The Boy will be doing three projects in Sheep this year: a prospect ewe (this is a lamb born this year, to be bred and shown for the upcoming 3 years - Cherub), a yearling ewe (a lamb born last spring, to be bred and shown with her lambs for the next 2 years - Banana Split), and ... yes ... a market lamb. Cupid was to have been his market lamb this year, and any market lamb has to be owned by the 4-H member before weigh in day, which was today.
When our 4H leader heard about the loss of Cupid, she offered to let The Boy to come and choose another market lamb from her flock. This is a very generous offer: she downsized her flock recently, keeping only a few of her best show animals. As a result, every one of her animals is a stunningly beautiful sheep. Her flock had produced a lovely white wether lamb, born the same day as Cupid, of the same mixed breed as Cherub (a Columbia/Hampshire cross). The Boy picked him out on Saturday evening, and christened him Curry (thanks to Auntie Ausra for the name!). The new lamb weighed in today at 38.5 pounds, a very respectable starting weight. Curry will continue to live with his mama for a few more weeks to get all the benefit of mother's milk, so The Boy will make the run to Leader's farm after school a few times, and help out with chores and sheep care, and then Curry will move here to live with the rest of our sheep and feast on creep feed, grain, and ammonium chloride supplement (the mineral you feed sheep to help avoid the problems Cupid suffered from).
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