662FDC4 - The Young of Iceland‘s Domestic Animals II

Calves. Gestation length in cows is approximately nine months. They usually only give birth to one calf at a time. The first milk produced by the cow after birth is called colostrum, a nourishment of importance for the immune system of the young one. Ordinarily, calves are not allowed to suckle their mothers since suckling changes the shape of the udders, making it almost impossible to draw milk mechanically. The Family Park and Zoo in Reykjavík exhibits domesticated animals, and is considered to be a model of animal protection.

Lambs. Many rural people think that the lambing season is the most interesting time of the year. Winter is over, days are getting longer, birds are singing and everything starts coming to life. The lambing season usually starts in early May after a gestation period of about 140 days. Icelandic sheep are lively but manageable, and the scurrying lambs are the children’s favourites. The lambing season is a thoroughly exhausting time of year since lambing ewes have to be watched around-the-clock.