The Little Lambing Barn

The last lamb of the season hit the ground Easter afternoon. It was a big Southdown/Lincoln “oops” ram lamb out of a first time mom who didn’t even look pregnant. Even though this is not my barn and these are not my livestock, it is an amazing experience to watch the lambs being born and walk for their first time. The lambing season is a special part of raising livestock that only happens during the early months of the year. This surprise delivery in the little lambing barn marked the end of this season.

Watching the lambs being born, I can not help but realize how important the little lambing barn is on this farm. The low roof allows for heat to stay lower to the ground in these colder months when the lambs are born. The insulation keeps the barn temperature above freezing and the walls are able to keep the wind and rain away. There are a couple smaller stalls for ewes that have already lambed, are soon to lamb, or for the buddy sheep that was not pregnant but was keeping the last mom company during the past week waiting up to the delivery. There is also one large stall for when the mother is in labor allowing her to have a lot of room.

Not only is the lambing barn designed to offer comfort to the ewes, it is designed to enable the farmer to be more efficient during the lambing season. In addition to the stalls, it has room for hay and bedding to be stored. This allows for fresh bedding to be laid quickly and for feeding the mothers to go fast. The little barn also has electricity so that the water buckets can be heated during the cold nights. Everything about this barn is efficient including the location to the house and main barn. It’s a quick walking distance which is nice for the farmers on cold nights. It is also close to the main barn making it much easier to move the older lambs.

PC: Easter the last lamb of the 2018 lambing season.

With the birth of the last lamb who we named “Easter” the 2018 lambing season has come to an end at this farm. It’s the closure to a season of waiting and checking the moms every hour to see if they will lamb. It also brings closure to a lot of worry that something could go wrong such as the delivery of a stillborn lamb, premature babies, birthing complications, and even the rejection of lambs by their mother. It also means that the lambing barn will soon be closed back up for summer.

Watching the lambs being born is something I look forward to. It is another aspect that adds to the great respect I have for people who farm the land and raise livestock. This only makes me more excited for the my future in pursuing agriculture as a career and lifestyle