Every March and April, Gutierrez Family Farms in Nampa welcomes dozens of newborn lambs to its pastures and with each new arrival comes careful monitoring and constant care.The annual lambing season is one of the most demanding stretches of the year for the Gutierrez family, who have deep roots in Idaho's sheep industry.Mariah Gutierrez, who grew up on the farm, said the work is intensive from the start."It's a very intensive time doing it. We just have to make sure that everybody's getting taken care of, that there's no complications," Gutierrez said.Part of that care means ensuring each lamb is healthy and getting enough milk from its mother. When a ewe has more babies than she can feed, farmers step in to help."It's just really making sure that the lambs are nice and healthy and then sometimes when there are too many babies for the ewe we call them bottle babies. So those will basically have extra care and needs," Gutierrez said.WATCH: Lambing season keeps Gutierrez Family Farms busy in Nampa Gutierrez Family Farms welcomes newborn lambs during busy lambing seasonIdaho's winters can add another layer of difficulty to the season."We've had issues with actually lambs freezing, um, and just with the snow, and so it's a little bit more intensive on us as individuals," Gutierrez said.A newborn lamb's first meal is critical. The first milk a ewe produces known as colostrum plays a key role in a lamb's early development."The big thing is that they're drinking milk. The first milk is called colostrum, and it's the best milk they're going to get it helps them grow and gives them a strong start," Gutierrez said.Bonding between a ewe and her lambs is also a key part of the process, according to Rick Gutierrez, who operates the farm."So they sit there and can recognize their lambs and they have their unique cry. Once the mom and the lambs know their bonding call, then we can start commingling them," Rick Gutierrez said.For the Gutierrez family, lambing season is both demanding and meaningful continuing a tradition deeply rooted in Idaho agriculture."Idaho is very unique because the sheep industry has been well accepted. It's centuries old," Rick Gutierrez said.Mariah Gutierrez said the season, despite its challenges, carries a special significance on the farm."I think it's just a really good time on the farm kind of a moment of rebirth and renewal. Yes it's hectic, but we also take in those magical moments of birthing out here," Gutierrez said.More information about Gutierrez Family Farms in Nampa can be found on IdahoNews6.com.For Canyon County happenings, news, and more join our Facebook Group: 2C Neighborhood News - Nampa, Caldwell, MiddletonThis story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. ...read more read less