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A small white lamb wobbling next to her mama in the morning frost.

🐑 PasturePosted June 10, 2026

Meet Juno — born at 4 a.m. yesterday

A Katahdin ewe lamb, 8 lbs 4 oz, already running.

Field notes

Juno was born in the lambing pen at 4:02 a.m. on June 9. She stood up within 20 minutes and was nursing within an hour — that's normal and important. A lamb that can't stand and nurse in the first 2 hours is in trouble.

By this morning she was bouncing sideways across the paddock like a wind-up toy. Sheep call that 'gamboling' and lambs do it for fun.

The learning

What's actually happening

Why colostrum matters

The first milk a mama sheep makes is thick and yellow. It's called colostrum, and it's packed with antibodies that protect the lamb from diseases. A lamb needs colostrum within the first 12 hours or its immune system never starts strong.

Katahdins don't need shearing

Most sheep grow wool that has to be cut off every spring. Katahdins are a 'hair sheep' breed — they shed their winter coat naturally like a dog. They were developed in Maine in the 1950s for farmers who didn't want to shear.

Words to know

Ewe
A female sheep. (Pronounced 'you'.)
Ram
A male sheep.
Lamb
A baby sheep, under 1 year old.
Flock
A group of sheep.

Your turn

Make your guesses

Enroll a kid to save guesses.

Guess

Juno weighed 8 lbs 4 oz at birth. How much do you think she'll weigh in 2 months?

Hint: Healthy lambs gain about ½ to 1 pound per DAY for the first few months.

Wonder

Why might a lamb need to stand up and run almost immediately, when human babies can't walk for a year?

Try this at home

  • ▸Look up a video of newborn lambs 'gamboling'. Try to gambol yourself.
  • ▸Find something wool in your house (sweater, sock, blanket). Look at it under a magnifying glass — those crinkly fibers are what most sheep grow.
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