Preparing For the Little Lambs
We prepared the lambing pens so that the ewes would have their own space to lamb and then bond with their babies. We had added straw to clean sawdust and the warming lamps above to help keep them dry and warm. Lastly, water buckets were hooked high enough for the lambs to not trip or fall in, but the ewes can still drink,
These are the raked out pens prior to setup.
We have since learned that is actually better to leave the old sawdust with manure packed down at the bottom with clean sawdust on top and that actually keeps the space warmer. (Note: for next year)
The pens with the straw and closed off gate. One step closer to a safe private space for birth.
We had been spending more time with the ewes Dolly and Rosie and had been patting their stomach and around their backside to get them ready for delivery. This helps acclimate the ewes to being touched so that they don’t have more stress if they end up needing assistance during their deliveries. This will help them be more comfortable if assistance is needed.
While we were waiting for the lambs, we were keeping an eye out on the ewes’ progress. This picture shows that the teets were pink and the bottom was also pinker. We had also observed that the udder was full in appearance. At this point we should have been checking on our ewes every 4 hours or so. Something we did better with the second pregnancy (Dolly) after sadly missing the first (Rosie).
We also wanted to hang hay feeders in these lambing pens and instead of spending money on durable permanent feeders, we came up with a repurposed feeder from a feed bag and hay bale rope. Alexia made these two feeders on her own. Check out her DIY project video below! It’s a link to our Pinterest video.
By Alexia Castonguay
Although it was sad to lose our first lamb from mother Rosie, we have heard that this is a common risk with sheep, especially first time moms. We have learned a lot from that loss and the safe birth of Ivy and plan to lamb again next year. In preparation for that and showing the sheep at the fair, we are purchasing a Southdown ram lamb and a bonus weather that will be a market lamb this fall. Yay!
Here is Dolly enjoying that recycled hay feeder made by Alexia. If you haven’t checked out her video, please do and leave her a comment on what you think. We did add a carabiner to make it easier to fill by bringing the bag to the hay instead of the other way around.
Here is Dolly being a great mom to little Ivy. We are glad Ivy has joined our flock. She will be shown at the fair this year. If you haven’t met our little lamb, Ivy: check it out on her blog post introducing her to our family backyard farm:
Ivy: Our Little Lamb.
