We're getting ready........for lambing
Here is our checklist to be completed by early February Purchase hay square bales for lambing jugs: done Purchase heat lamp bulbs: done Repair tilt table: done Purchase & install rolling stop ga...
Forum Discussion
1 set of twins born Feb 7.
After the lambs are born we move the family to a pen in the barn. They stay there long enough for us to do several things.
1. Record the lambs: color & Tag# of ewe, gender of lambs, color and tag# of lambs, brief description of the lambs
2. Put ear tags in the lambs: color based upon ram that bred the ewe, ear based upon gender of lamb (right = ewe, left = ram)
3. Dose the ewe with oral dewormer (ivermectin)
4. Give booster vaccination to the ewe (subq CD&T where T = tetanus)
5. Trim the hooves of the ewe
6. Ensure the ewe is allowing both lambs to nurse and that the lambs are strong
My wife does most of the items above, I am responsible for flipping the ~150lb ewe onto her butt in the pen (without stepping on or dropping the ewe on her lambs), hold her firmly enough to prevent her from flailing her legs, and then trim her hooves.
Once all of these are done, the family is turned out into the field with the rest of the flock.
3 ewes done, 59 ewes to go. The previous 3 years we've averaged a 175% lambing percentage (lambs that survived to the end of lambing/bred ewes); this predicts 108 lambs this year.
After the lambs are born we move the family to a pen in the barn. They stay there long enough for us to do several things.
1. Record the lambs: color & Tag# of ewe, gender of lambs, color and tag# of lambs, brief description of the lambs
2. Put ear tags in the lambs: color based upon ram that bred the ewe, ear based upon gender of lamb (right = ewe, left = ram)
3. Dose the ewe with oral dewormer (ivermectin)
4. Give booster vaccination to the ewe (subq CD&T where T = tetanus)
5. Trim the hooves of the ewe
6. Ensure the ewe is allowing both lambs to nurse and that the lambs are strong
My wife does most of the items above, I am responsible for flipping the ~150lb ewe onto her butt in the pen (without stepping on or dropping the ewe on her lambs), hold her firmly enough to prevent her from flailing her legs, and then trim her hooves.
Once all of these are done, the family is turned out into the field with the rest of the flock.
3 ewes done, 59 ewes to go. The previous 3 years we've averaged a 175% lambing percentage (lambs that survived to the end of lambing/bred ewes); this predicts 108 lambs this year.
