2023 lambing has commenced! We have one single and one set of twins so far (1 boy, 2 girls), and everyone is doing brilliantly; hopping around the barnyard and nursing well.
This is our second year lambing with the flock, and while in so many ways I was more prepared, calm and confident this time around, in one very real way I was not...
...Timing! This year I definitely had my timings wrong.
Our flock came to Hengarth in November 2021 - rams and ewes arrived separated and we put them together to breed. 156 days later, to the letter, our first lamb came for the 2022 season. And we had all 7 little bouncing bundles (from 4 bred ewes) within a 10 day period.
This meant all the pre-lambing prep was timed to perfection - vaccinations for the ewes 6 weeks prior, crutching wool 2 weeks out, ultrasounds with the vet, and so on. We knew who was pregnant and that everyone was ready. This year was a slightly different story.
Despite every intention I didn’t get the new fencing up in time (at 9 months pregnant myself) and the flock ran together earlier. While I headed to the hospital to have our own little one mid-September, it seems our ram got busy almost immediately back at base!
Unable to be on site to watch activity I couldn't be as certain as to when, or with who, the action was taking place as I had previously. Reports back were "no mounting seen", so all I could do was take a stab at dates and follow the best sheep behavior knowledge out there. My best guess was that we'd probably go mid March.
How wrong I was. Thinking I had 4 weeks or so left, but becoming increasingly nervous given their size, our first ewe (Bea) lambed on Monday 13th.
This was the week I had planned to crutch the ewes and de-worm in prep for lambing (crutching entails shearing their undersides to clear the wool around the udders for easier nursing - what I like to call a sheep brazilian!)
Although it would have been nice to have completed every single one of my pre-lambing checks in time, I had the basics covered - the boys separated, lambing jugs up and cleaned, and all the supplies set-up and ready.
But most of all, Bea is a ewe in very good health and a practiced mama so thankfully she did not need our help that morning. When Ted arrived to morning chores with our first lamb perfectly happy in the field with mom, we were ready to do our part!
With mom and baby safe in the jug, we were able to quickly do our small part of stripping teats, providing colostrum and making sure everyone had what they needed for those early hours. A few days later, she was joined by a set of twins - and we were slightly more prepared this time.
Though, just like Bea, our second ewe to lamb is an old hand (Tess, she had triplets last year!) and needed no assistance from us in getting her twins out, clean and up and nursing!
And that's where we are so far! All lambs are out and doing well. Watching the lambs find their legs last year I vowed to add a few play obstacles for this season to help them get their practice leaps in - so today I plopped in an old car tyre to the barn yard. Jury’s out so far, but I think they’ll be exploring and launching themselves off it fairly soon - more to come!
Jen.
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