Newsroom

CORVALLIS - Frisky lambs are among the first signs of spring to dot mid-Willamette Valley fields, and soon visitors will be able to get a close-up look at these tail-wagging newcomers at the Oregon State University Sheep Barns.

This year, 420 ewes at the OSU facility are expected to give birth to single lambs, twins and sometimes triplets, said Thomas Nichols, the manager of the OSU Sheep Barns.

"We expect we'll have close to 900 lambs," he said.

The Sheep Barns at 7565 N.W. Oak Creek Dr. are open to the public during lambing season from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 4 through April 5. Nichols has asked that those who plan to bring a group of more than 15 visitors to the barns first make an appointment by calling Helen Chesbrough at 737-4854 or by sending e-mail to helen.chesborough@orst.edu.

Thousands of school children and interested members of the public travel to the sheep barns each year to watch the lambs and ewes. The process also serves as classroom instruction for OSU animal science students.

All of the OSU lambs are the offspring of black-faced Suffolk breed rams and both Suffolk and Polypay all-white ewes. This genetic mix can produce either black-faced or speckle-faced lambs.

Although last year's global threat of hoof and mouth disease has lessened, those who have traveled outside of the United States in the past 30 days are asked not to visit the sheep barns as a precaution against introducing infection.