As I wait for our first ewe to lamb, I am contimplating all of the things I need to make this year successful. There are the simple things like towels, tubing equipment, nutradrench, bottle and nipples, iodine, and vacines for the new babies. The list seems to go on forever and this year I am just a tad bit more stressed about questioning if I have everything in place and ready to go.
One might ask why, since I have been lambing sheep out going on more than 30 years, however I am missing one essential component-my Mom. Getting past the emotional fact this is my first lambing season without her there are still all of things she quietly did that I really did not pay mcuh attention to. Case in point, Mom was always our pharmicist and supply precurement person in addition to the record keeper. This has all become very apparent recently as I have had to make my own list of ewe due dates as well as wonder if I have all of the necessary supplies to pull off lambing out our handful of ewes this year.
So as I was pondering a subject for my post today, it hit me, why not ask my fellow sheep peeps on Oregon Sheep Connection to share their many years of combined knowledge about what they keep in their lambing season toolboxes. It makes perfect sense as I have been seeing this happen on and off for a couple years on Facebook when friends are having stressful barn moments and choose to share with their friends. It never fails there are a number of friends willing to pop up with solutions, hugs, and general moral support.
One of my favorite things in my tool box is a wonderful book given to me as a Crhistmas gift by fellow sheep peep and administrator Correy McAtee. Call it self preservation on her part as I had taken over posession of her copy of the book for a number of years. The book is called Managing Your Ewe and Her Newborn Lambs written by Laura Lawson. For me it is has been litterally a lifesaver bringing a number of lambs back from the brink of death.
As I look towards closing this post, I am curious to see responses about what the different shepherds think are their most valuable lambing season tools. Feel free to list two or three or even more, but just out of curiosity, what is in your lambing season toolbox?
Oregon Sheep Connection 
7% iodine, product called Survive (high vit E), barn towels, lamb/temp tags, CMKP drench or gel, Keto drench or gel, Scour halt (pink stuff), kaopectate, BoSe, Penn, Oxytet 200. I can cure or kill most anything with that list. Also helpful. halter and hobbles. and love my grafting headgate. I have an EZ milker, but have never been able to use it faster than my own two fingers.
Thank you for getting the list started. KJ
Where can we get this product called “Survive”?