Bronagh Lambing

While I'm working in the barn I often take photos of the lambing process--partly to amuse myself and partly to use as a resource when new sheep raisers ask about the lambing experience. It is useful to know how much time there is between seeing a ewe in labor and when lambs are born, time between deliveries of twins, time it takes for a lamb to start nursing. There are wide variations in these figures, but I like to be able to show a "real-life" scenario. This is a ewe named Windy Acres Bronagh who lambed a week ago.                   I saw her at about 7 a.m. and knew that she was in labor. The first sign of labor is often just behavior. You have to know what normal behavior looks like to know when something is different. I spend a lot of time looking at my sheep.                   A more obvious sign is seeing the sac emerge when the ewe has contractions.                   The first lamb was born about 7:20 and I brought the lamb inside the barn.                   It sometimes takes much longer before the second lamb is born, but this one was coming within five minutes.

                     That's the first lamb getting up within ten minutes of birth.

            Both lambs were nursing within a half hour.                 This is the lamb board. These lambs were #49 and 50.

                       This is one of the lambs one week later.