April The Baby Lamb

On April 16th, one of the sheep gave birth to a baby lamb, which we named April. On Friday of that week, we went to the farm and visited her. During our visit, we docked her tail. During a lamb birth, there is a number of events that occur within the process. When the ewe is in labor, the mother will usually lay on her side. Eventually, a water bag will appear and break, then the tip of the nose and feet of the lamb is visible. Towards the end, the ewe will also give birth to the placenta. The placenta usually comes out of the ewe 30 to

60 minutes after the birth of the lamb. Usually, the ewe will eat the placenta because her instincts tell her to hide the evidence that her lamb was born to protect it from predators.