Orchard View Lincoln Longwools
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Shop
    • Flock Yarn
    • Raw Wool
    • Roving
  • Breeding Stock
  • Wool
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Blog

Another Lambing Season Complete

4/19/2018

2 Comments

 
It's hard to believe that another lambing season has concluded. And it was probably the most successful crop of lambs I have ever had! Twenty one bred ewes yielded 34 lambs- 14 sets of twins and 7 singles. We also had probably the highest percentage of ewe lambs ever for a total of 20 ewe lambs! Sorry for all the statistics, it was just a very exciting year for us after several frustrating years of single ram lambs.

The beginning of January held snowy weather and negative temperatures, and with most of the ewes showing very large bellies and udders, we were quite worried about lambing during the storms. After several pep-talks to the ewes to hold on a little bit longer, we began lambing on January 8th. In a matter of days, we had 9 ewes lamb. We only have, at most, 6 jugs (lambing pens) so it was chaos for a few days with "makeshift" jugs out of hay bales and babies everywhere. Toward the end of the season we had a few stragglers and ended our lambing season on March 6th.

No lambing season is without it's tribulations, which are expected for a shepherd. There's always at least one midnight check where you find 2 ewes and 4 lambs just as confused as you are about who belongs to who. There's always at least one ewe who needs to be helped along, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. This year we also had a yearling ewe abort her first lambs, due to carrying a "mummy" (an undeveloped fetus). Despite the normal challenges and setbacks, I'm so thankful that we didn't lose a single lamb after being born. This is a huge encouragement after several disappointing years. We did have two bottle babies this year, who we affectionately have named Norma and Hubert. I'll do a blog post about them later this week!

Now that everyone is around 3 months old already, tails have been docked, ears have been tagged, vaccines have been given and the oldest lambs have been weaned. Lambs will begin going to their new homes in a matter of weeks. It's amazing to think how fast they are growing and fun to see the personalities they are developing. Many lambs are already sold, and I look forward to seeing how they grow at their new homes. Now it's time to wait for the arrival of spring and green pastures.

All photos are from Maria Victoria Savka, a friend who visited on a gorgeous day in January. Check out her beautiful artwork at: https://mariavictoriasavka.com/ You might even recognize a few of the sheep in her art...
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
2 Comments
Dana Havas
4/19/2018 09:18:09 am

Such beautiful photos Emma. Congrats on a succesful lambing season!

Reply
Looking for Friends Massachusetts link
10/26/2022 01:06:53 am

Appreciate this bloog post

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Emmaline Long, main owner of Orchard View Farm, has a passion for Lincoln sheep and loves educating others about her breed and farm, She currently serves as the Vice President of the National Lincoln Breeders Association.
     
    Emmaline has a passion for all things agriculture & currently works a "real job" as an agronomist for a large crop farm in western NY.

    Archives

    October 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    September 2018
    April 2018
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013

    Categories

    All
    4-H
    Blankets
    Community Outreach
    Cornell University
    Education
    Fiber Arts
    History
    In The News
    Knit
    Lambs
    Maryland Sheep And Wool Festival
    National Lincoln Sheep Breeders Association
    Nys Sheep And Wool
    Shearing
    Shows
    Spinning
    Yarn

Orchard View Lincoln Longwools

7617 S. Lake Rd., Bergen NY 14416

[email protected]

585-813-7228


Contact Us

Stay Up-To-Date

Follow our blog!
Follow Now
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Shop
    • Flock Yarn
    • Raw Wool
    • Roving
  • Breeding Stock
  • Wool
  • Blog
  • Contact Us