Preparing for Lambing Season: Sorting and Vaccinations

Prep Time: 90 minutes
Vaccination Time: 20 minutes
Follow-up: 20 minutes

Step 1: Remove the manure that has built up around the barn door, leaving it in a permanent state of open.

Step 2: Remove all water buckets from stall.

Step 3: Isolate llama from the ewes.

Step 4: Send Mickey, the Border Collie, to bring the ewes in from pasture and into a stall in the barn.

Step 5: Change into clothes that you don't mind being covered in sweat, manure and greasy sheep fiber.

Step 6: Prepare 14 syringes with vaccine... and discover that you're one dose short. Decide the virgin brown ewe lamb will be the one who is not vaccinated today (and later wish you had decided to hold off on the wild spotted ewe lamb).

Step 7: Find a grease pencil to mark the ewes that have been vaccinated.

Step 8: Call the spouse to help hold the sheep.

Step 9: Move seven of the ewes into a 6 x 8-foot stall.

Step 10: Vaccinate the ewes. Comment on their heft (who says grass isn't fattening?). Tell the spouse the story of each ewe he holds. "That's the one that head-butted me in the chest. That's the Bob Marley ewe. That's the one that challenged Mickey. That one's a stomper, just like her mom. Watch out for that one, she's an unpredictable leaper."

Step 11: Sort the six pregnant ewes into the horse stall.

Step 12: Check watch, plan 20 minutes of chores to do, and watch the ewes for any type of vaccine reactions.

Step 13: Reunite the llama with the pregnant ewes.

Step 14: Move the barren ewes to another pasture.

Step 15: Breathe a sigh of relief that the task is done with no needles flying, no blood, no bruises, and no curses.