Hector | Renville County
Tell us about your farm and the baby animals you had this spring. At Cream City Lamb and Wool, we breed Finnsheep and Finnsheep crosses to produce lambs for market and breeding stock that we sell to other farms. We also harvest the wool from our ewes to create fun things like yarn, dryer balls, etc. We lamb in groups throughout the year and are currently lambing our fourth group of lambs for the year.
How do you prepare for baby animal season on your farm? Preparation starts about six weeks before lambs begin to be born. We increase the nutrition ewes are receiving to help ensure they can have as healthy lambs as possible. Then, two to three weeks before lambs are born, we vaccinate ewes so they pass immunity to their lambs through the colostrum. As we get closer, we ensure that their bedding is replaced more frequently so that newborn lambs are born on clean bedding. Things don’t really have a timeline; we do them when they fit in. We also double-check that all barn cameras are working and make sure we have a good stock of supplies we use frequently, like rubber gloves and ear tags.
What are the most common signs you look for to know that a mother is about to give birth? We watch for changes in their udder. We also watch for their sides to sink a bit, which happens when lambs move into the birthing position.
What signs do you look for to know if a baby animal is not doing well? Right after birth, we watch to ensure the lambs get up fairly quickly and get moving. If they do this, then we leave them for a while with their mom to allow her to do her job without being nervous about us being nearby. After a few hours, we check their bellies to make sure it looks like they have eaten. We watch how they are lying, to see if they look like they are comfortably sleeping or if they are low on energy. When they stand up, lambs that are getting enough to eat stretch; lambs that aren’t usually hunch up. We also watch their breathing to ensure they don’t have any fluid in their lungs. If they do, we remove it to ensure they don’t get pneumonia.
What specialized care do the baby animals receive from you in their first weeks? On top of watching for signs they aren’t doing well, lambs and moms get moved into a bonding pen immediately after birth, where we can watch them closely. They are weighed right around birth, after they are dried off, so we can track their growth. We tag them with ear tags so tracking them is easier. If they need their tail docked, we also do that. Once lambs have a good start, usually between 24 and 48 hours of age, mom and babies go into a group pen with other moms and babies. Lambs then get access to feed that moms cannot get, which helps them start developing their rumen so that when they are weaned around 7 weeks of age, they are well adjusted to eating the feed and don’t have any setbacks.
_________________________________________________________________
Voge’s Boer Goats
Royalton | Morrison County
Tell us about your farm and the baby animals you had this spring. Our kidding (that’s what it’s called in the goat world) season starts Dec. 1, so we try to have our kids as close to that date as possible. We program our breeding dams with controlled internal drug release. This way, they cycle at the right time, so we can have babies at the right time. 4-H has two classes of meat goats that we try to show our animals in.
How do you prepare for baby animal season on your farm? One of the ways that we prepare our farm for kidding season is by having the barn fully bedded and having multiple stalls ready at all times.
What are the most common signs you look for to know that a mother is about to give birth? There are a lot of signs to look for when a nanny is getting ready to give birth. An easy way to see if they are going to kid is to see if they “bloomed.” That means that their udder has gotten twice the size, or their belly has dropped, meaning the kid is positioning in the uterus to come out.
What signs do you look for to know if a baby animal is not doing well? For us, it is pretty easy to see if one of our kids is sick. Most of the time, the kid likes to remove itself from the rest of the group. Or it gets really lazy or just physically doesn’t look good.
What specialized care do the baby animals receive from you in their first weeks? The special care that the kids get when they are first born is that they get iodine on their hooves and their umbilical cord.
_________________________________________________________________
Kerkhoven
Kandiyohi County
Tell us about your farm and the baby animals you had this spring. We are a dairy farm with a few beef cows mixed in. We offer 100% grassfed raw milk and beef. We have had several calves born this spring.
How do you prepare on your farm for baby animal season? Besides making sure our cows are healthy, not a whole lot. I really believe less is more. I believe in healthy immune systems, so we do not vaccinate our cattle, which is important to me and those who buy products from me.
What are the most common signs you look for to know that a mother is about to give birth? In cattle, it is pretty easy. I check udders, vulva and ligaments often on cows that are due to calve. We also use a device called Moocall, which is a calving sensor the cow wears on her tail. The sensor is non-invasive and alerts me when a cow is in active labor. Super helpful tool to have in one’s toolbox.
What signs do you look for to know if a baby animal is not doing well? Scouring (diarrhea) and pneumonia are the most common illnesses in calves. Usually calves go off milk, refusing a bottle or nursing on mom and are listless or lethargic.
What specialized care do the baby animals receive from you in their first weeks? Besides making sure they get colostrum in the first few hours of birth, I don’t do a lot extra besides love on them so they are friendly as adults.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here