Asha's Lamb-Along Spring 2026

[Asha_Gail]

I've seen so many fun hatch-alongs popping up and I long to participate! But alas, woe is me for I cannot partake in the hatching of the eggs. For I am too busy hatching lambs instead!

Every year I attempt, (key word here is "attempt"), to track the totals of my flock's lambing.

I have done so for about... eh, lets go with five years.

I succeeded once. Miraculously.

So, as always, try try again!

I may not be able to partake in the hatch-along but I can participate in my own little way! So my plan is to update the count daily (I am 100% positive I am being overconfident) and share at least one new picture (I am 100% sure that last part is doable. I take So many pictures!) Feel free to watch as I drown in lambs and go further down the sleep deprivation rabbit hole! Questions, commentary, etc are always welcome!

Without further preamble, starting statistics!

Start Date: Friday, March 13th
# of Ewes: 251
# Left to Lamb: 247
# of Lambs: 0

 

[Asha_Gail]

Pictured: Lily, a bottle baby from last spring. She's a bit of a pet and will be having her first lambs this season

 

[Callender Girl]

Lamb "hatching" takes me back to my childhood and the wonder of seeing those wobbly little critters take their first steps into the world.

I also remember that our ewes (too) often chose the coldest, windiest, snowiest days to drop lambs with no regard for being INSIDE the shed, not out in the drifts.

I was the designated bottle-baby feeder. Dad sold all the lambs EXCEPT one little blind one that he let me keep.

Best wishes with lambing and posting about lambing!!

 

[Skyeknight]

Sounds lovely to hear how the Lambing goes! I also own sheep, although not nearly as many as you do. Almost halfway through the lambing season already. What breed of sheep do you own? How many lambs on average per sheep?

 

[Asha_Gail]

Lamb "hatching" takes me back to my childhood and the wonder of seeing those wobbly little critters take their first steps into the world.

I also remember that our ewes (too) often chose the coldest, windiest, snowiest days to drop lambs with no regard for being INSIDE the shed, not out in the drifts.

I was the designated bottle-baby feeder. Dad sold all the lambs EXCEPT one little blind one that he let me keep.

Best wishes with lambing and posting about lambing!!

Oh yes! Those first little fumbles are rhe best, once they're up you feel so much better about things. Up and nursing? All is right in the world!

Our barn keeps them inside but there's one corner in the back that always gets some of the outside weather, snow and sleet and rain and wind. Where do the girls decide is The Prime Lambing Spot? Right in the giant puddle.

My dad has designated me as the bottle baby feeder lol, but occasionally I can convince him to keep my favorite pets from that year. So now we have a handful of sweet little sheep in the flock that are a little Too friendly and always right in the way! (Still love em)

 

[Asha_Gail]

Sounds lovely to hear how the Lambing goes! I also own sheep, although not nearly as many as you do. Almost halfway through the lambing season already. What breed of sheep do you own? How many lambs on average per sheep?

Most of the fellow sheep producers I know personally are also almost through their lambing, a few years back we chose March for the nicer temperatures so we're often a bit behind XD

We have all Polypay, its of American origin (in the 70's from out west I think?) and quite prolific. "Dual-purpose" but I would describe it more as a high producing sheep with the body to suport itself. Good udder, lots of milk, and lots of lambs to drink the milk. I love them, definitely a commercial breed though. The big thing they're known for is the fact that they can lamb twice a year. (We don't practice that tho)

Twins are what we get in majority. Then depending on the year we can have more triplets than singles, but usually the order goes Twins, Singles, followed closely by Triplets, and Quads. We're at around 200% lambing rate. Some say to automatically pull a triplet lamb so that the ewe has twins to take care of but most of ours handle it just fine. We keep a close eye on them still and pull to bottle if anyone shows weakness. We've had a couple of ewes successfully raise quadruplets too.

 

[Asha_Gail]

Start Date: Friday, March 13th
# of Ewes: 251
# Left to Lamb: 247
# of Lambs: 0

I check on the girls regularly, they're still kinda skittish, but every day they care less and less about my presence. Primarily because they don't wanna heave to get themselves standing! (And I don't blame them!)

They're big, they always are. But every year it feels like they're bigger than they were the last. We have a lot of ewe lambs in this bunch, more than normal by a large margin. Usually we breed them a month behind to give them a little more time but I pushed for turning them in at the same time as the rams were turned in. Welp. Got my wish, cross your fingers that it isn't a baaaa-d decision or else I'll never hear the end of it

It's only two days away, but it feels like waiting another month yet. Still gotta set up the jugs but thats tomorrow's project. (Hooray, I am filled with joy at the prospect of it)

(Pictured: a very pregnant ewe who is completely and udder-ly over it)

 

[GreenJay]

Start Date: Friday, March 13th
# of Ewes: 251
# Left to Lamb: 247
# of Lambs: 0

I check on the girls regularly, they're still kinda skittish, but every day they care less and less about my presence. Primarily because they don't wanna heave to get themselves standing! (And I don't blame them!)

They're big, they always are. But every year it feels like they're bigger than they were the last. We have a lot of ewe lambs in this bunch, more than normal by a large margin. Usually we breed them a month behind to give them a little more time but I pushed for turning them in at the same time as the rams were turned in. Welp. Got my wish, cross your fingers that it isn't a baaaa-d decision or else I'll never hear the end of it

It's only two days away, but it feels like waiting another month yet. Still gotta set up the jugs but thats tomorrow's project. (Hooray, I am filled with joy at the prospect of it)

(Pictured: a very pregnant ewe who is completely and udder-ly over it)

Poor baby, she looks like she'd pop if you poked her, she's huge! How many do you think she's carrying?

 

[Asha_Gail]

Poor baby, she looks like she'd pop if you poked her, she's huge! How many do you think she's carrying?

She was all pancaked out in the straw and comfy XD My favorite past time is to guess how many lambs a ewe will have, and I've learned that the girls are really good at hiding it. Most likely she has a nice healthy set of twins, buuuuut she could have a little trio of triplets! (Or she only has one swimming around in there and she'll surprise us lol) but my money is on a nice big pair of twin lambs!

 

[Asha_Gail]

Start Date: Friday, March 13th (Tomorrow!)
# of Ewes: 251
# Left to Lamb: 247
# of Lambs: 0

Tomorrow is the opening day! Dad is skeptical that we'll have lambs on the ground right away but I'm feeling confident. Maybe I oughta buy a lottery ticket...

Today is all about setting up. The barn is Full with a capital 'F' so we waited till the last minute to set up jugs. Trying to let the ewes have as much space as possible. Right now I've got half the jug gates out, and I'll finish getting the rest out in about an hour. Then I'll get to tie all the gates together (yippee).

We also had an issue with the feed. We feed silage based TMR (Total Mixed Ration) and thanks to the warm weather it all rotted. Its not... terrible, the sheep are still eating some, but I think we'll have to be vigilant for Circling Disease for the next few days unfortunately. Fingers crossed.

Also going to push to bed the barn one more time so the lambs are born on nice, clean, fluffy bedding.

To-Do
- Bed the barn
- Set up jugs
- Set up waterers
- Push down feed
- Fix some gates
- Clean the area we use for bottle lambs
- Plus anything else I'm sure will be added to the list as the day goes on lmao

(Pictured: a pregnant ewe wondering what I'm doing)