There's only a handful of animals in care right now, but Little Lambs Tamworth volunteers are "all waiting, ready to set up and be hit again soon" with cute - but needy - babies to look after.
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The 26 foster carers on the books were "all itchy, waiting, constantly contacting me: 'Are they in yet, got any word?'," organiser Ellie Cook said.
The volunteers range "from retired grandmothers to families to single people", and one group keen to get back into the role is Tamworth's Peter Pan Preschool.
The staff and students took two lambs in term 3 last year, voting to call them Caramel and Rainbow.
Teacher Georgie Lewington said the lambs had quickly become an educational - and adorable, and cheeky - part of the school family.
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"We'd had a lot of conversations around the drought and rain and farmers and families," Mrs Lewington said.
"So we thought it would be nice way to get hands-on experience; for the kids to actually see the effects of drought ... the time and effort that goes into raising these little lambs."
The lambs spent nights at educators' homes and days at the preschool, the children looking after and bottle-feeding them.
Mrs Lewington said they quickly learnt how to escape their pens and mingle with the other youngsters.
"They used to like the ramp: they'd go up and open the automatic doors and let themselves in, and we'd shoo them back out again. The kids loved it," she said.
Ms Cook said, laughing, that Rainbow and Caramel had come back to her "very, very naughty", even having learnt how to use the play equipment.
"I drove into the property one day and found them on the trampoline ... but they were rehabilitated with the rest of the flock and learnt their place," she said.
A vet nurse by trade, she said the carers had raised 152 lambs, 18 kids and 22 poddy calves last year.
They've even been fostering kittens.
And while things were quiet now, she thought late winter and early spring would be "very busy".
"A lot of properties have sold off their stock at sale or slaughter because of the cost of [feeding], and the other ones that do have stock left have chosen to not lamb until about September in the hope we have some fresh feed come through," she said.
The carers foster the lambs until they're about eight to 10 weeks old, then they either go back to their home properties or to another farm that's able to take them on.
Carolyn Millet
Based at The Northern Daily Leader, Tamworth, and Namoi Valley Independent, Gunnedah. Covering general news and features on community, council, arts, business, health, education, entertainment and rural matters.
Based at The Northern Daily Leader, Tamworth, and Namoi Valley Independent, Gunnedah. Covering general news and features on community, council, arts, business, health, education, entertainment and rural matters.
