Can the health of young lambs be enhanced by raising them in a barn or on summer pasture? The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is funding research to learn if the protective environment of a barn, away from the risk of infection and death caused by parasites that build up on summer pastureland, will enhance lamb health and survival. The project will evaluate whether weaning lambs at 8 to 10 weeks old, bringing them into the barn, and feeding a completely balanced diet will help the young sheep grow faster than lambs that are raised on pasture. âAs summer progresses, hot, dry weather can cause a decline in the quantity and quality of pasture available for lambs and sheep. Sheep on pasture can experience a buildup of parasites as well as increased risk from predators. Additionally, mother ewe milk production tends to drop off 10 weeks after lambing. Sheep owners need more strategies for protecting their animals,â said Betsy Hodge, a livestock specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County.