The main lambing barn at the UC Hopland Research & Extension Center was designed and built in the 1960's with useful ideas taken from the Australian commercial sheep industry. Internal plywood gates rotate freely on iron posts, and can be latched in any one of several directions, thus giving the barn manager many options for pathways and routes and pens.
Recent retrofitting of energy-efficient lights has reduced operating costs during the lambing season, which is typically during the months of January and February. All of the shearing (removing the wool) and tagging, or "crutching", (removing excess wool on ewes around the hind-end and utter area of the animal for cleaner birthing and reduced risk of fly attacks) also takes place in the barn.
The area you see bare is where the "jugs" (small plywood pens to house the individual ewes and their lamb(s) immediately after birth) will be set up for the lambing season.
