By: CommonGround Nebraska Volunteer Katy Wolff
With the bustle of the holidays behind us and spring nipping at our heels, different kind of season begins to unfold in our farmhouse. The cool, crisp air carries a delightful scent of hay and frosty livestock over the countryside. As the late winter chill settles over the barn, the outside soon comes alive with the soft bleats of newborn lambs, their arrival a heartwarming reminder it’s lambing season.
Similar to the new year, this is a season of new beginnings and hope. It’s also a time that wreaks havoc on our sleep schedule and transforms our home with the ultimate farmhouse decor.
Lambing Season
The newfound rhythm of lambing checks and postpartum care every few hours around the clock goes hand in hand with messy living—dirty floors, warm clothes and muddy boots piled up by the door, laundry everywhere and the pièce de résistance, the kitchen. Yes, the kitchen is transformed into a small creamery, with bags of milk replacer stretched across the floor, mixing bowls and whisks litter the countertop and bottles line the sink beside the stacks of dirty dishes. The scene is a combination of both life on the farm and maintaining our normal life, still cooking, eating and taking care of our home.
Bottle Feeding
Livestock can face serious challenges during labor and delivery or postpartum that prevent them from caring for their young and providing adequate nutrition in the form of milk. Sometimes that means life is better for both the momma and baby to be cared for and fed separately, although our goal is to keep them together until weaning.
As responsible stockwomen and men who love and care for our four-legged friends almost as much as our own kin, we gladly fill the obligation as surrogate parents and bottle-feed the young that would otherwise not survive.
Our (real) children often help, becoming expert milk mixers and bottle holders. Bottle feeding is an opportunity to teach responsibility, understanding of the circle of life and stepping up to help others in need. In a way, bottle feeding a bucket calf or baby lamb is a rite of passage as farm kids learn and grow to become responsible animal caretakers and members of society.
As a wife, mom and stockwoman, I will gladly take the messy house, sticky milk replacer, early mornings, late nights and every minute in between, doing what I love and sharing it with my children, instilling in them the same passion for agriculture and raising livestock. And so, amidst the hustle and bustle, the chaos and the joy, our home is adorned with the ultimate farmhouse décor—one that reflects the heart and soul of our way of life.
