Dear Curiosity Journal,
This morning, I somewhat reluctantly banded the lambs’ tails. I feel it’s the right move for overall health and cleanliness of the animal, but the thought of it slowly squeezing the circulation from the tail until it falls off makes me feel terrible for little Birdie and Bitty. I slipped one of the bands over the tip of my finger and it did not feel good. Birdie, the white speckled lamb, has more of a Babydoll Southdown body shape, including an extra chunky tail, so I felt especially bad when I released the band over her tail and she cried a little. I learned that lambs with thick tails will sometimes lay down and kick when they’re banded, but after the initial whimper, she seemed fine. Betty had her body right up against mine as I handled her babies, stretching her head up to check what I was doing and echoing the calls of her bleating babes. She is coming back around to being friendly with me after a few days of being hyper focused on the twins and I’m happy the little family is becoming comfortable with me. I know that not all mamas take kindly to folks messing with their young. I continue to keep a close eye on the other two pregnant ewes and wonder what kind of mothers they will be.
~Joy
