfortable,but when she stood up and turned around she had a water bag out.  A little while later she delivered the most beautiful ewe lambs, a solid moorit and a solid black with some white flashing.  I have used a different ram on Monika every year and she has always had nice lambs, but Valur was the perfect fit!  These lambs will likely be staying on the farm for awhile.  Monika is such a wonderful mother and it's already evident that these lambs both have grerat confirmations.

May 6th Perfect delivery this morning, it helps to make up for yesterday.  Millie had a lovely set of white ram lambs by Dakota. They'll carry either mouflon, solid , possibly moorit and spotting.  Really nice looking lambs.  These are Millie's first lambs and she is doing an outstanding job.  Millie is a two year old line bred ewe on Freyja's side and great granddaughter of Preston, 2005 National Icelandic Champion, really an incredible ewe.  She was not bred in 2009 due to her July 9th birth date.  Looking forward to see how these lambs grow out.

May 5th This morning, another set of twins.  Bjork had a lovely black/grey ewe lamb ,but disappointing to find a beautiful moorit moulon ram lamb, dead.  Bjork had lambed sometime in the early morning, it looks like the lamb drowned in birth fluids before she could get to him.  She was very upset when I found them and she seemed to want me do something about it, but there was nothing to do but move on.  It's always difficult to loose one, but you have to focus on the ones that make it and do well.  The black/grey ewe lamb looks great she should grow very fast with all the milk Bjork has for her.

May 2nd Surprise!  Anna, not due to come in for 4 days, chose to not play by the rules and had her lambs early.  Anna had a beautiful black mouflon ram lamb and a smaller, but fiesty black/grey badgerface ewe lamb.  She was a little on the small side and I was concerned that she didn't get enough to eat, but she was a tough little thing and got right in there  pushing her larger brother out of the way.  My worries for for nothing, I knew she would be just fine.

April 28th Yet another early morning delivery.  Suddenly, this has become a trend. Astrid gave birth to two very large ram lambs, a black mouflon and moorit grey.  Astrid is a great mother and is one of, if not the best milker in the flock.  Her lambs grow fast and are among the largest by the end of the season.  I was really hoping for a ewe this time, but we'll take healthy happy lambs any day.

April 26th Another early morning birth.  Happy to find beautiful twin ewe lambs by Vida ad Mona fed and all cleaned off, a moorit mouflon and a lighter coloured black badgerface.  I like to put them into a lambing jug for a day or two to bond.  This is Mona's second lambing and she is a terrific mother and good milker.

April 25th A nice surprise.  It was so wonderful to to be greeted during my morning lamb checks by two new lambs all dried off and nursed.  Tina and Vidar produced two lovely back badgerface lambs.  Tina's second lambs and she is an excellent mother.  You just can't ask more from them than that.

April 22nd Beautiful moorit badgerface ram by Svanna and Bjarni born this afternoon.  He really takes after his dad in his stocky and stout build.  I like to be there for the lamb deliveries of those first time moms, but it's not really necessary.  Svanna did great and is an excellent mom to her little ram.  She looks to have a lot of milk for him so he should grow fast.

April 19th Freyja's daughter, Floka, from last year, came in at the same time as Fryeja and had a beautiful, flashy, black/grey mouflon ewe lamb.  Excellent, trouble free first-time mom and as a daughter of Valur, has plenty of milk.  Passing milkiness to his daughters has certainly become one of Valurs trademarks.

April 19th Freyja, gave birth to twins, a ram and a ewe. The ram has horn buds and the ewe lamb looks to be polled, time will tell. Freyja X Raftur lambs are large! It took them about 1 minute to stand up and start nursing. Very vigorous lambs. They are white but have greyish skin and hooves. I'm hoping they have Freyja's grey gene.  AI is so unpredictable and  with only a 50% success rate it can be disappointing when they don't work out.  I am so excited that this cross worked out.   It's exciting to have twins out of one of the best ewes in the flock bred to the best AI ram at Southram.  It won't even matter if they are horned or scurred.

April 13th, A little unexpected, Opha, showed the suspicious signs of lambing.  I locked her up in the morning and by afternoon she had given birth to twin white lambs by polled AI ram, Langidalur, a ram and a ewe.  Much to my surprise again, horn buds on both!  That darn Langidalur!  I'm starting to embrace the idea of having a few "token" horned Icelandics.  I did breed Freyja to a horned ram last fall and she is next to deliver.  Watch her have polled lambs.  These are the first horned/scurred? ewe lambs from polled parents that have been born here.  You have to expect at least some scurred or horned ram lambs, but this has been a surprise.  These are not the sheep for anyone who wants absolutes. They never fail to surprise you.

April 12th, Spoke too soon.  Poor Thora, usually a very easy lamber and excellent mother, she had a difficult delivery.  Very large lambs, beautiful moorit mouflon ewe, (a definite keeper out of this ewe) was lost during delivery.  Had to go in and save the twin, a large solid black ram with fancy white flashing. It was a repeat breading with Dakota because it such an excellent cross, her lambs were fantastic last year.  Wasn't expecting a great outcome after all of the trauma and drama.  Covered in blood and birth fluids, I went back to the house to pull my self together.  I went back out an hour or so later with bottle expecting to have to feed the lamb and was pleasantly surprised to see Thora up, lamb cleaned off and nursed.  Excellent.  Mom and baby doing fine.

April 9th Maria gave birth to lovely twin ewe lambs by Bjarni.  The birth was uneventful, something I look forward to with these sheep. A perfect delivery.  One is solid black, the other is a grey moorit, both carry spotting.  It's nice to know Maria carries moorit, she is an excellent milker so her so her lambs should grow very fast.  I was surprised to feel small horn buds on the black ewe lamb, but I do recall, Maria's father, Langidalur does throw the occasional horns and scurs.  Time will tell, but it's not necessarily a bad thing.  I might just have to start a small horned flock.