It's a Girl!

Her name is Dawa- which is the Tibetan name meaning moon or Monday's child.  As she was born on Monday, which happened to be a full moon, we thought it was pretty fitting for our first baby.

 

Rene came off the hill yesterday to get a drink and rejoin the rest of the herd, so Dawa got to rub a lot of noses.  She hid under Mom a lot, but she's pretty spunky so nothing scared her for too long, not even Pullo.  We're hoping Niobe gives birth quickly and safely so that she has a playmate her own size soon. 

Pictures

Yesterday Rene let people close enough to see the little one and it was drinking and running amok.  Adam even got some closer pictures.

Where sheep may (loudly) graze

Eirene and the baby are doing well- the little one is up  and eating and bopping around, but Rene is being a very protective mom and has refused to indulge the paparazzi.  So far they've been sticking to the high grass up on the farthest pasture, always with a bull body-guarding to make sure that no adventurous farmer gets too close.  So we have to wait until she relents and moves to a pasture that has been eaten down.

In the meantime, pictures of sheep.

Last weekend we weaned Ziggy and put him over with the rams.  We also moved two CVM halfbreeds from Adam's parents' farm to ours. 

Azi is a CVM/Jacob cross

Crowley is a CVM/Shetland cross

Fans of Neil Gaiman will recognize the names from Good Omens.  Aziraphale and Crowley, an angel and a demon- which suits our opposite little lambs.  They were not very happy about leaving their farm and their mothers, so we had a Greek chorus of lamb wailing all weekend long. 

Which was disruptive to just about everyone else on the farm, especially the ewes they are penned up with.

Maiden

Dutchess

Even our super sweet Princess was desperate for them to shut up.

But they seem to have calmed down a bit, each day gets a little bit quieter, so we're hoping that the keening will stop altogether very soon.

Besides, Azi is way cuter when she's happy.

New Arrival

Adam has been doing a yak head count every morning and night for weeks.  This afternoon, the count was one higher.

Eirene has given birth to one very wee yak.

(and by wee, I mean that it is currently about the same size as our border collie)

Mom and baby are doing just fine, moving from one patch of tall grass to another.  We don't know yet whether it's a boy or girl, but hope to find out soon.  And Niobe should be next!