Lambing 2011

We were quietly confident going into lambing this spring that having made it through our first lambing season last year and lived to tell the tail (as well as the ewes and lambs) that we would take it all in our stride the second time around.  I am happy to report that this year’s lambing was even better than the last.

Although in good condition when they arrived with us in Autumn 2009, the ewes definitely benefited from the good quality grazing at Wyeswood they enjoyed last year.  As a result they were in tip top condition when we put them to the ram.  They didn’t have as harsh a winter to contend with this year either and thankfully, with only a little bit of supplementary feed from us, they maintained good condition throughout the lambing season and beyond.

Despite brushing up on our lambing delivery skills and having copious amounts of lube and countless pairs of gloves at the ready, our girl’s did us proud and all quietly got on with producing their little ones without us!  The lambs on the whole, 26 in the end, were much stronger and healthier than last year and were turned out to graze quickly.

Sadly, but inevitably with lambing, there were a small number of losses; we had triplets that escaped the scanner so came as a bit of surprise!  Sadly one was dead on arrival and another was so small and weak he only lived for a few days despite all our efforts.  But the remaining ewe lamb is growing strong to the degree you can’t tell her apart from the others now she has grown so much.  We named her Blythe as she has always seemed such a happy little lamb, full of life from the start.  We also had to supplement the feed of two twin ram lambs with the bottle, as Mum didn’t have quite enough milk to support them both. They are now turned out with the rest of the flock and doing well.

Our thanks go to our volunteers shepherds who helped out during lambing and who continue to ensure on a daily basis that the flock is safe and healthy. Roll on lambing 2012!