Anticipation, excitement, and a certain tension are in the air – a sure sign it is almost time for lambing to begin. When we start getting edgy about all we have left to do before the first lamb appears, one of us inevitably asks how we are doing on supplies and equipment. On a rainy late winter day it helps to go through the calming exercise of laying out what we have, taking inventory, and restocking from catalogs or a quick trip to town. It’s an important event in the Soay Year Calendar.
The really critical lambing “stuff” goes in the Lamb Kit itself, so I will start there – the subset of supplies we actually bring with us as we head out to greet each new arrival.
A brief aside: When Soay breeders brag about how easily their ewes give birth, they are not exaggerating. The ewes just do it, no muss, no fuss. As soon as the lamb is on the ground, the ewe cleans it off, gets it on its feet and encourages it to start nursing. Once the lamb has a full tummy and is producing its own heat, the immediate crises of birth are past.
But because we live in an area extremely deficient in selenium, an essential element, our vet recommends giving both the ewe and her lamb a selenium injection as well as a shot of vitamins. And, because Steve’s focus is pedigrees and tracking genetic characteristics, ear tags also are essential identification tools. The ewe cannot address these issues, so we help out. We have a standard routine we follow with each lamb, usually about 2 or 3 hours after birth or the first thing in the morning after an overnight birth.
And that brings me back to the Lamb Kit itself. Here is what it contains:
- Nitrile gloves
- Iodine for the umbilical cord
- Thermometer
- Portable scale
- Clean rags or towels
- Syringes pre-loaded with selenium and vitamin supplements
- Baby ear tags & applicator
- Lambing cards & pencil
- Flashlight
All of this fits neatly in a rectangular plastic container with a handle that looks sort of like the removable top tray of a tool box only much deeper. We got ours from the local farm store and I think it is designed for use with horses. It has a nifty groove on its bottom side so it straddles the wire fence and can’t tip over, always a plus when you are working with slightly gooey, wriggling new lambs.
Here’s a picture of our Lamb Kit, partly loaded, sitting on a fence in front of one of our sheep shelters. Cat, contrary to appearances, is not part of the kit.
This post has gotten long enough. Details on what the various items in the Lamb Kit contribute to the mix in the next few posts.
For now …