Beginning at about five or six weeks of age, we gave our lambs their first immunizations for tetanus and a couple of common sheep diseases. Trying to catch lambs of that age for anything can be a trick: they run so quickly and jump so high that we've had to develop a method to our madness in trying to catch them! We have found that locking them into a small area - like a stall in the barn - works much better than any other option. We need to give them a booster shot after about three weeks, so, between coats and shots, we handle the lambs a lot in those first weeks!
We also try to clean them up a bit before we turn them over to their new owners.... We make sure that if they are going with coats, that the coats will still fit for at least a couple of weeks, and that they are not torn and fairly clean. If the lamb has manure tags from grazing rich grass, we try to trim them off - it is important to make a good first impression, even if you are a lamb!
There is a lot of paperwork that needs to be put in order before a sale, too. Every lamb we sell comes with not only a registration, but also a print-out of all of the computerized information that we have collected on that lamb since birth. That includesweights every month (beginning at birth), every notation we've ever made when handling the lamb (when it was dewormed, immunized, medicated, etc.), any color genetics that we have been able to figure out from the sire and dam, any illnesses or injuries (not common), etc. Thank goodness the paperwork is computerized! I can't imagine having to sit down and write it all out longhand - including the five generation pedigree!
My last task, besides loading the lambs up for transport tonight, is to mix up creep feed for their first week or so in their new home. Sheep, and especially lambs, require a pretty consistent feed ration - dramatic changes will really throw off their digestion. Because of that, I make sure each lamb goes with about seven pounds of creep feed to slowly make the transition over to whatever their new owners will feed them. Our ration is not a ready-made mix - we mix it ourselves for our lambs each day. That means that I now have to mix enough in my little buckets for well over a dozen lambs for at least seven days or so. Needless to say, it's going to take a little time!
Once we leave tomorrow morning to deliver the first lambs, it will be exciting! There is nothing like watching a family welcome home a small flock of little lambs - especially when there are children involved! At that point, all of the preparation is suddenly worth it, and we drive away knowing that not only are our lambs in good hands, but we've also likely made new friends with their new owners in the process. It won't be long now....!
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