[Jacob-list] Lambing

[Wayne & Edie Van Valkenburg]

The gestation period for sheep is 5 months or 143 to 154 days.  The
beauty of the Jacob breed is that you should have very little lambing
problems.  Being a hardy breed they lamb easily and the lambs are very
vigorous.  Within minutes of being born they are up and searching for
the udder.  The mothers have a wonderful natural instinct for survival.
They have already found a safe, dry area out of the weather to lamb, if
in the field.  In bad weather all the ewes seem to cluster in their
field shed.  As soon as one of them is in labor they all leave but will
come back when it is over and seem to stay in the opening of the shed to
protect the new one from the weather.  At this time we bring the ewe and
lambs into the main barn, weigh the baby and dip the navel with iodine
then but both in a pen with fresh water and hay.
The Jacob are wonderful.
Edie, Joy Farm, N.J.