College of the Atlantic students get hands-on experience during lambing season
While the sounds of baby lambs are adorable, they also mark one of the busiest times of year for students who work at the College of the Atlantic Peggy Rockefeller Farm.
“Lambing season is one of my favorite times of year here at the farm,” assistant farm manager Catherine Sullivan said.
From early January into the spring, the farm’s 30 sheep stay bundled up in their warm barn, and students take turns monitoring them overnight as they give birth.
“A lot of our girls have been giving birth at 2 a.m., which isn’t prime time for us but prime time for them,” senior Azilee Ball said.
The lambing season offers students an opportunity to develop essential farming skills, from monitoring labor to assisting in deliveries. Sullivan said the experience helps prepare them for the realities of raising a flock.