Lamb-demonium

Lambing season started Monday the 21st, which was day 147 from turning in the rams.  Right on schedule.  Since then we have been pretty darn busy, just having had ewe #26 give us a great big single.  Not quite half way though the crowd, and I really don't think the pace will stay this fast, but one year I was done in 18 days (ewes cycle every 17 days during breeding season), so....... it's possible we'll just keep at it hammer and tongs till they are done.

In the meantime, the first lambs born are already being turned into larger mixing pens with their moms and lambs of the same age.

Why yes, I am a handsome fellow, now that you mention it.

Here's one of the many new additions today.

Not looking so suave, akshully.....

Rapidly followed by his sibling.

I know breakfast is here somewhere.........

The second lamb is also white, but birth fluids can range from nearly clear to bright mustard yellow to dark burnt orange.  I've heard that darker fluid relates to stress the lamb had before being born, but really I haven't see a correlation between color and perkiness or the lack thereof.

More than half the ewes are still waiting, passing the time eating, sleeping and thinking deep thoughts.

Wide load.  Har.  You hoomans are sooo droll.

Them Hollywood starlets don't KNOW from "baby bulge".

Try carrying this load, honey.

So what's the procedure when somebody gets born?  After the lambs can get up and totter around without falling over easily, they and mom get moved into their own little pen (lambing jug) to bond and have some quiet resting time for about 2 days.  It's a perfect way for us to monitor both mom and lambs for a couple of days to make sure no one has a post-partum health issue of some kind.  We've streamlined the system to work for us, and keep almost everything we need in the lambing kit, which is actually a tote with a slot in the bottom which is perfect for setting down over the edge of a board..

This includes lamb cradle and scale for weighing, and wide mouth pill bottle with iodine for dipping the umbilical stump, which is done as soon as the family is jugged.  A bottle of BoSe for giving a supplemental selenium (a trace mineral) injection to the lambs within a few hours of birth because we are so deficient in this area.  Clipboard with chart to record all info and make notes for every mom and lamb.  There's always something notable to say about ANYbody.  Elastic bands and bander for docking tails and plastic rototag eartags for giving each lamb an ID number before the family is turned into a larger group.  Miscellaneous needles and syringes, curved forceps, eye ointment, surgical staple gun, antibiotics and other miscellaneous meds "just in case", and usually....... my giant travel mug full of coffee :-)