The Birth and Death of a Lamb

While I was visiting my brother's farm in March, two
new lambs were born on a cold morning. My niece, who had gone out to
tend to the farm animals, discovered them right after they had been
born. We allowed some time for the mother to be alone and bond, then
went out for a look.
The lambs were lovely, but they had not been born at a lucky time. The temperature had dropped the day before and the air had a sharp bite. As we approached the barn, a lamb that had been born several weeks earlier during mild weather was frisking about, kept warm by her new growth of wool. The new lambs, however, looked
very cold, and one of them looked distressingly fragile.
Work commenced immediately to help these cold little lambs. Extra straw was placed in their stall. Warmed water and enriched food were provided for the mother. The lambs were bottle-fed a supplement. Additional heat lamps were installed and other animals brought into the barn to generate additional warmth. Even so, one lamb did not make it.
The picture you see here was taken during that morning visit to the barn, when the lambs were no more than a few hours old. The one you see here is the lamb that lived. |
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