lambing essentials

It's that time of year again... for some people. We don't think any of our girls are pregnant. I am glad we kept back two rams, because we will probably breed again next year to boost the flock numbers a little. For this year, it is good. At least, that's what I keep telling myself, though if I am completely honest I am a little bummed about it.

In the meantime, for those of you who are lambing, enjoy this little video our 4-H club put together for a state-wide 4-H sheep and goat video lambing contest. The completed video had to be under three minutes in length, and educate about some aspect of sheep and goat health. They chose to talk about the equipment you need to have on hand for lambing, and worked it so every member in attendance at the last meeting had a little snippet to present.





I know I brag on these kids all the time but—they did this themselves. My sole contribution was forcing them to do it, because the club had committed and I am a big one for following through on commitments, and suggesting the word "penultimate." The president and vice-president (Secondo) came up with the focus, wrote the "script," organized the kids into an order of how they perceived the items would be needed, and filmed it. I could quibble with certain aspects, but no one can argue with the sheer impressiveness of teenagers having the knowledge and organizational skills to pull this together. The editing was done by Primo on his second day home for spring break, because he was feeling generous, and also because he is technically still a member of the club. 4-H extends through year 13, i.e., the first year of college. Thank goodness he was home to help, because he did a great job pulling it together with the music and text.

If you look closely, you can spot Secondo's feet in some of the photos of the equipment, providing incontrovertible proof that all the work was done by the kids. Albeit under slight duress, sometimes necessary for teenagers, but not necessarily a bad thing for them.