With the days getting warmer, the mornings lighter, and the grass greener, it can mean only one thing: Spring is on its way, and with it, of course, comes lambing season!
Lambing has always and will always be my absolute favourite time of year; nothing compares to watching those beautiful little balls of wool skipping and dancing around with their mates, or hearing all those tiny lamb bleats! But for pre-clinical vet students, it means several weeks of long hours working in the cold to keep those little ones happy and healthy. It can be an incredibly rewarding and fun placement to do, but it’s important to be prepared before you go and to look after yourself whilst you’re there!
So after several years of lambing experience, here are my top five things to take with you on a lambing placement:
1. Waterproofs
There is nothing worse than kneeling on wet straw to lamb a sheep at 10am and then having wet jeans for the rest of the day…. Waterproof trousers are an absolute life saver!
2. Spare clothes
On a similar note, just in case you end up getting soaked when you tip that old water bucket out, or the hose goes bonkers when you turn it on, it’s definitely worth having a spare top and jeans in your bag!
3. A warm coat
Those long days in the lambing shed will feel three times as long if you spend the whole time shivering! It’s time to fetch out your big coat!
4. Plenty of food
Being hungry is not fun, and you need all the energy you can get for shifting those bales, carrying those buckets, and of course, trying to wrestle the hogs into their lambing pens!
5. Your sense of humour
Yes it’s tiring, yes it’s cold, yes you’re tired, and yes your parents will complain that you smell every day when you go home, but where else do you get to spend hours with the most adorable baby lambs? Make the most of it and have fun!
Barking Mad 