Portland Sheep at Beer Mill Farm

Lambing 2002

click on any picture to enlarge it

Just as a reminder, this was one of last years lambs on the right and this is her now!

For full details and lots of photographs of last years lambing story click here

March 20th

This year we are lambing 15 ewes, slightly less than last year although we did have three lambs in January.

Unlike last year we did not have the ewes scanned in advance so we do not know if there are any twins due or indeed if all the ewes are in lamb. The ewes would have had to have been scanned in the Autumn and with the tail end of Foot and Mouth Disease still around at that time we did not want to take the chance of having a contract scanner on the farm.

All the ewes were out until a few days ago and came in on a dry day. This is important because if they come into the lambing building wet, there is a strong chance of respritory problems emerging.

March 21st

The Equinox and the first day of Spring. A really Spring-like warm day and obligingly, at the civilized time of 4.30 in the afternoon, our first lamb was born. Bramble Flo who was the National Portland Breed Champion in 1999, had a very nice little ewe lamb. Only the head emerged and Hilary had to pull a leg forward and help the lamb out. It was quite small, often a sign of twins and sure enough, 45 minutes later out popped a ram lamb. Both lambs seem very strong and they are safely in a mothering pen with Flo. We do find that twins being smaller than single lambs when born are a lot less trouble to get out. Some of our worst lambing problems have been with big single lambs.

Bramble Flo having produced her first lamb, watched by an entirely unmoved audience!

Since our last lambing we have splashed out on a wide screen TV and we now have a much improved picture from the lambing camera.

At least three or four ewes are due to lamb in the next couple of days so we hope for a busy weekend.

Friday 22nd

Hilary got up at three A.M. as several ewes looked ready to go but nothing doing.

Bramble Felicity, who was last to lamb last year, decided to make an early start this time. She looked really uncomfortable all day but no lamb.

Saturday 23rd

After getting up in the middle of the night to check, still no lamb however after a huge performance all day, digging up practically all the bedding in the lambing shed. Felicity produced a very nice ram lamb at 5.30pm. Unaided, which makes a change.

left: the twin ram lamb born on Thursday. Two days old and looking like a star!

Sunday 24th

Bramble Rosa looks very imminent as do at least three others.

10.30pm Rosa has finally produced a lamb. A huge ram lamb which Hilary struggled to get out but made it in the end. Everybody else then lost interest so no more today.

The first ewe and lambs were due to go outside today. For the first few weeks, ewes and lambs graze outside then come in at night as protection against foxes etc. The grass is growing at an amazing rate so we decided to cut the turn out paddock before anyone went out. Sheep do not like long grass and so we always top the fields down to about 3 or 4 inches before they are grazed. This has the effect of really stiffening up the grass growth and preventing weeds growing up to seed. In some fields we do like to see wild flowers and 'weeds' but the fields we use for summer grazing are now more like lawns with tremendously thick grass cover after several years of serious management. We never use fertilizer but we do need some good grazing in some areas. It's just a question of balance.

We have worked out a programme of topping and chain harrowing which gives good results without the use of fertilizer and gallons of herbicide.

Monday 25th

Bramble Bounty gets going first thing in the morning but makes very heavy weather of it. By lunchtime we decide to have a look. Hilary explores and finds only a head. Bounty is very tight and Hilary cannot get a leg out so she decides to push the head back in and eventually sorts things out and gets a head and leg through followed by the rest of a nice ram lamb. Everyone exhausted including me and I have only been making sure Bounty does not get up while Hilary is helping her lamb!

No one else looks imminent which is just as well as I have to go away for a couple of days to Surrey. Luckily there are people in the village who have offered to help if necessary.

Tuesday 26th March

At 3.00am Hilary got up to find that Bramble Flora had produced a ram lamb without assistance, which was fine except that she was upside down!! The lamb was curled up asleep in a corner quite unconcerned. Flora had got herself on her back somehow and was completely unable to get upright again. This sometimes happens in the field and is called being 'cast'. The problem was that she refused to believe the lamb was hers. Eventually Hilary managed to persuade her by rubbing some of the birth fluid from the lamb over Flora's nose and eventually all was well.

Wednesday 27th

I was still away so Hilary had to do the night shift alone. Bramble Fortuna started to look serious late evening so Hilary spent most of the night in the lambing shed. One of the coldest nights for months. Eventually after fiddling about all night, a very pretty little ewe lamb was born at 5.00am without any problems. At least Hilary was able to appreciate a really spectacular dawn!

left: Fortuna and lamb after five days

Thursday 28th

The weather has been brilliant for several days now, what a change from last year. The grass is growing well and the ground is really dry.

Friday 29th

Still no action but at least the weather is brilliant.

Saturday 30th

Bramble Benjamin the proud father of all this year's lambs anxiously awaiting news!

Will Ben get more news?

                To continue the story click HERE