I keep expecting the twin parade to end with a rash of singles because that is normal. And expected. And just not happening this year. Last night Beulah had a lovely set of twins, another ewe/ram set.
Then this morning, I arrive in the pen to find that Miss Claire had given birth to a set of twins as well! Yet another ewe/ram set.
Now, I don’t know if you are seeing the pattern that I am, but there is definitely a pattern amongst the twins born this year. Here, let me show you a little more clearly:
Abigail and her twins, ewe is dark and the ram is white.
Prudence and her twins. Dark ewe, white ram.
Claire and her duo, dark ewe and white ram.
Beulah and her twins, dark ewe and white ram.
Four out the seven ewes have had this specific combo. What the heck?! I wish that I understood sheep color genetics better but honestly, people have tried to explain it but I don’t have enough space in active brain usage to understand it. It falls into that category of things that I “should learn” but haven’t along with the Shetland colors and color patterns and spinning wheel ratios. I get it but……
So, for those keeping track at home, seven out of twenty possibly bred ewes have lambed at this point. Those ladies have had a total of thirteen lambs which is a 185.7% lambing average (my usual is around 125%). There are seven ewe lambs and six ram lambs.
We’ve still got a long way to go folks….
Sarah Jane Humke 