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HANDS-ON
LAMBING SCHOOL WORKSHOP
Held
every spring during lambing season
2010
Lambing School Dates TBA
2009 Workshop
Dates
Lambing School March 14, 2009
8:30am-4pm
Lambing
School March 21, 2009 8:30am-4pm
As
background for Lambing School, see SkyLines Farm's
Management
Practices
for in-depth discussion of my organic approach to sheep
production. Write
to get on the mailing list for
workshops.
WORKSHOP
OVERVIEW
Whether you're thinking about raising sheep or have already
started your flock, this daylong event will give you the
knowledge and the hands-on experience you need to feel more
confident about managing your lambing. We'll spend the day
in the company of the 50 SkyLines breeding ewes and their
lambs, learning the basics of how to manage a lambing season
for healthy happy ewes and babies (and shepherds too!)
What to
Expect
Lambing School is scheduled in the middle of the SkyLines
lambing season, so it's very possible that one or more ewes
will deliver their lambs during that day. During the 2007
Lambing School an obliging ewe named Greta delivered her
second lamb (of twins) to an enthralled audience moments
after we walked into the barn! Click
for 3 short videos
of that day, including a lamb birth.
Lambing School features
lecture and discussion on all the major topics related to a
successful lambing, plus a chance to get hands-on experience
with some or all of these important lambing time
activities:
- Checking a ewe to
determine if lambing is imminent
- Helping a ewe deliver
her lambs
- Caring for newborn
lambs
- Warming a chilled
lamb
- Giving a lamb an
identifying ear tag, banding its tail and
castrating
- Grafting a lamb or
teaching a nervous new mom to nurse
- Hand feeding a bottle
lamb >>>
Three-day-old
ram lamb
lounges in the morning sun
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Discussion topics in
the lambing barn (with hands-on when possible) . .
.
Pre-Lambing
- Styles of lambing management (pasture lambing, shed
lambing, hybrid systems like mine)
- Setting up the physical lambing area
- Lambing supplies and equipment
- Management of ewes before lambing - feeding, exercise, low
stress handling
Lambing
- Barn checks -
frequency, what to look for
- Labor - stages, signs, when to intervene
- Normal delivery & possible problems
- Care of the newborn lamb
- Chilled lambs - tube feeding, warming
- Colostrum - collecting it (milking the ewe), saving it
& using it
- Banding Tails, Castrating & Tagging
- Possible lamb health issues
- Bottle Lambs
- Udder management
Post-lambing
- Ewe and lamb management - mothering up, flocking up,
feeding ewes
- Lambing time record keeping - why it's so important and
what to record
Motherhood can
be so exhausting!
SkyLines ewe Pearl naps alongside her twin
lambs.
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SkyLines
workshop participants say...
Thank you for
taking the time during your busy lambing season to
give us a real world look at a sheep operation!
I went home with a new energy for my own
little endeavor, and without the sense of being
overwhelmed that I had been feeling up to that
point. I was amazed at how calm and well-adjusted
your flock is...it was a battle not to scoop up and
carry off one of your little bummer lambs. They
absolutely stole my heart! Please keep me on your
mailing list for any additional classes you may
offer. Thanks again for an informative and very
pleasant day!
Felicia Gast
Fruitland (Boise) ID
Thank you so
much for opening your home and sharing your passion
with me! I greatly enjoyed Lambing School and
learned lots. You inspire me - especially since
you're a former city girl too! :) If you ever need
help bottle feeding just give me a call and I'll be
there! I'm looking forward to the summer workshop.
In gratitude,
Kristen Koenig,
Moscow ID
Thank you!
I learned much about the dedication and careful
thought that goes into tending a successful flock.
It is a big undertaking. It is clear that such work
is not without its rewards. How gratified you must
feel to survey your fields filled with ewes and
their lambs after a successful lambing season! What
a treat it was for me to walk among your sheep and
have up close contact with the adorable little
lambs. Thank you for a special day and treasured
memories. I look forward to news of the next
workshop day.
Tamara Graber,
Troy ID
Once again,
thank you so much for the weekend! I love
experiences that turn out to be much more than I
knew to ask for. I'm sure we're now at well over a
hundred potential scenarios of how we might apply
the knowledge and include sheep in our newly
purchased small farm.
I have been on your web site this morning and it is
a wonderfully informative piece of work. We'd like
to start a modest herd, with a conservative number
of highest quality sheep, that can expand with our
knowledge. Might we reserve a ram and some of your
ewe lambs for next year?
Stan Hayes
Lewiston ID
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THE DETAILS
What to Wear
Lambing School may
well be a gloriously sunny, fine winter day, but plan on
cold and snowy just in case. We'll spend most of the day
outside or in the open-sided sheep barn so dress warmly in
layers with warm waterproof boots, long johns, heavy pants
and coat that you don't mind getting dirty, warm hat,
gloves.
Note: Biosecurity
is an important aspect of managing any farm, and it's
particularly important to me. Please wear clean clothing and
boots that have not been worn on another sheep farm. Before
visiting the sheep barn you'll walk through a bleach
footbath as a precautionary measure.
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Scene from a
SkyLines' March lambing
after a surprise overnight snowfall.
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Food
Lunchis included in your registration fee. We'll eat lunch
as a group in the house near the cozy wood stove. I will
provide hot homemade lamb stew. Feel free to bring your own
lunch if you prefer.
Lodging
On-Farm: You are welcome to spend the night on the
farm before or after the workshop, with advance reservation
required. Options:
A) My newly remodeled upstairs guest suite is available at a
discounted rate for workshop participants. The suite is very
private & comfortable, with your own bath, cozy seating
area, writing desk, queen bed, lots of happy plants, and
fabulous views overlooking the farm and organic veggie
garden. $75/night/1-2 persons.
B) Overnight dry camping on the farm in your camper or tent
is available to participants for $15/night. (Sorry, no dogs
or other pets allowed.)
Off-Farm: A private
campground with full facilities and a Forest Service
campground are both within about 5 miles of the farm. The
town of Moscow ID is 30 miles away and offers motel and
B&B options.
If you spend a night, meals other than lunch on
Saturday are on your own or potluck with the group.
Write or call for
more details on any of these options or to place your
on-farm lodging reservation.
Cost
Cost for the 2010 Lambing School Workshop is
$99/person (adult or child) including lunch &
reference materials. Two people registering and paying
together $89/person. Space is limited, so be sure to reserve
your spot early. $50/person nonrefundable deposit is
required to guarantee your reservation, balance due by
workshop day.
PayPal or personal check
are gladly accepted. Use PayPal to securely pay with a
credit card or bank transfer. Send your PayPal payment to
melissa@skylinesfarm.com or make your check out to SkyLines
Farm and mail to 4551 Highway 6, Harvard, ID 83834. Contact
me to confirm space availability before sending
payment.
Minimum
age
Children 12 or over are welcome, and must be supervised by
parent or guardian at all times.
To register or for more
info
Call me at
208/875-8747 or write me at
melissa@skylinesfarm.com.
SkyLines'
Angus
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SkyLines
Farm employs working
Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dogs.
Please leave your dogs at home.
SkyLines
Farm's Hands-On Lambing School is endorsed by the
University of Idaho/Washington State University/Rural
Roots "Cultivating Success: Small Farm Education Program"
www.cultivatingsuccess.org.
SkyLines
Farm 4551 Highway 6 Harvard, ID 83834
208.875.8747
Purebred Romney & Romney-Cross
Sheep
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