At Peace in the Barn

The barn is one of my favorite places to be. The smell of the sheep and their hay, the quiet murmur of chickens, the gentle nudge of goats nibbling on my clothes, the rub of cats around my ankles. Here is a first look at the new lambs in their cozy pen at the back of the little barn. You’ll notice how silent the barn is – the only sounds you hear are the tapping beaks of the chickens stealing grain out of June’s feed dish. Lambs are very quiet when they are near their mother and not hungry – that’s how you know day-old lambs have successfully established a nursing relationship. If you walk into a barnyard and hear a lamb bawling, it’s either lost its mom or she’s not feeding it. June is doing a wonderful job with Barbie and Bambi, and here we see them at three days old beginning to explore their world – chickens, cats, food, buckets, walls and fences.

Here’s a closeup look at the lambs snuggling Cracker, a white kitten who’s taken to hanging out in their pen. He’s enjoying the circle of light under the heat lamp. Notice that June won’t nurse the babies when she’s eating.