Lambs, ready to load
It’s time to load the lambs onto semis so they can go off to the feedlot in Pine Bluffs, Wyoming. They will spend a few months there eating locally grown corn, and gaining around fifty pounds. It is sort of like going on a cruise, only without the tugboats and humidity. Richard Drake will look out for them and determine when they are ready to become lamb chops. It makes for noisy nights around our headquarters, since we separate the lambs from the ewes the night before they load onto the trucks. It is less stress for both lambs and truckers if they are “empty”–off feed and water–when they load. When they arrive at the feedlot, Richard is ready with plenty of feed, water and good conditions so the lambs will thrive. The ewes call for a day or so. My Dad always said that it is so the other ewes will know they are good mothers. The ewes then settle down, and get ready for the winter months.
McCoy surveys the lambs in the corrals
lambs heading for the semi
Pat pushing lambs with a flag
Lambs and horses
Eamon, Jeff and Rhen bringing them up
Siobhan, Rhen and Seamus providing child labor
Grandpa Jeff Stocklin and Rhen supervise the operation
Yanush on the job
Sorted, inspected, loaded, and ready to roll.
Ladder Ranch
elliek
October 13, 2014 at 6:04 AM
About how many lambs will make a truck load? Will your lambs be the only ones on the truck? Thank you.
Ladder Ranch
October 15, 2014 at 8:37 PM
Each truck carries about 450 lambs. We sort and load only our lambs to go on each truck.