Vermont Sheep & Goat Association Lambing Clinic

Join the Vermont Sheep and Goat Association for a day long lambing clinic at Shelburne Farms. The morning will start in the classroom to go over the basics, including ewe nutrition, early signs of labor, when to intervene in a difficult labor, dystocia, equipment, and “clip, dip, and strip.” After a potluck lunch the class will move down to the barn where herdsman Rene Lacosse will be lambing 75 ewes. Rene will demonstrate several procedures and answer questions related to dystocia, tail docking, castration, tube feeding, hoof trimming, grafting, inverted eyelids, and more.

The clinic will be led by Dr. Emma Cijka from Valleywide Veterinary Services, a practice serving dairy cattle and other farm animals in Addison County. Emma grew up on a small goat dairy in Hubbardton, Vermont and worked extensively with sheep throughout college. She holds a BS and DVM from Cornell University. Emma joined the team at Valleywide in 2023 and has enjoyed working with the growing number of sheep and goats in the area (and even an occasional llama or alpaca). She is very excited to be involved in the small ruminant community.

The weather in early April in Vermont can be unpredictable. Please dress warmly.