With each day the lambs grow more vigorous and more confident. The milder weather means they are spending more time out of doors than inside the barn. Before venturing outside in the morning, they now dive into the hay served to the ewes for breakfast. Although the lambs have their own separate feeding area in the creep pen, eating from the adult manger appears to be the cool thing to do.
Favorite after -breakfast activities :
Rock Climbing
Rock Nibbling
Lamb races . . .
Since we use portable electrified net fencing quite a bit, one important early lesson the lambs learn is to STAY AWAY FROM THE ELECTRIC FENCE. The lesson comes through a combination of their natural curiousity and trial and error. A lamb must investigate any new object or situation with its nose and mouth. A close inspection of the rather flimsy looking white barrier at the pasture’s edge ends abruptly with a sharp ZAP. With frantic bahs, the lamb springs away to its mum like a rocket. From a safe distance it looks back in wonder – what on earth was that? Occasionally, a lamb will walk right up to the electro net and bite right down on the hot wire. Trust me, it’s a mistake he’ll never repeat.
Generally, one negative encounter is enough. They associate the fence with a scary SOMETHING and tend to avoid the edge of the pasture. It’s really much safer for them to learn to stay closer to the flock.