Twin lambs that don’t seem to be thriving like the others?  If the ewe’s udder looks okay, my guess is the ewe— for some reason— isn’t making enough milk.  So I worm the ewe, give the lambs some extra lamb vitamins, and offer them “warm” sheep-milk-replacer.  By ‘warm’ I mean neutral to my wrist.  Dried sheep-milk-replacer (I use Merrick Super Lamb) is something I keep on hand (a 5-pound tub in my big freezer from year to year) for the just-in-case times.  If I can entice the lamb(s) to suck on the bottle then this will supplement what they’re getting form Mom.  I always leave lambs in with the flock so they learn to be ‘sheep’ but a little extra milk can only help them be thrive.  [Note: I will transition them to liking cold milk later on, just because it is easier for me.  For now though warm is most like Mom.]

All of our 2009 lambs are now born and looking great.  If the sun stays out photos will be posted on the Land & Lamb web site.  Colors include brown, badgers and one ‘reverse badger,’ totally black and several ‘Two Grey Hills’ black.  They’re rushing around  and growing and ever so cute as they begin to eat hay.

This Spring was weather-lucky: with rain the night before (the sheep were locked inside & thus dry) the weather was warming. But it is still early March so I have whole corn on hand to give them extra fat/energy. It is easy, they love it and it gives them a boost (and my neighbor sheared only 5 days earlier and his sheep faced a ten-below-zero night … time for whole corn!!