Really does come round quickly!!
Valais Blacknose sheep can lamb all year round where the majority of domestic sheep lamb in spring. It is important to not breed sheep any earlier than twelve months of age to produce lambs from 18-24 months of age due to them growing relatively slowly.
This is our fourth year lambing and it has been different every year. If you're new to sheep I've added a little checklist to help you with your planning.
Lambing essentials:
Colostrum The best quality colostrum you can afford
Lamb bottles
New teats
Lamb kick start (we always have this to hand)
Ewe drink (to give mum a bit of energy after lambing)
Iodine (10% strength)
Lube
Needles & syringes (usually small for lambs)
Disinfectant
Gloves
Prolapse harness
Castration rings and pliers
Order id tags beforehand (We tag and castrate by day two to minimise discomfort)
Heat lamp (if you have electricity in barn)
Lamb feeding tube
Spray marker
We also have a lambing cord to assist difficult births. I have seen this used (although haven't myself, where there are two loops either end of the cord. One to tie around the lamb and the other goes on your foot. With a quick pull from your foot, the lamb pops out. Amazing!)
We also ensure the ewes have hay, straw, feed, salt lick mineral bucket and fresh water readily available.
We're very much looking forward to the new births on the farm and please keep in touch with all our lamb spam on socials.
Happy lambing!!
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