Generally we would expect a couple of ewes to abort close to the start of lambing and we had one the other day. She was scanned for twins but produced triplets, only one was alive but he died shortly after. Other than that the ewes have been doing well, the rams have been chucked back out to grass to make room for the individual pens to be set up and the maternity unit is now waiting expectantly for its first arrivals. Although the individual pens had been treated with lavish amounts of creosote they were attacked by wood-worm during storage and not fit for purpose. Luckily Michael always tries to have the shed set up in good time before the lambing begins so there was enough time to purchase more. I have to say I cannot remember a lambing that started without some form of hiccup or bump in road that need some quick thinking to be ready for the first woolly rascal to make its appearance.

Last Minute Jobs

The sheep work falls into a nice routine when the sheep are in the shed which regularises our farm life for a little while before the lambing begins and a sort of semi-madness prevails for a time. All those ‘other jobs’ that need to be done before the lambing starts are quickly squeezed into this pre-lambing period.

This year Michael was knocking an old shed just adjacent to the house, it was made of poured concrete and he made quite a few bangs in destructing it. His grandfather, Charlie, constructed it and he did a very thorough job. Michael discovered two floors which took a fair bit to drill, bang and hammer out, but eventually it was done and the rubble cleared away. Then a retaining wall had to be put up to make sure the garden didn’t fall in on us and the support the adjoining shed. The new space beside the house is like a breath of fresh air and for the moment, we can park the jeeps right outside the front door, a luxury I can tell you!

Bigger Bumps

Part of this new space will be filled with top soil and turned into a little garden for our expanding family to enjoy. I haven’t made an appearance at all in the sheep shed this year as pregnant ladies and pregnant sheep shouldn’t mix. Largely due to the danger of contracting toxoplasmosis and all that goes with it including abortion although I have found very little information surrounding this issue, other than being advised to practice diligent hygiene.

So the best I can do for Michael during this year’s lambing is to keep him well fed and wake him up at the right times! He has a few students lined up but he’ll be on his own for the first two weeks. Being an old hand at this kind of thing I’m sure he will manage, I hope!

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