Looks like Lambing Time!

Winter is asserting itself. This, contrary to Darwinian principles means it is time to birth babies. Every Veterinarian who has ever attempted to live the lifestyle of a large or mixed animal vet knows the worst nights- the slashing rainstorms, the -0 temperature nights with bitter unforgiving wind, the ghastlier the weather; the more likely that local ruminants will decide to finish their gestation.
I recall an awful night in North Carolina, thunderstorm and torrential rain. My friend and roomie, Shila, and I were called out by a friend, to help at the University Dairy, where one of the cows was feet up in a ditch with her youngun' being born into the cold run off of the fields. We tried to figure out how to pluck a Holstein out of creek, in the dark, in the mud, in the rain. First thing was crawling out of the ditch with the 90 lb. calf; slippery calf, slippery slope. The momma didn't make it. That was a depressing night. She had prolapsed her lady parts ( pert' near all of 'em) into the mud, and that was the best of the news. The calf made it though.
Now, that was years ago, maybe 22? And, lots of awful weather nights have brought many complicated ruminant births between then, and now. But tonight, with the temperature set to be hovering in the low single digits, and a strong Ohio "breeze", we have one ewe that may have been waiting for just such an unforgiving night to birth her lambs. Heaven knows she looks about ready to burst. Middlest got up twice in the ghastly cold of last night, and tonight will be a repeat, and every night until we finally get little ones. The reason for the checking, is if you can catch the birth timely, you can save lambs that might otherwise not make it, due to the membranes not getting cleared from their mouth and nose, or freezing to death, or getting stuck- which is also dangerous for the momma. If they're alive, you can insure they get colostrum- the first milk of the mother, that holds precious antibodies, essential for early immunity against disease, and their umbilicus gets protected from infection.  So, set the alarm and stumble up to the barn in your jammies, feet shoved in boots, bundled in your Carhartts; it's lambing time!