A Shed full of Sheep 1.05am Friday 6th April

As I headed back towards the lambing shed there was a dampness in the air, fine rain accompanied by a full looking moon

 

in a cloudy sky.

I stood outside the shed and listened, there was a definite grunt, a sound of labour, one of the ‘somethings’ was hopefully up to something!

Sure enough, as I stealthily tip toed into the lambing shed those stupid Cheviots banged to their feet and looked for the exit, not terribly helpful of them but an issue I am getting accustomed to. I stood in the feed passage which is slightly raised above the area where the ewes are held. Scouring the woolly mass in front of me I tried to get my eye on the three which I had noted an hour previous, also looking for any signs of anything else which may be ‘up to mischief’.

There was a ewe standing at the bottom end of the shed, it was from this direction I had thought the grunt had come from which I had heard minutes earlier as I had stood outside in the darkness of the night. She raised her nose in the air and gave a silent push, a birthing contraction, quite a big strain which made me think the lamb was close to being imminent.

Over at the back wall a ewe had lain down and muttered to herself, my view of her was blocked once she lay down by the mass of bodies between her and I, it was however apparent that she too was busying herself.

At the top end of the shed was the sheep which I had wondered whether I ought to have concerns about. I did now indeed have concerns about her, she was standing with her back up, not straining, not grunting, doing nothing other than standing in a hunched fashion. It would seem there was indeed a problem with this sheep.

There is only one entry point into the area these sheep are housed in, it is at the bottom end of the shed. As I entered I noticed the grunter now had a head and two legs hanging out of her backside, another push or two and the lamb would be released from its confines. A problem for me, because if I went to catch the sheep I had concerns about all the other sheep would stampede, this one included. The lamb may well be released into the big wide world and lost in the straw as woolly bodies ran by.

I could give her more time but was keen to get problems sorted, once lambed she needed a few minutes to lick and bond with her lamb, otherwise I would find her running off if I tried to move her too early, it was going to be easier to try and move her as she was. Unfortunately, an attempt to coax her into a pen in the corner failed, a rugby tackle saw her restrained, as the lamb popped out into the big wide world.

What appeared to be a big single lamb (these sheep aren’t scanned), however, it wasn’t covered in the usual lambing fluids, instead it was smeared with brown gunky stuff, there was obviously something else inside this ewe and it was unlikely it was going to be alive. Indeed, quick examination saw a mummified lamb close on the heels of the healthy chap who was already on the ground. Problem sorted and ewe and lamb were put into a smaller individual pen.

 

A quick look at the second sheep had me conclude she ought to be alright to be left to the job for the time being, there didn’t appear to be anything untoward to be seen at her backside. My attentions moved on to the third sheep, it took me a while to get my eye on her in the melee but find her I did and yet another rugby tackle saw her and I lying in the straw of the shed floor as the others scudded around our lugs. Give me lambing outdoors any day!

A quick inspection below her tail told me all I needed to know. The stench which was released with my hand is a smell you never really get accustomed to and can often leave you gagging. They all smell the same, rotten lambs carry the same smell from every sheep I’ve ever been unfortunate enough to deal with, it has its own unique aroma.

I quickly realised this was not going to be a speedy procedure and took my jacket off and covered the ewes head, tucking the edges in around the sides of her head to prevent any light seeping in. Sheep will generally remain quiet if left in darkness, this tactic was used to give me the opportunity to open one of the bigger individual pens, leaving the sheep lying prone in the straw, lying quiet for a second or two whilst I got organised for moving her.

 

Upon my return, as soon as I removed her ‘blindfold’ she banged up onto her feet, it took all my strength to keep a hold of her as we bounced off in the direction of the individual pen. Even though she was in a potentially serious predicament she still wanted to take flight – these cheviots really don’t help you to help them!

It was indeed a time consuming procedure, the lamb was coming arse first (breech), with a twist, as the rump of the lamb was presented first with both back legs tucked forward and as is often the case when badly presented the ewe hadn’t opened up properly so a little gentle manipulation was required. Concern was rising as first one back leg came out, followed by the second leg, the skin was coming off as pressure was applied, inevitably the legs came away, released themselves from the body.......

Not a good place to be.

String tied around the spinal column of the torso found that also came away from the rib cage.

It was somewhat gruesome and would be extremely unpleasant for the ewe. Much lube was used. Lambing lube, a gel used for lubrication. Fortunately the bottles have a long pipe on the end of them allowing the stuff to be released into the insides of the sheep by putting the pipe into the sheep and then squeezing the bottle. It was needed as it became necessary to remove a front leg inside the sheep to make the remaining torso and head smaller.

I was truly hoping that the remaining front leg would stay attached to the rib cage and give me something to help release the final remains of the rotten lamb. Fortunately it did and finally all the ‘bits’ were removed from her body. Oh hell! There was another one! This was not as rotten as the first and managed (only just) to come out in one piece. The second lamb would die later than the first and so would be less rotten. If caught in time the second lamb can often still be alive.

So, if caught in time? Does that mean had I investigated an hour sooner the lambs would have been alive? NO.

It is difficult to say how long this sheep had been stuck lambing. She had been moved from a field further away at lunchtime along with all the other second week lambers, she would probably have been in this predicament then, the natural flight instinct would have seen her willingly run with her mates and once in a new field all of the sheep would be unsettled and she was probably acting fairly normally. It has just been unfortunate circumstances which will hopefully have a happy ending.

They are resilient creatures, you just have to take your hat off to them. Poor soul had been stuck with two rotten lambs inside her, followed by an hours worth of gynaecology, she gets a big shot of antibiotic and a live lamb given to her. At the moment she is standing up, licking her ‘new born’. To a sheep there is no better medicine than to have a live lamb to tend to. Time will tell, but if infection can be held at bay it would be hoped this sheep will go from strength to strength as will her adopted lamb.

A keen eye will be cast over her for quite some time, it is always possible the milk may go off her, or she may feel under the weather but they are tough cookies, fighters, we could learn much from them.

Left in her pen to quietly recuperate I set off to see what the other sheep was up to, she ought to have lambed by now. She hadn’t, she was having a gi normous single lamb, an absolute monster he was. Presented correctly, nose and two front feet but he was getting nipped. His nose and tongue were just beginning to swell, yet another rugby tackle, yet another sheep wrestled to the ground, fortunately for this ewe once the front feet were pulled to straighten the legs the lamb came out of her without too much bother, gentle pressure from my part with her natural contractions pushing the beast out.

The night is not through yet. Before leaving the shed and the three new lambed sheep it was noticed one sheep was unwell. An injection of Calcium with Magnesium was administered under her skin to give her a lift. She had ‘dropped’ a sign of staggers, also a sign of pre lambing stress, hopefully the treatment she received will have lifted her back to her feet. There were also another two sheep tweeking their lugs, muttering to themselves................. It is time once again to go investigate and see what them woolly blighters are up to.

A Shed full of Sheep

That’s what faced me on the night of 5th/6th April – a shed full of sheep. There had been only about 20 sheep which had left the shed that morning but the ewes due to lamb in the second week had now joined them, bringing the total closer to 100.

 

When I say they had left the shed that morning this is because the ewes are only housed at night, being allowed out to grass during the day to lamb in more natural conditions. The twenty however had been whittled down indoors during the previous two days due to the inclement weather, they had been held in during daylight hours to save them from dealing with the harshness of the weather. Boy were they pleased to see daylight and fresh air on the morning of their release after two days of total confinement.

Cheviots are not well suited to being housed, being a flighty breed they don’t seem to settle too well when they are housed and looking them throughout the night is not always easy. No matter how quietly and gently I tiptoe into the lit shed there is always one on sentry duty, as soon as she spots me she bangs to her feet as a warning and all the rest follow suit, I find myself standing, looking, listening, studying for what seems like an eternity to try and work out if anything is up to mischief – either thinking of lambing or on lambing, the more sheep there are in the shed the more difficult it is.

So it is this particular night, shed full of sheep, even flightier than usual due to the fact that for many it is their first night indoors - their first night of disturbance..

At this point I am going to tell you that there may or may not be accompanying photographs, bear with me if I suggest there is a photo and yet there isn’t, due to having to use a mobile dongle to access the internet not everything runs as smoothly as I would like, there are many photos I wish to share with you all but it isn’t always possible.

 

It took me some time to ascertain that indeed something was going on, I tailed and castrated some lambs ready to go out tomorrow whilst quietly trying to keep a beady eye on those in the lambing pen, I finally concluded that there may be three ‘something’s’ going on. I gently walked in amongst them to try and see what exactly was going on and wasn’t just too sure of what I was seeing.

At this stage it really doesn’t help that Cheviots don’t take too kindly to you gently walking into their space, that flight thing they are so renowned for comes to the fore and they ‘kindly’ all run in a tight bunch to one end of the shed, attempts at quietly trying to look at backsides can see them all charge to the other end of the shed – an absolute nightmare which requires quick recognition of issues and the sheep with the issues.

So it was, there are definitely at least three sheep in the throes of lambing. I exited their pen and stood back and studied. There is one in particular that I am not convinced is managing, however, how can you really tell when sheep are so unsettled, so uncooperative and held together quite so tight?

Sheep commence labour by appearing unsettled, sometimes they just flick their lugs (ears) around, or look back at themselves, lay down and rise, turn around, scratch at the ground, curl their lips up, basically sometimes looking confused (especially first time lambers), other times looking uncomfortable. Eventually the spasms kick in, the contractions. Lying or standing the nose will be raised in the air and lugs laid back as a ‘push’ is the order of the day, this can be silent, may come with a grunt or a blaar – they are all different.

Some sheep can start their labour and have lambs on the ground in no time at all and with very little fuss, others can take an hour or two, some with much fuss and commotion others in a more covert manner.

It is the covert manner which can give rise for concern. Should a lamb be badly presented inside the ewe, be lying in a manner that she will not be able to lamb it naturally her body often seems to shut down to the idea. The first signs of lambing will be present, there will probably be a water bag passed but after that she may well just ‘give up’. This is fairly easily spotted outdoors as the ewe will appear ‘off the stott’ (not right), even in sheds it can be fairly obvious if there is sufficient room to see what is going on and sufficient memory space in your head to recall those who had started to lamb but never got any further. These sheep are capable of ‘giving up’ the idea of lambing and actually chewing their cud or heading for hay so it is necessary to be able to store everything in your head and not overlook one if things get busy.

Should they be overlooked they will become apparent eventually, the lamb dies inside the ewe and soon begins to rot due to the body heat of its host, this will lead to the sheep looking sick and upon inspection it will soon become apparent that a lamb is stuck inside the sheep, a smelly lamb at that.

So it is then that there is one sheep Shep isn’t too sure about. What ought I do? Dive in and lamb her? Chase all the sheep around the shed, including the other two which are starting to lamb to catch a hold of her and see if there is a problem or not?

Time. That is the answer, or it is to me. Early into my night shift and I don’t fully know the history, length of times etc that these sheep have been in labour, they are also extremely unsettled in their new environment. I concluded I would exit the shed, give them all an hour before going back to see what if anything they were all up to.

I am writing this post during that hour, having headed back into the cottage for some warmth. An hour is a long time to fill in, especially when there are concerns, some may say it is a huge risk and I would have been wise to catch all three sheep – that is the reason I do night lambings, the least interference the better is my logic. I will be able to tell how things are going when I head back out, hopefully the sheep will have had time to settle down and recommence their labours, I know in my head who I am looking for, where their spots in the shed were, unfortunately I also know that the one who is left on sentry duty will alert all the others and they will bang to their feet when I re enter the shed.

It is 11.15pm on Thursday 5th April and I am heading back out there, my hour is up and it is time to go see exactly what them woolly critters think they are up to.

sheep tagging - a welfare issue?

I have already stated in a past posting that by law all sheep have to be tagged. Those destined for pies just require one tag, those destined to remain on farms as breeding sheep require two tags.

If a sheep is found to have lost a tag the farmer is required by law to replace that missing tag or pair of tags.

Now I have my ears pierced and over the years I have lost many earrings out of my lugs. Pull your jumper off over your head and hey presto! gone, left with just one lug ring, t'other never to be seen again, mainly due to the fact that it generally takes me days to realise I lost one in the first place.

So sheep don't pull their jumpers off over their heads so they won't have the problem I experience, they just have other problems. Sheep have wool and it can indeed get tangled on their person, they also like to stick their heads through wire fences, they like to feed at hay hecks, they traipse through heather, lie down in dense undergrowth, wander into woods, rub up against things including each other, especially when in the sheep pens. They have a hundred and one ways of managing to lose a tag. They also have the trouble of flies, which irritate them, make them flick their ears around, scrub their heads, kick up with their hind feet - anything to dislodge the pests.

I Know! I take some strange photos! The above is an ear, a sheeps ear no less, a normal ear, a healthy ear, it is the last one you're likely to see on this posting - be warned!

Blackfaced sheep are not meant to have droopy, floppy lugs. Their ears ought to be pinned back behind their horns and pointing skywards not drooping forwards.

This poor soul had little option but to hang a lug. Having been tagged a year previous she had been doing well, until there was some warm steamy weather and headflies became a problem, her incessant flicking of her ears against her horn would cause the skin to break, the headfly would then get excited to a feverish pitch, she would flick her ear even more and before she knew it she had a very sore and very infected ear.

This sheep had also been bothered by flies, the tag is actually still in the ear, just encrusted with infection.

Was this sheep luckier? She has lost her tag, it has ripped her ear, probably she caught it on something and tore it away from the flesh of her lug which it was pierced through. Unlike the earrings which I wear, which have a removable back her earring is meant to be a permanent fixture, it won't come to pieces, it will come out in one whole piece - torn or ripped out, She had obviously had an infection as well, the hair missing off her ear says it all, although healing up nicely she will have had a rough time of it.

Another who had lost a tag, healing nicely?

Upon closer inspection there is obviously still a fair amount of infection in the ear, I wouldn't like my lugs to be oozing puss like that.

Who would be a sheep hey?

So? Is tagging a welfare issue? It most definitely can be, and unfortunately it is the responsibility of the farmer not those who lay down the regulations to ensure their sheep don't suffer from welfare issues.

When noises have been made it is the farmer who is told he doesn't do the job correctly, it is the farmer who foots the bills for the antibiotics and replacement tags, it is the sheep which can suffer and once ears are healed find themselves having a replacement tag re inserted into their ears, they will have no peace from the dreaded tag until they are dead, and even then, they must have a tag in their ear for the dead cart to collect them.

Maybe our sheep ought to join the maasai people?

A day of madness?

I can often take a 'funny' turn, have been known to answer the 'phone to an unknown with the greeting "Welcome to the funny farm" or even worse "Hello! you've got through to the home of the mentally deranged, how can I help you?" It can be a good way of getting rid of unwanted 'phone calls but on occasion has also left me cringeing with embarrassment!

The other half has often been known to warn me that "the men with white coats will come and take you away". It seems that it ain't gonna be men with white coats (wishful thinking I doubt!), it's gonna be them sheep with white coats........

White coats, white heads...............

CHEVIOTS!

Yes! I've been at it again and trundled off over the border to have a cheviot fix.

I had a day in the company of them there wild, white, woolly beasts and thoroughly enjoyed their company. I probably am deranged coz as I drew up at the pens which were on the roadside my face just broke into a big grin, it was so good to see the critters again!

They really are wild, preferring to run when most would walk, even though many of them ought to be waddling by now, being just a month off lambing they are beginning to spring (fill up) of the bag (udder) and bellies are growing at a rate of knots, but then their legs still manage to propel their bodies at a rate of knots as well. Blink and you might well miss them as they fly past.

Bunched up in the pens you really wouldn't think they could move far, but move they do. Bulldoze in actual fact, just like a rugby scrum, they just keep pushing on, pushing straight through you with ner so much as a second glance.

A full day in the pens with the blighters was a 'treat', they got their post lambing innoculation to prevent lamb dysentery during the lambing season, those that required it also got their sore feet dealt with.

None of them appreciated being handled, every single one of them attempted to barge through me, knock me down, bend my knees in a direction they're not designed to bend in. Odd ones even attempted a blow to the upper body, whilst others even managed to stand on my feet with all their weight put onto one tiny cloven hoof which can cause a great deal of discomfort at the time.

There wasn't a single beast that didn't fire up in the feisty fashion that Cheviots are renowned for. I've never played rugby but imagined that maybe I could appreciate how a rugby player felt when the match was over. Battered and bruised, mashed and crushed, stamped and trampled but exhilarated at the same time!

These sheep are fit, not only fit but carrying good fettle, such good fettle that they made me feel anorexic - a mere spelk (splinter, small thing) compared to them. I did enjoy their company, rose to the challenge of the battle of wills, they put up a good fight but I won on the day and probably have the scars to prove it. Driving home weary I still couldn't help but smile. There is just something about these wild, white woolly beasts that does appeal.

Just ten days to go and I'll be able to enjoy their company for a full six weeks, that is so long as the men in white coats haven't taken me away before then!

gathering again

You just get finished gathering at one farm then off you go to another...... Blimey! Like I often say - no peace for the wicked!

Moss and I chose to use shank's pony last week, in other words we gathered on foot, by choice I may add, as we could easily have taken our own quad bike, however, I decided walking would be good for the body and soul. Has to be said, as I found myself negotiating some thick heather on an uphill climb towards the route taken by the Pennine Way I concluded my little stumpy legs may well be getting stumpier, however, the body needed a stretch, or so the mind told me and so persevere we did for a few days.

We stopped off en route to take some pictures, okay! the truth is Shep needed a pee and the old shooting hut was a grand hidey hole where the world and it's neighbours wouldn't be able to view my bare arse, then I decided to take some photos before resuming the journey, views of where I was heading on those little short legs of mine.

Sheep are being moved by Moss who worked well, my abilities to keep up with some of the fore runners was limited, strange how you miss a quad! Moss' wide outrun came to the fore and he didn't let me down once, the pair of us were very happy with the proceedings. I gain a lot of pleasure from working the dogs, especially so when they work well and keep the job under control. I couldn't help but think Moss was working better with us being on foot, or maybe it was because he was a solitary dog and had me all to himself - who knows?

Finally all were gathered and were being brought towards the pens.

Once held in the sheep pens the sheep were run up the shedder. The twin bearing ewes were being taken off. They had been in such good fettle at the scanning it was decided to set them back to the hill, it was now time for them to be coming into the fields and receiving a bite of cake (feed).

The twin bearing ewes are waiting expectantly - what next? Would they be lucky enough to just run through the pens or was there some man handling going to be done to them?

All the sheep were going to receive treatment. They needed their pre lambing innoculation, a booster for them and a cover against clostridial diseases for the lambs within them. They also required an oral dose for liver fluke, some for worms. Then there was the pour on which would be applied to their backs, not for lice this time........

For ticks

Them blood sucking critters which can cause havoc to ewes and lambs when the spring rise occurs. We found out that it was already occuring. This tick was one of many which had taken residence on the sheep. In actual fact it was ready to depart. My hand under the sheep's chin whilst dosing had naturally dislodged the fella. Gorged and full of blood it was dropping off ready to commence it's reproductive cycle. Instead it found itself smiling for the camera and then unceremoniously squashed into a bloody mush on the fence post.

The pour on which had been applied to the sheep's back would kill off any of the critters which had latched onto the animals and it would also prevent any others from taking up residence over the following 8 weeks. The lambs on this particular farm have to be treated quite soon after birth and definitely before they head back to the hill with their mothers, otherwise they suffer all manner of unpleasant disorders, including turning cripply and quite obviously struggling to thrive.

The weeks work went well, we had dry weather if not somewhat overcast and coupled with a cold wind, although when walking whilst gathering the wind wasn't too much of a bother, body warmer than it would have been had it been astride a quad bike.

As evening was drawing in and sheep were heading back out to the hill the sun graced us with it's presence and made the dead hill grasses appear almost golden in the light it cast across the hill. A grand way to finish a day in mid March.