March is a time of preparation on the farm.
Our lambs are due to start arriving April 7 so things get “back – mapped” from there. We start with stripping the sheep barn and getting it set up for the moms. The pregnant ewes have spent most of the winter out with everyone else eating hay and the remaining ‘standing forage’ (grass). However, we will bring them up in early March and separate them from the others. This allows us to keep a closer watch over them and they become reacquainted with the lambing area. 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 will start to diminish as the nights get warmer. Below freezing nights and sunny days with temperature above 40 degrees are ideal for flowing sap. Boiling down the sap to produce syrup is an ongoing process but this will begin to wrap up in March as well.
The hay fields have been limed and grass is 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.