We are officially in the lamb business. In 4-H, that is. Poor Nicole's pig died just a few weeks after we got it, and she opted to switch to a lamb project. Boy is she happy about it; she's wanted to take a lamb project for the past few years. She was nearly giddy with excitement on the way to the ranch where we picked him up.
And then we got there and realized it was going to be a free-for-all. Literally. Fifty baby lambs and about 30 kids all running around trying to pick their animal. Nicole did surprisingly well for a first-timer. She calmly walked in there and waited for a couple animals to walk near her. She nabbed this one and seemed happy with her capture. We asked the breeder what he thought of him, and he said it was one of the best lambs out there. Of course, he probably says that about all his animals, but we took it and ran!
In other news, less than 48 hours after bringing him home, he got out of his pen somehow. (We've since learned that this phenomenon is more common than we had imagined. Sheep are good jumpers!) He is now running free in the wilds of Keuterville. We've spent hours and hours looking for him, but at this point he could be anywhere.
He's been spotted a couple of times by confused Keutervillites ("Why is there a lamb in my front yard?"). The latest sighting was about 4 miles from here. We have high hopes that we'll find him, but she has to take her lamb to the weigh-in scheduled for Saturday or she can't show him or sell him at the fair.
Hmm. Do we buy yet another animal? Third time's the charm, right?
Hmm. Do we buy yet another animal? Third time's the charm, right?
Fun times. Could this girl have a little more trouble with 4-H project animals this year?
Scratch that. I'm sure she could.
Exciting Update: WE FOUND HIM! We were convinced after two days on the lam (pun intended), he was never to be contained again. He was cornered last night by some farmers who spotted him near their cows. Glenn was contacted and he RACED out to where they were. It took five grown men 30 minutes to catch him, and it was touch and go for awhile. We are overjoyed to have him back!! Yippee!
2 comments:
sure enjoyed our visit on the phone and so glad you got the lamb back. love you aunt wanda
Whew! Yes, these rascals can climb, jump and "scoot" under, over and around almost anything. As a kid, our pen was TWO livestock panels, wired on TOP of one another and set on top of concrete blocks. (AND, only 12' X12' so they couldn't get a "running" start.) A little different than pigs, but I'm sure you will do fine. Although VERY rednecky, pallets work awesome for smaller pens. Just FYI. Oh, talk to your leader (or me) about tetanus vaccines and having sheep by your horses. Can be a big deal. Waiting to see him!
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