This column just writes itself somedays, you know? My practice every Wednesday is to read the Virginia Gazette when I get up and write about something that illustrates what is special about my town. Today, this story jumped out at me. While we’re on indictment watch we can calm ourselves by looking at lambs.
The lede for this article is “Spring has sprung, and with it, Colonial Williamsburg has begun to welcome its newest residents.” It goes on to say “Since the beginning of March six lambs have been born, with about 12 more expected to arrive by the end of April.” Why do they say “about 12?” Well, according to Anna Rinehart (apprentice livestock husbander for Colonial Williamsburg), “Sheep ultrasounds aren’t always incredibly specific, so it’s hard to tell if we’re going to have singles or twins.” Who knew?
The yearly celebration of the lambs is part of Colonial Williamsburg’s Rare Breeds program, founded in 1986 to promote genetic diversity in livestock that thrived in 18th-century colonial British America. Among the breeds the foundation is helping to preserve are Leicester longwool sheep, Cleveland Bay horses, American milking shorthorns (a cow of some sort I think), Dominique chickens, and Nankin bantam chickens.
In addition to the lambs, Colonial Williamsburg’s Coach and Livestock team is expecting foals, which will be born later this spring. People walking around the Historic Area will come across a number of pastures hosting anything from horses to sheep to cattle. The 200 or so animals in Colonial Williamsburg are regularly shifted from pasture to pasture, so it may take some walking to find the baby lambs on any given day. (Hist: costumed interpreters on the streets may be able to point you to the right pasture.)
You should note – if you’re looking for baby calves, you’re out of luck this year. The Coach and Livestock team isn’t breeding the resident cattle (a sentence I’ve never written before), mainly due to space limitations. Anna Rinehart (the livestock husbander quoted earlier) said “With the cattle, we have to be a little bit careful with space. We want to make sure we have the time and resources to have a bunch of calves running around.”
Colonial Williamsburg is not running the Rare Breeds program solely to entertain visitors. The wool is used by Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Trades and is also sold in the gift shops. Many of the lambs born this spring will eventually be sold to other farms and museums that are interested in breeding Leicester longwools.
Once all the babies are born, the cycle continues with weaning in the summer. Om the fall, breeding starts up again. Anna Rinehart says “There’s always something.”
This reminds me of a time in college when my Aunt and Uncle were in the 'burg (board meeting for something or other) and brought my (about) 5 year old cousin. I was glad for any excuse to skip studying, so was happy to take her walking in CW. She was not particularly impressed by the buildings or even the costumed folk (5, after all), but eventually we came upon the herd of sheep. Once assured by ye olde shepherd that it was ok to pet them ... she proceeded to pet and have a conversation with each and every single sheep. I was the (slightly bored) heroine of the day! She is now retired, too, but I love this article reminding me of a fun time. Thanks, Karen.
I wish I could join you! It’s a pleasure to read something so soothing today. Thanks! 😎