Kids in the Leap into Sheep program learn to raise, show lambs

KENANSVILLE — You don’t see many sheep dotting the Duplin County countryside, but that doesn’t stop dozens of youth from learning all about the animals each summer as part of Duplin County Cooperative Extension’s 4-H activities.

Starting about two months before the Duplin Agribusiness Fair, 4-H’ers gather at the barn by the fairgrounds two nights a week to learn to show, groom and care for the wooly creatures. The lambs are all under a year old, said 4-H Program Assistant Charmae Kendall, and the kids participating range in ages from 5-15.

The lambs are borrowed from a farm in Greenville, Kendall said, with two kids for each lamb that’s part of the program. Currently, there are 16 youth involved, so there are eight lambs on-site at the barn.

There’s also the 4-H Leap into Sheep program, which allows youth to raise a lamb at home. The southeastern North Carolina climate isn’t too kind to sheep, Kendall said, but there are a few children who are raising their lambs at home.

“What we find is that a lot of folks can’t afford livestock or don’t know anything about them,” Kendall told Duplin Journal. “Each week, we do a little lesson at the start of the program so the kids can learn more about the lambs.”

The main goal of the program is ag education, she added.

In addition to learning more about sheep and how to care for them, the kids also learn how to show the animals, culminating in the lamb show at the Duplin Agribusiness Fair, which this year, is scheduled for Sept. 12-14. The 4-H’ers will show the lambs on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 10 a.m.

“Lambs are probably the hardest animals to show,” Kendall said. “The judge is looking for muscle, so basically, you’re trying to show the lamb’s muscle. It’s a little more hands-on than it is for other livestock.”

Kendall said lambs appeal to children, because they’re not as large as a cow, and are somewhat easier to handle. Many of the 4-H’ers can show the lamb without using the halter, or leash, she added.

“I think the big appeal for the project is that we come and work together,” Kendall said. “The kids are able to really work with each other and help each other out. They work as a team on one lamb, which is a good thing.”