Caring for Kids and Lambs

If your Doe's or Ewe's have just given birth, here are some tips for caring for your new arrivals. Ensure your kids or lambs nurse within the first 24 hours of life. Colostrum is the first milk produced by the doe and ewe. It is enriched in protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and antibodies called immunoglobulins, which provide passive immunity to the offspring. If the female cannot produce milk, provide the kids or lambs with a good quality milk replacer that contains colostrum. At 2-4 weeks of age, the offspring will begin to ingest solid foods and nibble on grass, and as they grow, offer high-quality forages and supplement with feed or concentrate as needed. Unfortunately, young ruminants (goats and sheep) are extremely vulnerable to internal parasites, respiratory infections and diarrhea, so adequate nutrition is necessary to develop and maintain a healthy immune system. It is the body's defense against disease-causing organisms. Keep the herd's housing and bedding clean, provide fresh water daily, devise a biosecurity program for your farm, and develop a rotational grazing system for the animals. Some farmers rotate their animals on a scheduled basis. However, the quantity or quality of the forages should help to determine when the herd should be moved to a new pasture.

If you have problems with high mortality rates on your farm, always consult with a veterinarian (i e , deworming, vaccinations) if one is unavailable in your area that cares for small ruminants (goats and sheep), network with other experienced farmers, develop a relationship with your local livestock extension agent and attend training courses offered through the FAMU Cooperative Extension to learn how to care for them Finally, monitor the health of your animals daily and maintain good production records to determine who should remain in the herd after weaning

Weaning is the process of removing the offspring from its mother to help the young animal develop their digestive system and become self-sufficient In general, lambs are weaned between 8-16 weeks of age, and kids at 8-12 weeks The appropriate time to wean will also depend on the animal's age, weight, overall health, and the producer's goals Kids and lambs can grow into healthy and productive adult animals with proper care and management.

Other factors that determine how frequently to move the animals include the following:

Weather conditions (i.e., severe rainstorm vs. drought).

Grazing height of the foliage.

Herd size

Number of paddocks available for grazing.

Things to consider when starting a vegetable garden

The National 4-H Council hosted the ultimate teen summit IGNITE. High school-aged 4-Hers from across the nation joined together in Washington D C for a 4-day experience where teens connected, collaborated, innovated, made memories, and found their spark by exploring the best 4-H has to offer in STEM, Agriscience, Healthy Living, Career Readiness and Emotional Well-being.

Teens created reflective self-portraits to leave their mark, explored the hydroponic hype and crafted hydroponic planters from recycled materials, celebrated their uniqueness with sharable photos or GIFs, and learned all about eating in equity. Teens also met with industry leaders and discussed how to solve wicked problems and how their career paths could be a part of the solution FAMU presented Resin8 fun with UV resin, where youth created art using UV resin Over 100 teens participated in the Resin8 workshop.

-Sabrina Hayes, 4-H Agent

4 - H