April 21, 2009 - The first lambs were born!

The first lambs of the season were born today. Here is Ola (sorry to cut your head off!!) putting on iodine on the umbilical cord. After 24 hours (to make sure they are strong enough to survive), the lambs are given vaccination shots. The lamb season is controlled where the farmer takes the rams into the sheep heard and leaves them there for about 3 weeks. That confines the very hectic lambing season to 3 weeks. Tone and Ola go 24/7 on shift checking on the sheep; separating newborn and their moms, vaccinating and sleeping in the barn when it is their turn. Pretty crazy time for them.

These lambs are pretty small, but they made it! Originally there were three, but one was way smaller than these and didn't make it. The sheep have a 'gestation' period of about 5 months. Labor takes about 1-3 hours depending on breed and the lambs usually stand up within one hour of birth.

Everyone is a little curious. 

The mother is a one-year-old. Haven't had lamb before so the farmer has to help her with the nursing part. The sheep is tied so it can't sit down for a couple of days because it could just lay right on top of the lamb and suffocate it.  The lambs did great on their end with the nursing. They are also kept separate form the rest of the sheep so that non of the others will hurt the newborn. The perfect litter is 2 lambs, but many times the older sheep have larger litters.

Barbara cleaned up the stables while waiting for mom to take photos of the lambs.

Plenty of work to do on the farm.