Despite snow and rain storms, our lambing season has gone really well this year. Our ewes give birth out in the sagebrush and are not penned or sheltered. It's a natural way of doing things, and we hold off on lambing until mid-May so we've made it through the worst of the storms and the lambs can be born on green vegetation. We're about half-through now. I maintain it's easier to heat up a cold lamb than it is to cool down a hot lamb, so I prefer to lamb in cool weather. Lambs also grow better in cooler temperatures than when it's hot.
This lamb was born this morning in the snow. Mama ewe is just getting started getting the babe clean and dry, turning it into a beautiful white lamb, rather than the orangish creature she gave birth to.
We only have one bum lamb so far. Buck here was a twin who got separated from his mother. I looked for him for a day, and figured a predator must have taken him. But Buck finally managed to find another ewe who had her own lamb and didn't want another one. We picked him up and brought him to the house. He's been staying outside, but here he is lounging on the couch after a warm bottle, herding dog pup Hud unable to resist giving him some attention.
3 comments:
I'm with you, I have no idea what to do on the occasion (at other people's farms) that I come in contact with a lamb born in the heat. We lamb in January (we have a barn) and I prefer it to be cold.
Several eagle falconers were issued permits to trap depredating eagles this spring/summer. I would like to find out how successful they will be. 6 permits were issued.
Kitty, once the depredation season for trapping is over, I'll find out how many were actually trapped. So far, it's zero.
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