Lambing Diary

This post will be added to as we progress through the lambing period. I enjoy the experience, and I’ll try to convey in words the roller coaster ride of emotion and work as we go along. Comments are welcome.

Please scroll to the bottom for the latest news.

09/04/2010 21:00

Just put the hens away. Peaceful night and not too cold. Caroline came with me (Caroline does the early shift, and I do the late shift. usually that is). Today is different, and so it will be for the next few weeks. New arrivals have to be looked after, and the mums really drink a LOT of water. We have to fill containers and carry them by hand to their pen, a 100 meters or so. Not a terrible job in fine weather and with no complications. Relaxing even.

Todays new borns are doing really well, I’m pleased as punch. The mum, it’s her first time, is a very good mother. Protective and caring. Oh if every Ewe was the same. But then it might get boring. I cast my eye over the other ewes. They all look about ready to me. But one in particular looks imminent and I would not be surprised if we don’t have extra mouths to feed in the morning, so to speak. She looks quite big, huge in fact. They will either be two donkeys, triplets, maybe quads, who knows. Unlike many farms, we don’t scan ours ewes, so we are never really sure what to expect. Scanning can be really helpful, particularly with feeding. We prefer to feed our ewes based upon what she actually needs rather than what she is carrying. It’s old fashioned, and you need to develop a keen eye. So far it works for us.

Because of that one immanent ewe, one of us will have to make a midnight visit, If shes ready, no sleep tonight for either of us. If she hangs on until the morning, it’s an early start.  5 am. Any voulanteers?? 

10/04/2010 05:00
Not much happened over night, in fact nothing happened at all!! Still have just our first twins and they look brilliant this morning. At least this gives me some time to reply to our new found friends that have booked up with us for their summer holidays.

11/04/2010 14:55

Still not much happening with the other ewes, although they are definitely ready, they are huge!! Checking every two hours now, day and night. To break up the boredom (I cant believe I said that), our friend Di came over to see our new lambs and help with the banding.

Di is the lady on the left, and Caroline is on the right of the picture. Di is an expert stock lady in her own right, loves animals, especially sheep. We are always ready to take hints and tips from her when she visits. You can see from her smile, that even after years of shepherding, her enthusiasm never wanes.

Dealing with the tricky bit of banding. The lamb is a Tup. i.e. a male. Unless we want to breed from the boys, we band his ‘bits’ or geld him, otherwise he wont be attractive at market. We also band the tail. Long tails cause health problems later on,The youngsters don’t seem to mind at all.

Well, that’s the job done for today, the girls look pretty relaxed, and the weather has been brilliant. The warm weather does mean that we have to keep the water buckets full, the hens are drinking their fair share, as are the sheep. No big deal, we have to check the pregnant ewes frequently anyway.

13/04/2010 17:42

ACTION STATIONS!!

Nothing over the past few days. Today I spent helping Kevin with our fencing, seeing mum and dad, and being able to support Carolines efforts with keeping an eye on the ewes all at the same time.

Well now we have something positive, another ewe has gone into labour. I got the first hint at 16:30. But now she is well into it.

I’m blogging this as it happens, as best I can.

Here she is. Sorry about the hurdles being in the way, but you cant be fussy, just grab whatever you can. The ewe and her lambs to be are the priority.

13/04/2010 18:10

The ewe doesn’t look good now, shes tired and weak (winter has taken its toll). The minutes tick away, the feet are showing, that’s good, a little more time, and we can see the nose. It’s progress, but its been slow. Birthing suddenly stops, she gives up. She looks at me, I look at Caroline, we both know this is going wrong. It dawns upon us that this is not twins, but an only lamb, it’s big, too big. We don’t hesitate any more, I cast aside my jacket, no time for pictures, it’s serious business. We catch the ewe easily (a sure sign of defeat and resignation). I hold the ewe steady and Caroline gets to work, assisting the birth. A minute later, a lamb is born. It doesn’t breath, but it’s warm, the ewe takes no interest, and walks away, relieved. I get a handful of hay and rub the new born, Caroline clears the airway, nothing. I start to feel sad and broken, but I wont give up. Caroline goes for the last resort, the shepherd swing. She holds the very still lamb by the hind legs and swings it, once, twice, nothing. I give another hay massage as Caroline gathers her breath. The lambs airway is clear, but doesn’t breath, its getting cold, I fear the worst. Caroline says “one more time”. She gives bigger swing this time, almost defiant swings. Once, twice, nothing, three times, then we hear a gurgle, the gasp of a breath, and another, and another. It’s alive…………

13/04/2010 20:31

Seconds Old

After reviving the lamb, we had to get it back to mum. Her mothering instincts kicked in straight away. She works hard in the fading evening sun, to dry her newborn and keep it warm. She tends it well.

A little later, he’s on his feet. Not cracking open the champagne yet, he needs to feed.

13/04/2010 21:00

The light fads fast, and mum races against time to get her son warm before night fall. We thought we had this cracked, I watched as the lamb feed from it’s mum, but I felt something was wrong. Once again we caught the ewe and checked that her udders were firing on all cylinders. No chance, only one is working and lamby wasn’t on that teat. Off I rush to make up a bottle of colostrum, while Caroline checks the other teat more thoroughly.  The ewe can feed her off spring, but she needs help, so we proceed with a bottle feed, he drinks readily and takes half of his quota…..GOOD. We leave them for a while longer. I need to make sure the lamb will make through the night.

13/04/2010 22:00

In the darkness, he feels cold and damp. He is awake but listless. Hypothermia is about to set in. Mums efforts didn’t work despite her brave efforts. I had a feeling this might happen with a birth, and a difficult one at that, so late in the day. We decide not to take any risk, we have already put in so much effort, I have no intention of loosing this one. My back hurts like crazy and I want to lay down, but I cant. I’ve popped a few pain killers the doctor prescribed the other day. He seemed to expect me. It must be tradition for the Shepherds to stoke up on back pain zappers this time of year, it is really backbreaking work. We have the kit ready in the barn to take casualties and we are now going to use it. With a pen, hay bed, and a warm heat lamp at the ready in the barn, I go to the field. Picking up the lamb, mother follows. Caroline works the hurdles and gate to prevent escapees. Halfway to the barn mother turns to return to her field, the lamb bleats in alarm, mother decides to follow all the way to her special warm place for at least one night.

14/04/2010 22:40

Here we go again!

Dog tired after last night, we both are, but it’s worth it. The lamb is doing fine after a touch and go night in the barn, I was up every hour or so, so no proper sleep for 24 hours. I’m thinking of releasing them both back to the flock tomorrow if the weather is fine and junior continues with his progress. My back is still killing me, dam.

Just as I write this, Caroline breaks the momentary peace and tranquillity with a cry of joy as the next ewe goes into labour. I grab my camera, towels, and switch the kettle on (to make up feed), before racing up to the field.

This is the sight that greets me when I arrive. She was delivered very quickly. Nothing for me or Caroline to do, but enjoy the moment and take a few pictures. Again its a late evening delivery, so we must still be on our guard against hypothermia. The nights still have a chill to them.

I felt fairly sure that there must be a twin on the way. Watching the ewe tend her first newborn with great intensity, she suddenly gives birth to the second. For me this is the defining moment that motivates me to follow the lifestyle that we both do. The winter was hard, very hard. We had used up all of our winter feed by January and yet the snow still keeps coming at us, unrelenting. It thaws, you think that’s it, then you get another foot or so, and again, and again. You think winter is never going to end. Sometimes thinking how nice it would be to be sat behind a desk in a warm office, getting paid a regular wage, instead of being continually exposed to the might of mother nature and the elements. But its going through all of that pain, the difficulties, working with other farms to get the feed to keep your animals alive. It’s called true community spirit, something you have to experience to fully appreciate. And when the moment comes, as it has done for us, you just would not change anything for the world. These two are no problem at all, both feeding well, and mum just got on with everything without the need for any help from us. We keep a close watch though, it’s a chilly night, and there is a dog fox roaming. I will leave him for Hamish and Nipper to deal with. I feel confident.