You're never too old, or too young, to learn! (Shepherds-in-training)

I have two posts-in-progress; I've been flying, however and unable to complete them. But let me tell you what Alison and I have learned today:

1. We've learned how to worm and vaccinate sheep.

2. We've learned how to "crutch" a sheep (which is removing fleece in certain areas so the newborn lambs will have no problem finding mom's teats)

3. We've learned about impending delivery signs: udder size, wax plugs, circling and pawing behaviour.

4. We've learned that I have have to pick up "just in case"; soapy iodine solution, glycol, lamb kick-start, a ceramic heater and regular iodine. And that in a perfect world, I will only require the iodine.

5. We've learned how to give sub-cutaneous and intramuscular injections.

6. We've learned how to put ear tags in lambs by practising on a cardboard ear /blush/.

7. We've learned that if a newborn lamb doesn't get warm and eat within four hours, it will die. Period.

8. We've learned how to hang and towel a lamb, clear its airway, administer lamb-starter through a syringe or a feeding tube (and hopefully I've learned how to get the feeding tube into lamby's stomach as opposed to its lungs!).

9. We've learned how to deliver a lamb showing any possible presentation of body parts (one leg back, breech, etc.) We've learned how to gently and blindly tease out said body parts, and we've learned how to push lamby back IN in order to help it out.

10. We've learned how to construct a "hot box" to revive a lamb suffering from hypothermia.

11. We've learned all about the evils of chlamydia in sheep (causes spontaneous abortion and which we vaccinated for today among other things) and of uterine prolapse. We've learned that prolapse retainers, although looking like medievel instruments of torture, are actually quite useful in the event of a prolapse.

12. We've learned how to use elastrators (yup, just what they sound like!) to dock the babies' tails, and that there is only one best spot to put them to ensure success and the least pain.

13. We've learned that a hair dryer is just as useful in the barn as the washroom; in fact, perhaps more useful (living lamb vs. bad hair day).

14. We've learned that lamb temp can be estimated by a finger in the mouth, or determined by a thermometer somewhere else :D.

15. We've learned that despite having to learn EVERYTHING above, the chances of having to do most of it are slim-to-none, and that most likely we will get up in the morning one day, early in April, to a mom and twin lambs. But that as a shepherd you must be prepared for the worst at all times, because if things go bad there is not time to dawdle, nor often even time to call a vet.

All this resulted from about 2 hours with my friend and shepherd-mentor Linda. I'm so thankful for her willingness to invest in our education.

We will continue to keep you posted about our mini-lambing adventure :) !