Portland Sheep at Beer Mill Farm Lambing 2003

for a diary and pictures of lambing 2002 click HERE

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March 1st

With lambing due to start on March 1st we have spent the last few days getting ready. Firstly the rams and ram lambs who had spent the last few weeks inside the barn, were evicted.  Then the barn was sorted out ready for the pregnant ewes.  

We rearranged the pens, rigged up the remote TV camera so we can watch what is happening inside the house and put down a really deep layer of new barley straw and brought the ladies inside. Some people and books will say that it is much healthier to lamb outside and they may have a point but we have found over the years that for both sheep and shepherds it is a lot easier and more comfortable inside. You have more control over where things are happening and you are not at the mercy of the weather.

March7th

One day to go before the first lamb is due.  Usually we seem to have a lamb two or three days before the due date, but this year everybody seems to want to stick to the script. They will probably keep us waiting now.

We are lambing 16 ewes this year.  All have been scanned with ultra sound equipment (see Winter 2002 page) and we know they are in lamb.  Last year we did not scan and two of the ewes fooled us into thinking they were pregnant.

The lambing barn is the centre building of three running parallel to each other. It is sixty feet long, twenty five feet wide and twenty five feet high.  Originally designed to hold hay and straw, it is known in the UK as a Dutch Barn with a curved high roof and open sides and ends. The ewes have the whole area at the moment but as lambs are born the area will be split and ewes and lambs will be one side and ladies in waiting on the other side.  As more lambs are born, the ewe and lamb side will be made bigger until when all the ladies have produced they have access to the whole area.

March 8th

Lambing is due today.  We have two sheep who are due on this date.  Bramble Alice andBramble Bess.  Hilary did a last minute check at 11pm last night and then got up at 3am to check again.  Alice showed all the signs of doing something but seemed a way off.  Brian got up at 6am and things seemed to be progressing nicely.  After feeding everybody we had breakfast and at 7.40am Alice produced a water bag.  After a text book delivery she produced a beautiful little ewe lamb at 9.20am.  She is a first time lamber so we allowed her more time than is usual.  A few years ago we would have intervened some time before that but we were happy that she was progressing okay and left her to produce in her own time.  Alice and her lamb were moved to a 'mothering up pen', the lamb's cord was treated with Iodine, Alice's milk supply was checked and they were  left to get to know each other.

By 11am Bess was definitely 'on the go'. The ladies are certainly starting on time and to the book this year.  We have guests from Surrey for lunch so they may see some action!

All through lunch Bess got on with things and ten minutes after our guests left we could see that only one leg and a head was coming through.  When we first started lambing we would have fiddled around trying to get the other leg out but some time ago we learnt that in this situation, assisting the lamb to come out with one leg back is a lot better.  After a couple of minutes Hilary delivered a large ewe lamb.  Bess would probably have had the lamb unaided but would have struggled for some time and a little assistance helped both ewe and lamb.

Possibly two more today or tonight so it will be a 3am check if nothing happens before then.

March 9th  Hang heads in shame.  Alarm went off at 3.00am. Turned it off, then fell asleep. We woke up at 7.00am!  Luckily nothing happening.  As part of the lambing routine, once each ewe has lambed she is given an MOT about a day afterwards.  So this morning Alice and Bess were wormed and had their hooves trimmed.  Quite a task as once they are in lamb we never turn them over or feet trim.

Bramble Felicity decided to get going about lunchtime and after following the usual routine she went into serious labour, producing a water bag about 4.15pm. As she has lambed before, we allowed her an hour after that and then decided to have a look.  Everything was in the right place but it was quite a large ram lamb.  We could tell because of the size of the head.  Rather than let Felicity struggle needlessly, Hilary gave her a very small amount of assistance and out came a really impressive looking ram lamb.  Far too early to tell really, but he is very square with nice even colour and good facial markings.  So easy to get excited about particular lambs in the first few days but you can't help it sometimes.

Bess and Alice were moved out of their individual pens to the nursery pen for mums and lambs in the main lambing shed. Bramble Flo looks as though she will do something tonight or early morning,  knowing our luck it will be early morning!

March 10th

Flo looked very uncomfortable all yesterday evening and was obviously going to lamb but when? By 11.00pm we decided that Hilary would stay up and I would get some sleep. When you first start lambing it is very tempting for both people (if there are two of you) to stay up so as not to miss anything. We soon learnt that sheep can keep you waiting for hours at night. In that situation all you get is two very tired people instead of having one tired person and somebody who can then get up early giving the other person a chance to recover.

After making a huge fuss for hours, Flo was not getting very far, so eventually Hilary gave her a hand to deliver a large but beautifully coloured ewe lamb at about 2.30am. Flo is a well grown sheep put to a similarly well grown ram (Bramble Otto) so the lamb was always going to be impressive (at least that was the plan).

We have used three rams this year and so far three of the lambs have been by Otto with one from Bramble Costa. Our older ram Bramble Ben has yet to go on the score sheet.

March 11th

No action today. We have hit a quiet spell. We spent the day sorting out the fencing in the paddocks everyone will be turned out into. Ewes and lambs will go into one near the barn and the rams will go off to the far end of the farm. At the moment they are near the house but cannot be in a field near the ladies when they are put out. We always wait at least a week or ten days before putting any of the lambs outside. Mainly due to the danger from predators such as buzzards and foxes. Once the lambs are around ten days old, most predators will not bother them. Foxes and buzzards prefer small, weak or sickly lambs although of course there are always exceptions. The fencing is two line single strand electric fencing powered from a mains unit. The one unit will run up to 30 miles of fencing so we are well within the specification!

March 12th

Nothing today.  THis is the frustrating bit when you are only lambing a few sheep.  You have to be there and keep on checking anyway.

March 13th

No action today but Bramble Florence is looking very uncomfortable. Weather is picking up. It has been dry since we started lambing but dull. Forecast is looking very good. At 11.00am Hilary checks Florence but decides to get a couple of hours sleep and stes the alarm for 1.00am. When you start lambing it is very easy to stay up and not want to miss anything but there is a limit to how long you can do this so sometimes you just have to take view and have some rest.

March 14th

Hilary gets up at 1.00am and Florence has pruduced a really nice little ewe lamb by herself. The first lamb from Ben this year. Bramble Diva is looking restless now. Hilary gets up again at 5.00am but no change. Brian gets up at 6.30am and things are moving along. When he checks her at 7.05am the lamb is just about to be born. Five minutes later out comes a ram lamb. Again, out of Ben. Two really easy births as they all have been this year. Can we continue to be this lucky?

A really glorious sunrise and a hard frost. Looks like it will be a splendid day.

Yes it was a perfect day and the forcast is set fair for the next week (or so the weather people say).

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Just a reminder to show how the lambs grow. These two boys were born almost exactly 12 months ago.

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