A surprise!

I 'm a little late getting this up, but hey, I'm a college student. I do what I want! Two weeks ago this Thursday I got a call from home saying I would never guess what they had at home. I went through my typical guesses. Puppies, kittens, lambs, chicks. It wasn't any of those.

Betty, one of the yaks, had just had a surprise calf. We didn't think Betty was bred when our last bull left for his new home last August but what do you know nine months later there's proof to the opposite running around the pen.

Yaks are so shaggy it's kind of difficult to tell when they are pregnant. Here we are thinking the poor gal was just fat off of hay!


This is the first purebred yak calf to be born at our place. Our first calf was a dzo or a cow x yak hybrid. The big red lummox in the photo is that calf. Her name is Ruby ( the yow). Cow +yak = yow...Get it? It's easier to explain than dzo in any case

Unlike most hybrids Ruby is fertile. Female dzos ( dzoes ?) are fertile while the males are born sterile.

In any case we're happy to have the new baby, whose been named Sophie, join us!

More picture of Sophie, Ruby, the new girls, and the rest of the gang when I go home for summer in 18 days!

Homeward

On Friday I'll be driving home to see my dad. My mom and sister will be away at college orientation.
While I'm there I'll be working on my financial aid, performing bumble foot surgery on one of my turkeys, and baby sitting a rather rotund ewe who should lamb anytime now.

 

I'll also be going with my dad to pick up these lovely ladies !



These are Himalayan Yaks. The three heifers we'll be picking up on Friday are called Royal yaks due to their coloring. Royal Yaks are spotted kind of like Holstein dairy cows. They'll be joining our trim (black with white forehead or legs )cow, Betty, and our imperial ( pitch black) bull, Boris/Buddy/Smoke. There is a little bit of contention about the poor guys name.


More on yaks to come! As for now I need to buckle down and start on my calculus homework.

Whose Your Daddy?

        These little darlings where born yesterday back at home. I haven't seen them in person yet so I can't vouch for their cuteness, but I'm taking the picture as good sign.
       
       There is a little boy ( don't get too attached) and a little girl.  Unfortunately, by this time next year the little ram will probably be taking up residence in the freezer. The little ewe will be having her own lambs. I would love to keep all of our babies but it isn't really feasible....and you know the fact I really do love lamb doesn't hurt either.

      That big white head getting in the way of the cuteness is their momma Molly. Molly and I need to have some words. You see last August I spent a good deal of time picking the perfect ram-friend for her. In September I brought in her gentlemanly lover, Eli, and they got to spend a good two months together....along with the rest of his harem.
       In December the ewes were all starting to miss their friends so for Christmas they traveled home along with their friend, Henry. Here is where we reach a problem. You see Molly's babies were born so late in the season she doesn't know who the father is.

                                        Is it Eli or is it Henry? The world may never know.


For shame Molly. I thought I raised you better than that.