Ah, Lambing Season – the best of times! When the world turns anew and we’re greeted by the sight of fresh, bleating life. This is the season of pregnant ewes, of birthing and nurturing, of stress, excitement, tragedy and reward, all rolled into one.
Preparing for this year’s lambing was a Herculean task, for we had just moved into a new barn – bigger and better, but still untested. The barn was finished last year but didn’t have electricity and wasn’t set up for lambing in time. My husband and I had to add new lambing pens and create an entire new system of organization. It
was a daunting prospect, but my husband had some unexpected time off from work, thanks to the blizzards that locked us in our yard. We had no choice but to make the most of it, and we did. The lambing pens were set up, the cameras installed, and we were ready to roll.
We stocked up on all the supplies we would need – ear tags, milk replacer, latex gloves, nipples for bottles, and emergency colostrum and electrolytes for lambs that need extra care. It was a long list, but we were determined to be prepared for every eventuality.
Lambing season ki
cked off on April 6th with the arrival of our first lamb “Sparrow”. Since then, we’ve been enjoying a slow and steady stream of 2 or 3 new lambs each day. To date, we’ve welcomed 22 lambs, which means we’re already a quarter of the way through the season.
As always, we’ve given each lamb a name based on a theme, and this year’s theme is birds. There are many cute lambs to choose from, but my favorite is Egret.She is a Romney and already has the most adorable wool features. We’ve had our fair share of challenges, including a C-section at the vet’s and several difficult births that required my assistance. We’ve also had some first-time mothers who haven’t been very maternal, which makes it all the more special when we come across one who cares for her baby as she should. An excellent mother is highly esteemed at the Bear Creek Ranch.
We’re just getting started, so stay tuned for more updates. Follow me on Instagram for adorable lamb pictures, reels, and TikToks. You can also find me on Facebook and EweTube, where I occasionally go live from the lambing barn.
