March is a time of preparation on the farm.
Our lambs are due to start arriving April 1 so things get “back – mapped” from there. We start with stripping the sheep barn and getting it set up for the moms.. Depending on the progress of new grass growth we will begin to supplement their feed with some grain. 70% of the lamb growth occurs during the last month of pregnancy so the ewes need more nutrition. Also, as the lambs get bigger there is less room in their rumen for bulkier forages so the need more concentrated feed.
We will also be doing our pre-lambing shearing. There are several reasons to shear the sheep before lambing. It makes it easier for lambs to nurse; keeps everyone cleaner; and it is easier to observe what is going on with the ewe. Additionally, a shorn ewe will be more apt to seek shelter with her lamb in bad weather. We also trim feet and update vaccinations at the same time. This provides a time frame for optimal antibodies to develop in the ewe’s colostrum for the lambs.
Cold rainy days provide a good time to go through lambing supplies and order anything we may need. We also order ear tags for the lambs. We try to use different color tags for different years. It makes it easier to tell from a distance which sheep was born which year. Likewise, we tag the ram lambs in the right ear (R = Ram) and the ewe lambs in the left ear. This is also a good time to catch up on the latest research and webinars.
The flow of maple sap started a bit earlier this year but is beginning to wind down as the nights get warmer and the trees start to bud out. Below freezing nights and sunny days with temperatures above 40 degrees are ideal for flowing sap. Tom has been boiling down the sap to produce syrup. It takes about 35-40 gallons of sap to produce a gallon of syrup. He has about 1-2 gal of syrup thus far.
The grass will soon be starting to show as “green fuzzies.” The vegetable gardens are still dormant at this point but planning is underway and, depending on the weather, planting may start this month. It’s always nice if we can get potatoes in the ground around St. Patrick’s Day.