Lambing Drama
Lambing and the start of grazing are a very busy time of year. There’s been icy rain and snow, hypothermia, lamb sweaters, 3am bottle feedings, triplets, QUINTUPLETS(?!), hand milking, lambs snuggling with dogs, many healthy unassisted births, and lots of crying lamb babies.
This little lamb was from the set of quints. The two biggest took right to nursing but she and her even smaller brother were premature at 3.5 and 3 pounds and became bottle babies. I worked with her for a few days to see if she could eventually learn to nurse from her mama, but ultimately the bonding window closed and the ewe no longer recognized her as her lamb. She was a vigorous little thing but looked like a doll at half the size of all the other lambs in the pasture. When her mama wasn’t interested anymore, she snuggled up to Lena the livestock guardian dog’s tail.
Ultimately it became clear she and her little brother—who was still just learning to walk and having some trouble with a leg—needed to be raised as full time bottle babies by someone who could give them more time and attention. I felt fortunate to find a wonderful family just starting their homesteading journey who took them both and are showering them with love.
There are still a handful of mamas left to give birth, and a gaggle of 25 lambs bouncing around the pastures each morning and night. I post many videos of all the lambing action to my Instagram and Facebook stories each day. Follow along there to catch some major cuteness along with all the drama!
