Adventures at Stratford Ecological Center

Published in The Delaware Gazette: February 15, 2014

It was a relief to have sunshine and ice-free roads on Tuesday, February 11, which allowed me to brave the sub zero temperature and attend meetings at Stratford Ecological Center on Liberty Road, after a forced hiatus stretching to a couple of weeks.

Farmer Jeff had done a good job plowing the winding lane. It is an art to leave just enough snow to form a level surface as he pushes the snow to both sides, without sweeping the gravel off into the woods. The result was our very own bobsled run, but woe betides anyone who did not drive very slowly. It probably was not speed but congestion which caused a small car to straddle a snow bank. It was so deeply buried that the men could not pull it out without risking damage, and Triple A were called to the rescue.

The Tuesday work crew had turned up in force and was busy sorting and washing buckets in the kitchen. On Tuesday they will begin tapping 150 sugar maple trees and hanging the buckets. It surely is a welcome sign that temperatures are going to rise consistently above 32 degrees during the day and the sap will flow.

The lobby was brim full of vibrant small children and their parents dressed in outdoor gear. The youngsters shared with me they had just been out to the barn to visit the lambs, as part of this month’s “Story Time on the Farm.” I was impressed with their and their moms’ fortitude. I sensed it was definitely a touch of cabin fever. Even the animals are experiencing barn fever!

Eleven lambs have been born since the first ones, on January 26, exactly one month ahead of 2013. The twins were born about 7 a.m., one hour before Farmer Jeff started morning feeding. Interestingly, the ewe was the last to give birth in 2013, to triplets. When a ewe gives birth the other ewes move away, and only the buck remained with the new mother. All was well and a square “jug” or small pen was created using two metal fence pieces in a corner of the larger pen. Now other jugs have been added to ensure families remain close and each can have their own heat lamp.

Occasionally we have to put a tube into a lamb’s stomach and slowly inject its mother’s milk down the tube. This happens when a lamb is too weak to suckle, or we feel it needs a boost to make it on its own. One such female lamb was rejected in favor of her less vigorous brother, and after the initial tubing is now being bottle fed. She nearly died a second time when an insufficient level of selenium and vitamin E manifested itself as white muscle disease, a degeneration of the muscles which showed in her stiff gait and hunched back. A shot of Bo-Se quickly remedied the situation.

On the last day of January there was a water line break on the north side of the barn, resulting in the electrical failure of both well pumps. There was no water to the barn, farm house or education building for four days, as the plumber had other priorities. He had to erect a tripod over the 100’ and 80’ wells, pull up and disconnect each pipe, and finally pull the pump to fix the problem. All was done in seven hours, in bitter temperatures.

Meanwhile, Farmer Jeff and his family loaded the tank we use to gather sap into the Suburban, and drove to the pond where they were able to siphon off water for the animals. No water could be left in the tank overnight as it froze. The Warner family on Bunty Station Road, which borders our property, heard about the situation. They offered the use of their well, and the offer was gratefully accepted.

Despite what the family called an adventure, Farmer Jeff remains upbeat and feels spring is really coming. The lengthening hours of daylight help, especially when it comes time for the evening feed. There are plenty of opportunities to see the lambs during guided hikes to the sugar shack on Saturday, February 22 and March 1, and our annual Pancake Breakfast is on Saturday, March 8. Reservation details are on our web site. The snow covered landscape is pristine and you may want to experience it before the melt.

Pauline Scott is a farm and nature guide at Stratford Ecological Center, 3083 Liberty Road, Delaware, Ohio, 43015, Tel. 740 363 2548. Email StratfordCenter@aol.com or visit our web site at StratfordEcologicalCenter.org