February Farm Update: Welcoming Spark, Overcoming Challenges, and Embracing New Beginnings

As always, it’s been an eventful and challenging month here at Sandy Patch Ranch!

Overcoming February's Challenges: Loss and Resilience

Our sweet ewe Candle with her first lamb

Many of you may already know that we lost our ewe, Candle, but in her place, we’ve been blessed with her little lamb, Spark. Candle had a smooth delivery and was incredibly attentive to her baby, spending her final 13 hours nursing and caring for Spark as a devoted new mother. She died due to a prolapsed uterus. While we’ll share a separate post detailing the experience and what we’ve learned, today we want to focus on the joy Spark has brought to our flock.

Spark our orphaned lamb adapting with us

Welcoming Spark: Our New Lamb's Journey

Spark is thriving! She spent her first two weeks inside bonding closely with our daughters. Now, she’s transitioning to the flock, spending half the day with them while still sleeping safely in our backyard at night. Since our flock is small—just our two ewes, Minnie and Cloud—we wanted to make sure Spark had plenty of companionship.

Spark the new lamb exploring

We quickly learned on her first day out that she could slip through the fencing! To keep her safe, she’s now staying in our small backyard coop with a heat lamp. Between the coop, the backyard fence, and our pack of Catahoulas standing guard, she’s warm, secure, and well-protected from coyotes.

We will also share a more detailed post on Spark after we’ve weaned her, reflecting on our experience with bottle feeding and introducing her back to pasture.

Egg-citing News: Hens Laying and Upcoming Hatchings

With the cold snap behind us, our hens are finally laying again! We’ll be hatching chicks soon, so if you’re looking for Brahmas, Lavender Orpingtons, or Speckled Sussex, be sure to send us an email.

Looking Ahead: Plans and Hopes for the Homestead

We’re continually grateful to God for our home, our ranch, and the blessings that come even in difficult moments. We’re looking forward to an exciting year ahead and can’t wait to share it with all of you!

"The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land He is giving you." – Deuteronomy 28:8

Catch Up on Our Farm Journey