My daughter bounced into the kitchen last week to announce breathlessly there were lambs in the farm paddock at the top of our road. 

Of course there were – it had been cold enough to freeze the windscreen over for two days.

It is indeed that time of the year when your top priority must remain being sure stock are well fed and ready for calving, lambing and kidding which will be happening (by accident or design) by the time you read this month’s Rural Living.

If you are new to rural life and/or you aren’t feeling very confident – get professional advice. Talk to your stock agent, your local farm supplies depot and your vet.

Rather than looking foolish, you will be proving you want to learn and that your priorities are exactly where they should be. Remember that apart from all else you do have responsibilities under the Animal Welfare Act, and the last thing you want is to be facing an SPCA inspection and a court hearing.

Hay is the best feed for cold conditions as it takes more digesting, which in turn generates internal heat, but even if you are well stocked  you will  still need to  prioritise.

Young cattle – like young children – should take priority as the long term effects of poor nutrition can be quite dramatic and costly.

If you suspect a parasite problem in your stock – contact your vet before you tackle it – drench resistance is a very real problem that you don’t want to be faced with. 

Baby animals love nothing more than to put in an appearance at midnight in the cold and the wet. 

It’s a good idea to save some colostrum from the first cow to calve – or whichever animal you have on your block – and put it in small plastic bags in the freezer for any calf (or lamb) that may need a booster later in spring.

The most important medicines you’ll need are for milk fever (calcium deficiency), grass staggers (magnesium deficiency) and ketosis (glucose deficiency).

If you are going to rear calves, make sure everything is ready for the new season. If this is your first time talk to an experienced calf rearer and start with only a few.

Far better to build your confidence for next year than to find yourself overwhelmed. 

Check the health and condition of all sheep. Any late-lambing ewes should be put on short feed, and the best feed kept for ewes and lambs as soon as they have lambed.

Meal can be very expensive but is one of the best ways to get some high energy into lambing ewes, so feed only limited amounts in troughs to avoid waste. Close to lambing, ewe’s appetite always drops and she may be prone to sleepy sickness if the weather turns rough.

Single lambs are usually pretty sturdy and problems are more likely to occur with multiples. Twins and triplets often have lower birth weight making survival in winter conditions more difficult. Have an old electric blanket handy to warm up starved lambs.

Put your vet’s number in your cell phone, on speed dial NOW. Even the grumpiest of vets would prefer a quick call than you let an animal suffer needlessly.

While you’re waiting for the next round of lambs and calves to put in an appearance keep warm making  sure you have the best spot by the fire with some hot soup and the latest issue of Rural Living.