May is Motherhood Month here on the ranch and our ewes have been busy helping this month live up to its name as one by one they give birth to their tiny lambs. Most of our ewes have single or twin lambs, but some may give birth to triplets. In both early morning and late afternoon, we gather up the ewes who have given birth that day together with their little ones and move them from the range into nursery flocks, one band of single-birth ewes and another band of multiple-birth ewes. This system makes it easier for us to ensure that each ewe has her lambs with her and no one has been left out or lost. They’ll stay in their separate flocks for a few weeks, each with their own shepherd and guard dogs to help keep watch over the little ones.
The vast majority of our ewes have easy births and know what to do to take care of their little ones; even the first-timers have a strong mothering instinct. But some inevitably need a little help: sometimes a ewe may die or reject one of her lambs. This is where the bulk of the work is for us, helping the few who really need us to succeed. Some lambs will be adopted by new mothers and will be able to go out and join the nursery bands after a few days, but others aren’t so lucky. Those few will live together in quarters near the house and will need us for regular feedings around the clock for a couple of months until they’re big enough to graze and can rejoin the flock.
Despite the challenges and long days, we derive an immense amount of joy and satisfaction from the work on the ranch during lambing season. There is no better feeling in the world than watching a band of ewes and new lambs moving across the pasture under our big New Mexico sky.
