Count down to lambs

Its getting into the middle of December.  The girls and boys are separated and the countdown begins for spring lambs. What happens in-between, you may ask? Its not just a waiting game.  We still have ewes that need their coats changed out to a larger size - for their (hopefully) growing bellies as well as their growing fleece.  Coat changing can be tricky sometimes.  The older girls are used to the handling.  Once they see us heading for their paddock with a pile of new coats, after a few minutes of catch-me-if-you-can, it quickly turns into okay-I'm-done-running-away-lets-get-this-over-with attitude.  The younger girls, though, and a couple of the older gals with attitude, usually need to be tricked into a smaller space where we play the "catch-me" game a little longer.  But, once everyone is caught, they stand nicely and let us change their coats.

What else needs to done? We need to confirm a shearing date.  Preferably the end of January or beginning of February.  Since we like the shearing done prior to lambing, we really can't go any later than that.  Girls were put with boys the middle of September. Counting down five months from then, my first lambs will likely begin arriving the middle of February - which, as 2014 flies by - isn't too far away.

By the middle of January I will have the birthing stalls set up, which means fresh straw on stand-by, heat lambs hung in various locations, extra heatlamp bulbs stacked in the feed room and making sure we're starting with a clean debris-free area.

Then, the true waiting period begins.  After shearing, I will do middle-of-the-night barn checks.  First-thing-in-the-morning barn checks. Drive-home-for-lunch barn checks. You get the picture.  We keep a close eye on our girls when lambing season is here.

A bonus this year - we hope - is that two of our miniature horses should also be delivering come March and April.  If all goes well, Sunny Silver Maple Farm will be bustling with new life and activity come Spring of 2015.  In the meantime, hope all are warm and healthy and happy as our warm weather slowly slips away into the true depths of winter. Happy Holidays from Sunny Silver Maple Farm.