Chores

1. Move slowly around the pregnant ewes so that they don’t run into objects and injure their unborn lambs.
2. Check the health of all animals. If any appear to be sick or injured, contact the instructor or a teaching assistant immediately. Call the “owners” of any ewes that are in labor or have newborn lambs.
3. Remove stems from feed bunk (don't remove good hay) and add enough hay to keep the bunk at least half-full.
4. Feed 1 pound of concentrate per ewe morning and evening. Watch for changes (probably increases) as indicated on the feed sheet. Sprinkle the concentrate on top of the hay. This slows down the speed of consumption because the ewes have to sort through the hay to eat the concentrate.
5. Add straw for bedding as needed.
6. Add water to the water troughs if low. Empty and refill if dirty. Only keep about ½ full.
7. Feed hay and concentrate to each ewe that is in a cubicle and fill her water bucket, if necessary.
8. Record these activities and the number of ewes and lambs on the feeding record sheet and be sure to place your initials in the “comments” section.
9. Initial the daily chore and lambing check sheet next to your name.
10. Sweep the floor in the main part of the barn.

Lambing checks

1. Do not enter the pen of lambing ewes unless necessary.
2. Move slowly around the pregnant ewes so that they don’t run into objects and injure their unborn lambs.
3. Count the number of ewes and lambs.
4. Call the class “owners” of any ewes that are in labor or have newborn lambs.
5. If a ewe that is in labor has not made any progress in one hour, call the instructor or a teaching assistant.
6. Record information on the “Lamb Check and Observation Sheet” and be sure to place your initials in the “comments” section.
7. Initial the daily chore and lambing check sheet next to your name.

Care of newborn lambs

1. Do nothing except dipping the navel in iodine, unless it is necessary to preserve the life of a lamb or ewe. For example, if you see a birth and the placental membrane covers the nose of a lamb so it can not breathe, then remove the membrane. Our objective is to allow each ewe and her lambs to express natural bonding behaviors.
2. If ewes are not interfering with (stealing) lambs of the lambing ewe, and her lambs nurse on their own within an hour of birth, leave the ewe and her lambs alone until the next chore time before transferring them to a claiming pen.

After the ewe & lambs have bonded (~ 6 to 24 hours later)

• Eartag and paint brand the lambs with same paint brand number as their dam after they have nursed and dried off:
• Each lamb gets two, identically numbered eartags.
• The left eartag is placed from the front and the right eartag is placed from the back; both in the middle of the ear. Leave some space (about ¼ to ½ inch) for the ear to grow out. 
• Record both the dam’s plastic tag number and metal tag number and the lambs’ tag numbers.
• Open the gate at the other end of the cubicle so that the ewe and her lambs can enter the mixing area when they wish.

After about 1 week of age

• Use the emasculator to dock the lambs.