Baa…
Lambing over the halfway mark.
This is the singles mob ie, all those mums who are having single bubs – all those little white dots are lambs.
The twinning mob is in another paddock around the front of the property near the silos.
These pens are proving a great investment. When a ewe has difficulty and the lamb has to be pulled, she is bought in here and she and the lamb kept under cover and together for 48 hours.
Likewise a lamb who may have lost her mum, we put with a ewe who has lost her lamb and they bond. We rub the dead lamb’s carcass on the orphaned lamb so the ewe will recognise the smell of her own lamb. It works everytime. It may seem harsh when its written in black and white, but better to give a live lamb a fighting chance. Also – with a ewe who has had twins and decided to ditch one, we put her in a pen with both her lambs and in every case, she has mothered up successfully.
When the hospitalisation is over, we move them to a small paddock that used to be my horse’s diet paddock and which is very sheltered, close to the house and we’re able to keep an eye on them.
These are the tough ewes and lambs who have made it through the lambing process and the bitter cold this week with no fuss. By far most of the two mobs are that way inclined.
Whilst the lambs are cute and sweet and so on, I have to say I will be glad when it’s all over as nature is tough and my husband and son get very tired and indeed emotional when things go haywire. Which they occasionally do.
It’s the very nature of farming.
I love the pictures and your sharing about them. Thanks for posting.
Pleasure Ann. I’m sure photos of my other life are far more fun and more interesting than anything about writing. So you’ll have to brace yourself for the next post…
It’s really fascinating to see how you manage all this, so thanks for sharing. It’s not something many city-dwellers tend to really think about, all the logistics, but it is intriguing.
And yes, lambs are cute!
thanks Clare. Yes, they are cute, especially when they get enough strength and flippancy to form mad playgroups and cavort round the side of waterholes and over logs. It does make one laugh!
Will be looking for it.