Preparing for Lambing Season 2020
The lambing pens are set up & bedded with a layer of shavings topped with a thick layer of straw. Sinead, Cailin and Caroline are all looking very pregnant & I feel there will be lambs in the next few days.
Today, I noted that Cailin, a registered Teeswater ewe, was spending a lot of time by herself, laying down in the barn. She is a good girl & usually very cooperative. I easily haltered her at feeding time & with a handful of grain enticed her to follow me, placing her in one of the lambing pens.
I like the ewes to lamb in April because the temperature is warmer & most or all of the snow is gone – leaving mud, which should gradually be drying up. In planning for the correct time to put the ram in with the ewes, I usually choose the beginning of November, specifically my father’s birthday, November 7th – which usually brings a smile to his face!
I will gather up towels to dry off lambs, if need be, & iodine to dip the umbilical cord in.
Nutrition is so important to the flock. High quality second cut hay and Poulin grain ensure that the sheep are in good condition & producing hardy, healthy lambs & excellent fiber. The ewes will require an increases in their feed once the lambs are born.
I have done all that I can to help the whole process.
Now, I wait….
