Firefly Fields - Baby Lamb Coats

Coming Soon! -- Baby Lamb Coats

Finnsheep are well-known for having "litters of lambs". While the lambs are small, they are quite vigorous and often up and nursing within minutes. When they are first born they do not have much "meat on their bones" and look like mostly a head and legs. After nursing for 2-3 days they begin to plump up and become beautiful little lambs. (This is not usually an issue with Finn-cross lambs.)

Because they have so little body fat at first, I put little coats on them to help them retain body heat. The coats are made of polar fleece so they can be washed and dried in warm water without shrinking. (Lamb coats can also be made from an old wool blanket that has been felted in the washing machine and dryer, however these tend to shrink with repeated washing.) My lambs also have a heat lamp in their jug (pen for one ewe and her lambs). The heat lamp also helps keep the lambs in the corner of the jug where they are less likely to be accidentally stepped on by the ewe.

Lumi and her 2004 lambs (Mara and Helmi) under their heat lamp wearing baby lamb coats.

IMPORTANT: NEVER take a coat off one lamb and put it on a another lamb belonging to a different mother without washing it first. It will make the lamb smell like another ewe's baby and the lamb will likely be rejected by the mother.

Baby Lamb Coats for Sale

Although baby lamb coats are not difficult to make, it is rather time consuming. It requires cutting out the coats, sewing two button holes per coat and sewing on the buttons. Many shepherds are on the farm part-time or are not able to do the sewing required for the buttons / button-holes. Unlike other tasks that you can "get around to", if your ewes are bred, the lambs are coming whether you are ready or not! I sell baby lamb coats for the convenience of these shepherds.

I make baby lamb coats in two sizes: Finn-newborn (fits Finn lambs from birth to 1 week old) and Finn-lamb (fits Finn lambs 1 week old and up). These coats have two large buttons, one on the chest and one under the belly. Sometimes the coat is too large for the lamb (especially the really smaller newborns). These can be "adjusted" by tying the chest flaps in a knot before buttoning. This prevents the lamb from getting its legs tangled up through the neck hole when they get up from a nap.

The current coats are light periwinkle blue in color. Button holes are made on a sewing machine. Buttons are sewn on by hand.

Prices: - to be announced.

Finn Newborn - $ per coat;$ for 5 coats
Finn Lamb - $ per coat; $ for 5 coats

Sparky looking jaunty in his baby lamb coat!

Last update: March 16, 2008