{"id":16430,"date":"2026-05-15T10:52:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T14:52:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/?p=16430"},"modified":"2026-06-01T15:02:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T19:02:23","slug":"it-takes-a-team-spring-lambing-kidding-season-at-umes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/connections\/it-takes-a-team-spring-lambing-kidding-season-at-umes\/","title":{"rendered":"Lambing and kidding season sees 81 births at UMES"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lambing and kidding season looks a little different on a college campus compared to a small farm. It takes a total team effort to monitor and care for expecting ewes and does through the delivery of their offspring and post-partum period. It\u2019s one that demonstrates the connectivity of the university, the School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences and UMES Extension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a span of roughly two weeks, 29 lambs and 52 kids were born this season in dedicated birthing barns tucked away from the the university\u2019s main academic areas. The births timed closely together is the result of an estrus synchronization practice UMES Extension validated and has followed for the past decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe system facilitates feeding, vaccination, ear-tagging, wethering and other post-birth activities for the newborns,\u201d said Dr. Enrique N. Escobar, associate dean for UMES Extension and lead for its Small Ruminant Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The condensed timeframe is a bustling one full of challenges and triumphs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The expecting mothers receive prenatal care, which is supervised by Escobar and UMES campus veterinarian Dr. Kimberly Braxton. About a month before estimated lambing and kidding, the animals are moved in from the pasture and are watched around the clock by UMES Extension veterinary assistants and student interns. When they start giving birth, extra help from campus arrives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Student volunteers from the School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences pre-vet program, other majors within the school and even volunteers from the university\u2019s athletic teams pitch in.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"UMES
UMES Extension veterinary assistant Shamia Onley holds a baby goat while pre-vet student Kathleen Combs places its ear tag.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cThey are an asset, helping freshen food and water for the mothers (dams) and filling bottle feeding slots for the lambs and kids that need the extra care. It\u2019s hands-on 24-7 until all the babies are safely born,\u201d said Shamia Onley<\/strong>, a veterinary assistant and UMES pre-vet alumna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Kathleen Combs<\/strong>, a freshman pre-vet student, it provided a glimpse into the future.

\u201cI got a lot of hands-on experience that helped me see that it\u2019s truly what I want to do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her aha moment was when she assisted one of the goats during labor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI monitored the kid\u2019s breathing and made sure it was warm through the night. It was a 32-degree night, and we had to use heat lamps.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combs lives on her family\u2019s farm in St. Mary\u2019s County, Maryland, but someone else farms the row crops grown there. As for animals, she said, she has only been around her pet cats and dogs and fosters.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Dr.
Dr. Enrique N. Escobar tags a kid as pre-vet student Kaitlyn Cosgrove holds it steady.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

On the other end of the spectrum, Kaitlyn Cosgrove<\/strong>, came to UMES with lambing and kidding experience on her family\u2019s farm in Calvert County, Maryland. Like Combs, this is her first year at UMES, but the junior transferred from the College of Southern Maryland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the reasons I came here was for the pre-vet program and the hands-on experiences. I appreciate working with a professor, Dr. Kimberly Braxton, and am working toward applying to vet school,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGrowing up on a farm, it feels like home and it\u2019s not too far away,\u201d the aspiring veterinarian said.

She also wants to focus on livestock and be the next generation to run the family farm.  <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Pre-vet
UMES pre-vet student Gabrielle Henderson takes part in ear-tagging kids on April 30, 2026 in UMES’ small ruminant barn.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Gabrielle \u201cGabby\u201d Henderson<\/strong> came to the university from the suburbs of Waldorf, Maryland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t used to the farm and trees all around, but my mom was from a farm in Alabama. It was different for me, but I love being here and the farm experience,\u201d said the junior pre-vet student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe more I come, the flies don\u2019t even bother me,\u201d she joked, referring to the inevitable pests even though the barn is kept with a rotating fresh supply of clean straw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Henderson is leaning toward veterinary radiology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWorking with the animals, it\u2019s a great experience. I feel like I learned a lot more than what you get from a lecture alone. It\u2019s also more beneficial to help prep for vet school,\u201d she said.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A favorite baby goat she was holding was next up to receive its ear tags, right ear for female and left for male, and the opposite ear with its U.S. Department of Agriculture Scrapie Eradication Program tag. Sheep and goats require official identification and traceability tags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTwo in a row, you got this,\u201d she said as it let out a high-pitched squeal comparable to a human baby getting an inoculation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat a drama queen,\u201d Escobar commented with his headphones over his ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The student caretakers are happy regaling visitors with the personalities of the does and dams, particularly their offspring. Once named, it sticks. This season, there\u2019s Hercules, Hera, Fiona, Cannoli, Noodle and Trifecta, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only do the goats on campus receive a lot of cuddling but maybe also an advanced education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLook, these two are ruminating. That\u2019s amazing at just over 3 weeks old,\u201d Escobar said as he watched their throats as they swallowed some hay and brought it back up to their mouths to rechew the cud; the reason the animals are called ruminants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe sooner they ruminate, the better for less dependency on the mother for feeding and on us,\u201d he said. \u201cIt usually starts at 4-6 weeks, so I guess these are educated kids.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gail Stephens, agricultural communications, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, UMES Extension, <\/em>gcstephens@umes.edu<\/em><\/a>, 410-621-3850.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photos by Todd Dudek, agricultural communications, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, UMES Extension, <\/em>tdudek@umes.edu<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"UMES<\/figure>
UMES Extension veterinary assistant Shamia Onley holds two kids.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"UMES<\/figure>
UMES pre-vet student Kathleen Combs holds a kid goat still while Dr. Enrique N. Escobar gives it an ear tag.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"A<\/figure>
Freshman pre-vet student Kathleen Combs holds a kid goat at UMES.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"A<\/figure>
A kid tries out its legs with the expanded space on release day in UMES Extension’s kidding barn.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"A<\/figure>
Junior pre-vet student Katilyn Cosgrove holds a kid April 30 on kidding season release day.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>