While doing the morning chores I had time to watch the Katahdins. For Lilac Hill their strong flocking behavior makes them easy to handle, moving as a group around pastures and through gates. While at rest or grazing they do seem to have preferred buddies. Queen Mab, the calmest of our first ewes on the farm, prefers the company of her daughters. She often stands aside to watch the flock. Like Mab, her daughters are calm and friendly.Mauve and Maude, also from our first set of ewes although not has calm as Mab, are barnyard friends. Maude, who adopted Marilla's orphans in the spring, has recently switched her attentions from the orphans to Mauve.

In the farm book Marilla's twins have names but since they are shy,stick together and avoid human contact, I usually think of them as "the twins". Their sire was of questionable quality so any offspring will not enter the our breeding flock and I will be watching their performance this year. Hopefully they will pass on the strengths of the Katahdin breed.Owen's 13 is a calm ewe lamb from nearby Owen's farm and does not have a particular companion.

I found lambing season gentles the ewes. I the few weeks preceding lambing I confine the ewes to the barn and barnyard. The ewes get accustomed to my comings and goings in close quarters as I do the barn chores and nighttime barn checks. After lambing, when a ewe is in the lambing jug with her new lambs, I can give individual attention to the skittish ewes and get acquainted with the lambs.