Baby Farm Animals Wear Sweaters to Block Cold

After a string of recent storms, cold weather and high winds, there's no question a lot of us are more than ready for a spring warm-up.

It's been so cold in Vermont, even baby sheep are wearing sweaters at one landmark.

At Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock, farm staffers put hand-knit sweaters—wool, of course—on newborn lambs. Several lambs were born in the past few days.

The design of the sweaters resembles garments that dogs would wear.

"Lambs are born with no body fat," said Alayna Perkins, the farm manager of Billings Farm & Museum, holding a newborn lamb in a sweater. "As you can see here, she's kind of skinny. And her wool isn't really coming in yet. So we leave them in a sweater until they're about a month old. That way, they have time to grow and grow their wool, and they'll be warm."

The average temperature for March so far has been colder than December, January, or February's averages. Earlier this month, much of Vermont was dealt a heavy wallop of snow.

The lamb sweaters are knit by a woman who works at the museum as a site interpreter, the facility said, as an added modern comfort at this center that educates visitors on rural life 150 years ago.

"It's a newer innovation," Billings Farm & Museum director David Simmons said of the lamb sweaters. "And one that we appreciate here at Billings and our visitors take great pleasure in seeing."

In addition to the sweaters, the newborn lambs stay inside the barn under lamps to stay warm.

It looks like the lambs will need their colorful coats, with more wintry weather in the forecast over the next few days.

Billings Farm & Museum opens to the public on Saturday, April 1.

The destination’s most popular event of the year, a celebration of baby farm animals, will be held over two days this year, April 14 and 15.

For more information on visiting Billings Farm, click here.