find their mothers among the rest of the sheep. Then they get their tails clipped because as the wool grows on the tail, it can collect manure that attracts flies, maggots and other pests.
The tiniest lambs are hand fed from a bottle, partly because they can't reach the teats, Alice said. Although they are weaker than the others, they are stronger in their ability to charm the masses with out even trying, as evident by all the baby talk toward them.
Farm visitors: Those draw to A-Z were mostly excited to partake in the farm experience because they don't have many chances to do so.
Deanne and Dave Dyke, who live on the east side of Madison, Brought their 2-year-old granddaughter Adeline to A-Z after seeing the farm event mentioned in the newspaper. Adeline had her share of farm animals this weekend; she went to the Kids Expo on Saturday, where there was a petting zoo and pony rides.
"They read it in books, but they need to get out there and see it first-hand and smell the smells," Deanne Dyke said.
Nisha Rajagopalan and her 6-year-old son Kiran, who live in Verona, came to A-Z Farm with friends who were visiting from Chicago. Kiran had been to the farm last year
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with his preschool class. She said they enjoy the opportunity to see nature at work and get out of the city.
"It helps kids realize the importance of the environment," Rajagopalan said. She tried to take some photos of Kiran with the lambs, but he stopped her because he didn't want the flash to scare them. "He's a little animal activist," she joked.
The Staeben family drove from Belleville to see the lambs. Benjamin, 2, was not at all shy about petting or trying to feed any of the animals, said his mom, Jill Staeben.
"It's a beautiful day to play with some animals," said Benjamin's dad, Matt Staeben. "He's in that phase right now of asking where everything comes from, so that's a big part of it."
"Hey, Mommy, when you take eggs home, you have to make sure there's no chicks inside," said 3-year-old Skye Lukas, as she peered into a cage full of the little birds. She was with her younger sister Irini and her mom and dad, Erika and Christopher Lukas, who live on Madison's east side.
Email: amertz@madison.com
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