Lambing season is upon us once again here at the UC Hopland Research & Extension Center.  Birthing started about one week ago and will continue into the month of February.   Much of the lambing takes place within the main sheep barn, requiring a high amount of labor, but past history shows that the effort results in higher lamb survival and higher yield.

HREC typically weans 110% to 140% lamb crop .... that means that 1.1 to 1.4 lambs per bred ewe are successfully raised to about 4 months of age.  Much of this high yield is due to management methods like increasing maternal bonding between ewes and lambs by placing them into "mixing shelters" such as you see in the photo. 

This methodology gives the ewes and lambs more time in close proximity to one another before turning them out onto the open range, and research has shown this to increase bonding and lamb survival.