Learning Curve – Lambing 2022

Being a first time farmer everyday is a learning day. Like my dog training clients I’m always seeking advise and guidance from my friend in the farming community. Instagram is one social media platform that has a farming family that is only to keen to help. So when I had a problem I called upon all the help I needed.

Up until today I’d had a few days of easy lambing’s where the ewes had already given birth. But on Friday whilst out on my afternoon checks I came across a ewe giving birth. I could see two legs, no head presenting and the ewe seemed to be struggling. No matter how many videos or books I’d watched it never fully prepares you for that first time experience. I gave her a wee while to lamb and could see the lamb was yellow and she was still panting heavily so I decided that I’d intervene. Just as I got near she gave birth to a huge ram lamb. Clearly the size of the lamb was why she’d struggled. At that moment the ewe started to walk off. So I cleared the airways. It was at this point I made a huge mistake. One which cost me 6 hours of my time and one I will never do again.

I instinctively thought that as the ewe had walked off that she’d abandoned her lamb. I now realise after speaking to my farming fiends that I should have left her and she would have come back. That was evident later in the day when she returned to the afterbirth.

So, after I’d fed the colostrum to my the new born, another mistake, he’d bonded to me. Which isn’t what I wanted to happen. Lambing outside I’m keen to not have a nursery pen, so after many instagram communications I decided to capture the ewe mum. That isn’t easy when I’m waiting on the ground to dry so I can erect internal fencing to separate over 64 acres.

So in the dark we had to coral all the sheep, capture mum, draft all the pregnant sheep out, leaving my training sheep in the training area and all without sheep hurdles. I have to say that even though Skye isn’t fully trained she did me proud. Together we walked all the sheep across the land and corralled them. I know that when Skye’s training is completed she’ll be an amazing dog.

I then put mum and new born in my new goat field shelter where over the weekend they bonded and on Sunday I released them back into the fields with the flock.

Farming is a huge journey I’ve decided to embark on and its one I openly admit that I’m learning on everyday. It’s important to remember to ask for help and advise. The same advise I give to my dog training clients everyday.

Posted: March 28, 2022