Lambing Season

It’s baby season on the farm. Last autumn’s breeding now is yielding adorable little lambs. The waiting and preparations process was well-timed, as the births have been coming at least one a day.

The first to deliver was Bossy Girl, a leader sheep who wants to be first at everything—first to the feeder, first up the ramp in the parlor. Apparently, she also was eager to be first having her little ones!

A sure sign of babies on the way is that the ewe decides not to eat. Sheep are very food motivated, so refusing food means the sheep is not feeling well. This can be a way to catch indications of illness, but in this case the ewe isn’t feeling well because she is in the early stages of labor. She holds back while the others gobble away. Instead, she’ll opt to hang in a corner and paw herself a nest, standing up and laying down and pacing in discomfort.

Kara can tell who is drawing closer to delivery time even before the ewes refuse food by the changes in their body shape. Normally through the pregnancy, the lambs are held up tightly against the body, creating a “pontoon” look out either side of the belly. As delivery time approaches, the babies drop into position, creating a caved-in appearance along the spine and tail. The udder becomes engorged, preparing to feed the little ones, creating a noticeable “shelf” between the back legs.

Noticing these differences helps us stay alert for who to watch closely, so we can be there for each delivery. We run several cameras in the barn so we can watch the sheep from Farmstead Creamery, or anywhere else on the farm, including in the middle of the night from bed! Before the cameras, we used to trudge out to the barn every few hours around the clock, but as soon as the barn door would open, the sheep would change their behavior, knowing they were being watched. With the system of cameras, we can see their natural behavior, which is much more telltale about what’s coming up next.

As one ewe begins to deliver, all the other sheep in the group are on the alert. Several of them often come to the gate, calling for help.

“Hey, humans, help! We need your help in here!”

Mom and Kara hurry in with their lambing gear, and the sheep are relieved that help has arrived.

The experienced ewes know to lay down and push out the baby, but new mommas (called “primes”) can be quite frantic. This process is completely new to them, and they can be quite scared. One prime this spring was practically screaming as she began experiencing contractions, but she calmed down as help came in.

Bossy Girl had her first baby in the main part of the barn, then Kara caught her while Mom held the lamb, and they guided her out of the large pen and into a smaller jug pen with a heat lamp, so they would be away from the other sheep, who can get spooky and run around. It also helps the ewe to feel calm and safe, and it’s easier to manage the one baby as well as help with the next one if there are multiple lambs. Bossy Girl definitely had multiples to give—a total of two boys and a girl! In total, she was carrying 27 pounds of baby inside. So far, she and her little ones are doing great, and she’s able to feed them all at this point.

The next ewe to have multiples, the situation as much more complicated. It wasn’t her first time, but a half an hour after breaking her water bag, there was still no sign of a baby. They brought the ewe into a jug and checked her, and there were four feet and a head presenting. The babies can’t come out that way! The ewe has no way to turn the babies herself in a malpresentation, and the situation can go badly very fast. This is why we make such a point to be present at every birth.

Kara pulled on a set of gloves that go up to her armpit and worked to make sense of the situation. The first baby was presenting as an upside-down breech (can’t come out that way), with the second baby presenting in the normal swan-dive position coming up underneath. She had to push the upside-down baby back into the uterus, then guide the second baby out. Then she reached back in and turned the first baby so it could come safely out. There isn’t much room in there for all of this maneuvering, and years of practice, patience, and Mom’s guiding skills in human obstetrics have helped her develop the skills to do this delicate work safely and effectively. What could have resulted in the deaths of both the lambs and potentially the mother instead is a happy, healthy mom with twins.

We are now 5 moms and 9 lambs into the process, about a quarter of the way for this springtime lambing group. Last night, another set of adorable twins were born, including one little girl lamb that is completely black from head to toe! These precious lambs are a welcome sign of springtime, even if it means next to no sleep for weeks. Here’s to a successful remainder of the lambing season! See you down on the farm sometime.