Poddy lambs : 10 ways they’re like children ( a 13 year old’s viewpoint ) *
Having had 17 poddy lambs this year has made me sort of like a Mum. This is what I’ve noticed about my babies (well, lambs!):
- Before you have your own, you think that lambs all look the same. But once you have your own pet lambs, you realise they’re all individuals. Pepper’s tail has two kinks; Sumac is always thin, no matter how much you feed her; Salt looks up at you with his head on the side; Oregano has droopy ears; Fennel has a Roman nose; Basil has big, fluffy feet; Saffron has a fox-nipped tail.
- Lambs seem to appear suddenly. Sometimes more than you can keep track of. Other times you only have half of the lambs you’d like.
- You can’t name a lamb until you’ve seen it – only certain names suit certain lambs.
- You have to feed them constantly, including waking up in the middle of the night to go outside and feed them. If you have lots of lambs, you’re barely finished one feed when it’s time to start another.
- They make a mess, they eat the garden (or raid your fridge!), and if they aren’t fed on time, they sure make a racket!
- When you go and sit with them, they’ll all come and sit on or around you. They nuzzle your ears, chew on your hair and suck your fingers.
- Lambs have their own personalities! Mintie loves hugs, but when she’s cross, she stamps her feet; Basil loves having his cheeks scratched; Macie will hang over your shoulder but doesn’t like being touched; when Pepper wants attention, he paws at you with his sharp little feet; and if you let Salt suck your fingers, he’ll bite hard enough to draw blood!
- Lambs make great hot water bottles, and have been known to snuggle on your lap and fall asleep.
- Even though they grow up and may go a little ‘wild’, they still remember you, and show appreciation for the care you gave when they were younger.
- Lambs give splendid hugs.
By the time it comes to lambing season next year, our memories of cleaning out milk bottles and hard work will have faded, and it’s very likely that we’ll volunteer for another round of lambs 🙂
They’re worth it. They’re darlings!
* Re-posted from June 2016. This year, we have had just 4 poddy lambs, so our ‘family’ feels kind of small 🙂
