RIVERTON—On a bright spring afternoon at Doyle Family Farm, 32 lambs bleat weakly, nap in the shade, trot around unsteadily and generally exude cuteness.  

It’s a familiar scene on Wyoming agricultural fields as spring calves, kids, foals and other baby animals come into the world. 

Lambs rest in the shade of their pen at Doyle Family Farm in Riverton, April 2024. (Katie Klingsporn/WyoFile)

Doyle Family Farm raises hair sheep, which are strictly for meat, and all but one of their ewes has given birth as of this mid-April day. The animals will be ready to harvest and process at the age of 12-18 months. Morgan Doyle sells the lamb cuts, including chops, leg of lamb and burger, around Fremont County through her enterprise, Red Roof Meat Company. 

Lambing season is a lot of work, as pregnant ewes need much tending and care and can go into labor any time of the day. The young animals also require ear tagging and medical attention. Two lambs have needed bottle-feeding.

Farmer Morgan Doyle holds up lamb as a child’s hand reaches to pet it on her family’s Riverton Farm in April 2024. (Katie Klingsporn/WyoFile)

But in exchange for all the labor, the Doyles and their visitors enjoy a whole lot of animal cuteness.

Katie Klingsporn reports on outdoor recreation, public lands, education and general news for WyoFile. She’s been a journalist and editor covering the American West for 20 years. Her freelance work has...

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