The lambs have started arriving! It’s music to our ears to hear the newborn ‘baa…baaa’ greeting us as we near the barn. So far we’ve welcomed a couple sets of twins from some first time mothers and today a set of triplets.
Lambs are usually up and looking for their first drink within 15-30 minutes of being born. Figuring out how to balance and coordinate their legs so quickly always amazes me AND they know just where to look for that first drink!
We keep the ewes in ‘jugs’ or small pens with their lambs for the first few days so we can keep an eye on them to make sure they are all nursing well before we put them together with the other ewes with lambs. The first 24 to 48 hours after birth are a critical time for the ewe and her lambs. During this time, bonding occurs and the ewe as well as her lambs learn to identify each other.