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.

Cheviots again

 

Shep's been at it again - getting a cheviot fix! (South Country Cheviots of course!) Yup, headed up over the border to see to these white woolly characters, they didn't disapoint and it was good to catch up with them, even though I'll be in their company for a full 6 weeks before so very long.

The beginning of April will see Tarset exhale a sigh of relief as Shep departs and heads north for my annual 'holiday' in the company of these cheviots on the scotch side of the cheviot hills. Not long now, but in the meantime I was invited up there to put them through the pens and get them innoculated prior to lambing.

 

I was pleased to find they are fit, very fit. An exceptionally good cover of flesh on their backs and footy (lively) with it. I had almost forgotten just how lively these little blighters can be. Thankfully they don't have horns or my legs would have been ripped to shreds. They really are something else. Stone mad may sum them up quite well. They have absolutely no respect for man nor beast, permanently hell bent on being wild, boisterous and bolshy. But they do make me smile, infact on occasions through out the day they even raised a laugh.

I just have to take my hat off to their independence, their determination and the sheer spirit which they are possessed with, if I didn't know better I would be tempted to say they are possessed with the devil, however they are far too genuine for that to be the case. There is no doubt about it they are not a placid breed of sheep! If they were cattle they would have me running a mile!

I found myself pondering and grinning to myself on my return journey home. Driving there a minor knee problem caused problems, it was only an issue when I had to use the clutch pedal, on the way home I found the other knee had become a problem, minor and only an issue if I had to use the brake pedal! I recalled the occasion, the ewe refused to be stopped, just as the wicket was being closed in the pens she went straight through me - quite literally, like a ton of sheep meat she just barged on, no respect what so ever for me, I was in her way and would be removed (as indeed I was). The shepherd told me that he believed Cheviots were a young persons breed and recounted entering the house a number of years ago and telling his late wife that whilst attempting to dose the ewes he had found himself both physically and sexually assaulted by the blighters - that's a cheviot for you! They really can be a challenge, but fun with it!!

 

Even Moss looks forward to the challenge, he must also like working with the white woolly characters as he was quite a cheerful chap when we took to the hill to help gather them, mebbes he's also looking forward to his 'holiday', pitting his wits against these wild white beasts.

Anyhow, I was really excited to be there and not because I was getting a cheviot fix but because I was there to innoculate them. Some may recall that last year my confidence took a knock, my temper kicked in before despair took over. Lamb Dysentery. A problem which I had thought I'd seen the last of once again reared it's ugly head. A cruel disease in lambs which kills. A disease which is easily prevented with pre lambing innoculating.

 

Being an organic flock not all the sheep had been innoculated as it had been deemed unneccesary as some hadn't suffered from dysentery, well the dysentery caught up with those which hadn't been innoculated and the results weren't favourable. But not to worry...... this year they have all been jagged, by myself, I know they are covered, I know that there ought not to be a problem with dysentery this year, I am really excited at the prospect!!

I have to say, with hindsight, I feel quite fortunate to have experienced lamb dysentery as there has been hardly a soul I have spoken to on the subject can remember it. One 82 year old farmer I asked recalled that neighbours had sold up and left a very good farm due to the fact that they had to go around with a wheelbarrow at lambing time to pick up the dead lambs which had died due to dysentery, ironically, 2 years after they had moved on to pastures new a serum was introduced to be given to new born lambs, a fore runner to the pre lambing innoculation used today, a serum which was a turning point in lamb survival, a serum which was two years too late for one particular farmer.

 

I drove back over the border and back home, hattered and battered, beaten and bruised, weary but happy. The ewes I'll be lambing are fit and well and full of hell. The countryside is beautiful, the sun shone and the top coat was discarded but most importantly they are innoculated - yipee!

getting in a tizz

Shep is slowly getting into a tizz, now you might not know what that means. Wound up I guess would sum it up well, or mebbes the clinical description would be stressed, although I would say that was probably an exaggerated description of being in a tizz.

In a tizz - quite simple really, a feeling of much to do and not enough time to do it. I wouldn't care, the days are getting longer, there are more hours available to work in, it ought to be easy to get caught up with work and things.....

It's the pre - lambing tizz that is the problem, coupled with unco-operative weather. Rain, gales, snow, sleet, more rain, fog, clarts, you name it! For a few days it did seem like spring was arriving, now it feels like mother nature has changed her mind.

Have to say, there has been some great excitement, I was like an overgrown kid when I heard the skylark for the first time on 16th Feb. "Skylark! Listen. Definitely skylark, there they are look...up there" Caught talking to myself once again, the dogs cocked their heads on one side and stared at me in despair.

Then there was the frogspawn on 23rd February, I jumped off the bike and did a little dance...... the dogs sat back and gave me a quizzical look. I faired no better when I conveyed my excitement to the shepherd I was working with. "Is the other half registered as your carer?" was his reply!

I don't care what the dogs or anyone else thinks, it has been exciting. There has been the first Peewits and Curlew, Oystercatchers on the river side, geese heading south - you name it, the signs of spring were appearing everywhere, life is looking up, spring was springing. Yipee!

February disappeared into history and March arrived. The 'phone kept ringing, work to do. Hoggs to hornburn, sheep in need of their pre lambing inoculating, dosing required, treatments for ticks needed, much to do.

'Tis great, I do like to be kept busy, all was easily manageable before I head north at the end of the month, no need to worry. Until, that is, the weather broke!

Sheep pens are outdoors, hoggs are burnt in the sheep pens, the fire is lit in the sheep pens........ Have you ever tried burning water? Doesn't work too well.

Not to worry, will re-organise the burning and get on with dosing etc., Trouble is many wish to treat their sheep with a preventative pour on against ticks, this is the same sort of pour on used in the treatment of lice. For all it doesn't specifically say on the container that it must be applied onto dry wool most do prefer to do this, so once again it isn't possible to get on and the sheep work is beginning to stack up, time is ticking on........

Shep's getting in a tizz..........

One job which needs doing is I have been asked to head into Scotland and inoculate the sheep which I am to lamb. I am excited at this prospect, not because I'll get a cheviot fix but because I'll know they are inoculated against lamb dysentery, a disease in the lambs which has been a rod to bear over the few years I have lambed this flock. This year they ought to be dysentery free! I really want to get up there and get them done, but then there is everyone else queueing up also!

There are other issues also, ordering and taking delivery of a new fridge freezer. Car repairs. Lambing supplies (chocolate!). Appointments. Letters to write. Phone calls to make. I almost feel snowed under, ironical considering it is actually snowing!

My car is getting weary. Can't expect miracles, it is 16 years old. I like my car, it goes and it stops when asked to, what more could I ask for? It is having some maintenance work done at the moment, apparently it's body is beginning to show it's age and major, expensive rebuilding work will be on the agenda should it try to go through another MOT.

To add to my tizz I decided to go and look at another car.

I know I wont get one like the one I've got, or if I should I'll just have another rust bucket. But my headset likes my car, I'm used to my car and I'd quite like another very similar. Also, I don't want to buy a car for lots of money, you could say I'm mean but also my car is used as a mobile dog kennel, it carries three dogs to and from work everyday. It is a hatchback with the back seats dropped down,it is trashed inside, has an aroma all of its own - a true work horse. Do I want to spend a lot of money on something 'nice' just to trash it? Definitely not!

I happened to see a car advertised which was similar to mine, a few years younger with a reasonable mileage and at a sensible price - almost too good to be true! I rang up about it to find it was at Newcastle, umm, Jarrow in fact, oh! I had to ask where Jarrow was, have heard of it, the Jarrow March and all that. Anyhow, it's near South Shields, umm!

Basically for a country bumpkin like me it seemed a long way away, although it would be fairer to say it was somewhere I'd never been to before and never really wanted to - in the town. Never mind, beggars can't be choosers.

Eventually, we both found ourselves held up with the weather, a quick 'phone call confirmed the car was still for sale and off we headed. No sat navs just a good old fashioned map and an address. I have to say I don't like towns or cities or in fact anywhere where there are houses, traffic and people.

My fingernails were about chewed off by the time we arrived at our destination and I wasn't doing the driving! For once my navigational skills didn't let me down either - must be a good omen!

It wasn't. The car wasn't keen on starting (at least my rust bucket does!), when it did start a cloud of black smoke rose from the engine, matched by the black smoke coming out of the exhaust. Umm..... back to plan A (I do like my car!!)

Four hours from leaving home we returned, having driven through snow at this end, fog in the middle and rain in town we'd been, turned around and come back with nothing to show for our little gander.

Shep was feeling well and truly tizzed and needed to get out into the open somewhere, having been couped up in a car for hours and stuck in town on concrete streets with traffic and people I needed to head into an open space and leave the world behind, go back into my world.

The weather was poor, snow was still lying, it was by now raining and foggy with it, dogs and I jumped into the car and without realising where we were headed found ourselves on the shores of Kielder Reservoir. Strange really, it is on our doorsteps but not a place I ever really visit - I must have been in a tizz!

Two hours later and I felt I could return to civilisation. My choice had been a good one, on such a dank day there was no one wandering about. Dogs and I had the walks to ourselves and we reveled in the peace and beauty of the place.

I found myself transfixed, I'd ground to a halt at a puddle. Not any old puddle you understand, this was a big puddle. A swampy area which had flooded and covered the footpath, there were trees overhanging the area and rushes and mossy humps showing up through the water. I had haltered due to the path being immersed in water and then I ended up in a spell. It was the sound which held me under a spell.

One of those magical moments, the sort that bring you back from somewhere you hadn't enjoyed being. The drips of the rain hitting the puddle, accompanied with the drips which were accumulating and then dropping off the trees. There was music. Every drip or drop produced a slightly different tone, some threw up bubbles which produced a different sound again. I stood there spellbound - an orchestral puddle - amazing!

I was beginning to wonder if the music could be recorded, could you play around with the recording and come up with some wonderful, natural mix of music? But was it not necessary to have the visual also? The drops hitting the surface causing ringlets, mini waves which rippled gently across the surface before breaking into one another before finally dying as others were formed?

My trance was finally broken, the dogs had decided there must be a problem and were pushing there noses into my legs, looking at me questioningly. The shepherds remark "Is your other half registered as your carer?" came into my head and I laughed and we went on our way.

A puddle managed to calm my feeling of tizziness, I am now a day closer to heading off lambing, but my sanity (some would question that I have ever been sane)has returned, the hubbub of traffic, streets and people is a distant memory, the future work loads will pan out one way or the other - I've returned to my world!!

Pre lambing innoculating

I've covered the copper inoculation which some, but not all, sheep require, and explained how it was a preventative medicine.

Ewes require another inoculation from 6 weeks prior to them lambing and again this is a preventative form of treatment.

Clostridial diseases with weird names such as Braxy, Blackleg, Lamb Dysentry, Pulpy kidney can cause a great deal of grief in the flock and expensive losses to the farmer. Just as we have our tetanus injections to save us suffering from Lock Jaw (tetanus), sheep also require boosters to prevent them from falling foul to some horrible infection/disease. This is not a live vaccine and so does not require a vets prescription, it is readily available over the counter at any agricultural merchants.

The ewe hoggs (female lambs) which are kept to introduce into the flock are inoculated in the autumn. They require doing twice, six weeks apart, to get them into the system. As would any adult sheep which have never previously been vaccinated.

Once in the 'system' the sheep find themselves getting their annual booster from 6 weeks prior to lambing. It is administered by automatic syringe (in the same way as the copper is) and as the label says - subcutaneously - which to us normal folks means under the skin (which is a darn sight easier to spell).

My preferred spot for jagging (injecting) under the skin is just behind the shoulder, the skin is loose here and a light tug on the wool will easily pull the skin up and allow you to stick the needle under the skin. Sometimes if the ewe bends her body the wrong way this will tighten the skin, however it loosens the skin even further on the other side so I just change sides - easy!

The recommended site is on the neck, should a reaction occur due to the injection there will be less damage to the carcase if it was to be slaughtered, however, these ewes aren't going for slaughter and it is very rare I see signs of damage when shearing the sheep.

When inoculated prior to lambing the vaccine finds itself getting passed into the foetus inside the ewe, therefore giving the lamb a few weeks cover from these horrible illnesses once it is born. There's nothing like giving them a good start in life.

There are a number of products on the market, all covering similar ailments, some that cover more than others. My prefered vaccine is the one which also covers pneumonia. There were actually a couple farms in the area a few years back which had to change the vaccine they were using as their flocks were getting bothered with pneumonia, this was an expense at the time as the whole flock had to have the double injection to get them into the 'system', in the long run though it was cheaper than losing and treating sheep for pneumonia.

Lamb Dysentry tends to be prevailant in the Scottish Borders and Northumberland and the vaccine which is absorbed by the foetus has been a life saver to many lambs. Lamb dysentry was something which I had never seen until a couple of years back, due to all flocks being innoculated for the duration of my shepherding life I had never had cause to come across it. When I did it nearly broke my heart.

I took a fresh lambing ( one which I still do to this day), these sheep were organic. Basically the ideal of organic farming is that treatments ought to be witheld unless it can be proven they are necessary. Preventative medicines are shunned upon, wait until the problem arises - if it does - then do something about it.

That was the case with my first lambing on this organic farm. None of the ewes were vaccinated and I came across a problem in the lambs which was fresh to me. It varied and it struck the lambs down quickly. You could go around in the morning and everything appeared fine, later in the day there may be a lamb lying dead, or worse.

Lambs could be anything from a few days old to a few weeks. The ones found dead were the lucky ones. Anything found ill was in agony. Some showed signs of scour (diarrohea) others didn't. They all showed signs of tummy ache. There are probiotics and rehydration therapies which can be admministered and this was the route I took, I soon concluded I was prolonging the agony.

I did finally reach a breaking point. One lamb which I actually knew well - it's mother was a kind gimmer (first lamber) who had nurtured her lamb for the few days it had been alive - was found one day in a crumpled heap. Lamb and mother were fetched off the hill and put into a pen. Tummy ache was obvious and medicines (organic) were administered. The lamb appeared to improve, it got onto it's feet, stretched, but not the normal stretch - a tummy ache stretch. A painful bleat was uttered, scour ran out of it which showed blood, it then lay down and thrashed around, froth coming from it's mouth before it stood again and went through the whole process again. Perseverance from my part failed.

I have to say, I have never seen lambs suffer so much pain. Eventually carcases were sent to the vets. Again, with organic farming it is necessary for the vet to make the call, it is out of the shepherds hands until the vet has given his prognosis and confirmed what you thought or knew. I didn't know this was Lamb Dysentry as I had never experienced it before but the shepherd I was working under had his doubts and felt fairly sure this was the problem.

The tests were inconclusive and I had to wait for another carcase. To cut a long story short any others I found I put out of thier misery, didn't attempt to cure. It was eventually confirmed and the following year all the sheep had been vaccinated and 'touch wood' I have never come across the problem since and don't want to.

The whole episode made me question the ideals of organic farming. There is no doubt in my mind that this clostridial vaccine is a necessary treatment for the flock, at a cost of approx 70p per sheep it is money well spent.

A Sunday off

The first day off in the past eleven - exciting stuff!! A lie in was the order of the day. Now a tap, tap, taptap, tapping noise was aggravating Shep from 7am onwards, of an origin that my brain could not work out. Eventually I succumbed and got my lazy backside out of bed. The better half informs me it is Jackdaws nesting on the side of the house, in amongst the tangle of electric and phone lines which come in to the premises. Seemingly it's been annoying him lately too. As I have been up and away from home before this 'late' hour of the morning I have been totally unaware of the tapping problem. I doubt the gun will be coming out of it's secure home in the gun cabinet.

I suppose I did manage to have a lie in of sorts and rose totally mentally alert having lain in bed for quite a while concentrating on the tapping noise and trying to work out what on earth it could be. Whether the dogs appreciated a lie in I don't rightly know, they came out of the kennel with a bounce, well, one of them did - the youngster (Moss), the older dog (Glen) is still off the stot, I can't quite work out what the problem is other than concluding it is age and cold weather. There is nothing specific you can point your finger at but I shall continue with the vets medication and see how he goes.

A leisurely bowl of porridge, one or two 'phone calls, some dishes to wash, washing to hang out then off to inoculate a handful of ewes for an elderly 'farmer' in the area. The same elderly person who was involved in an STA (sheep trampling accident) prior to Christmas. The ewes are in good fettle and seemed to enjoy trying to break my legs whilst treating them - they truly are a strange band, many brought up as pets and most with an attitude all of their own.

The job took quite a while due to my automatic syringe drawing air which resulted in having to use a single shot syringe. Also, half way through, the sheep which had already been treated, escaped. Oh Yes! They took off like the devil himself was behind them, straight onto the road and along past the village hall. I am indebted to the car driver (of origin unknown) who had the presence of mind to stop their car, turn on their hazards and also flag down the car behind them.

I will not set my dogs past sheep on the road unless I deem it safe and this car gave me the confidence to do this, might seem strange to anyone reading this but my dogs are worth more to me than the sheep are, if there is going to be an accident involving traffic I would sooner the sheep were the ones involved and not the dogs.

It was a grand morning and as I was having a day off therefore the delays were of no great hardship.

Except a rush did ensue as time flew (as it does when you're having fun) and before I knew it I had to rush away and gather some bags of silage and hay from a local farmer to enter into the fodder show which was being judged at the pub at 1pm.

The local Vicar alongside the Chairman of the Parish Council were the judges on the day. Seemingly the vicar walked in to pay some debts - I thought she was paying off her tab from behind the bar but seemingly not (still prefer that explanation though) - fresh from the local Church service, the poor old vicar was pounced upon and given the job, being a horsey person she actually had a sound knowledge of fodder anyhow and between the two of them a good job was done.

The fodder show was well supported with 13 local farmers entering produce which was either a bag of hay (or small bale) or a bag of silage/haylage, obviously this then meant Shep found herself in the pub in the afternoon, had a grand crack (conversation) with all and sundry and was about set to become part of the fittings when it was brought to my attention that it was Blood Donors day. Ah! Fortunately I had been drinking Coke and so took myself down to the local small town, to the school and got to have an afternoon lie down.

I seemed to have verbal diarrhoea whilst at Blood Donors (I blame the Coke!), I'm sure they were pleased to see the back of me!! Anyhow, my naturally inquisitive mind took to enquiring as to the what haves of the blood carry on. They say the average person has 8 pints of blood in them (I always thought it was 7 - learnt something there!), if you are below 7 stone 12 you can't donate (no fear on that one!), we don't give a pint - only three quarters, however the anti co agulant in the bag makes it up to a pint. The blood being collected goes into a bag which is rocked in a cradle to prevent it from clotting. Our blood that we've lost will soon be replaced however it will be diluted. The reason we have to wait 17 weeks before donating again is that the blood has to have time to regain it's quality, thicken up again I guess.

All this was followed by a cup of tea and fortunately there were still some bourbon creams left to dunk in the tea ( I love bourbon creams!), a bit more crack with one or two other donors, sheep crack I'm afraid, a farmers wife and myself discussing the impending lambing season, the bareness of the fields and all manner of important farming subjects! Returning home, managing not to stop at the pub, the dinner was put in the oven next to the fire to have it ready in time to watch Countryfile on the telly and see how the Tarset farmers faired with their five minutes of fame. They came over really well - strange seeing folks you know on the telly.

coppering ewes

Ten weeks before they are due to lamb is the optimum time to copper ewes, or so it says on the label. We don't rightly know at which date each ewe is going to lamb so tend to go from ten weeks from the start of the lambing, which does actually give a bit of lea way if necessary.

So why would you copper ewes? Copper deficiency causes something called swayback in the lambs when they are born and once born with swayback there is no way of curing the problem (or not that I am aware of).

Swayback (sometimes called swing back) is exactly what the word suggests, the lambs show swaying in their backs, sometimes so severe it almost looks like a paralysis of the back end with hips and rear legs trailing behind them. Milder cases often don't show unless the lamb is stressed. For instance they can trot along merrily with their mother in the fields and possibly appear almost normal, set the dog around and try to gather them up and the lamb will start wobbling on the back end, the back legs will tip over as it rushes and panics and the signs of swayback become only too obvious.

Treating sheep with copper is a preventative approach to the problem. Not all the lambs will suffer from swayback but those that do have a difficult existence and are unable to be put forward for sale, it's often kinder to put them down at birth and adopt another lamb onto the ewe. Therefore, it is kinder all round to prevent the problem from arising in the first place, especially when the cost could work out at less than 20p per lamb.

There are some sheep which don't suffer from copper deficiency. Hill ewes, running on black ground (heather) do not suffer from the deficiency, obviously heather must naturally harbour copper enabling the sheep to have sufficient in their system. Pure bred Texel sheep are also able to retain copper in their systems and so don't require coppering.

These are important facts to know because not only do sheep suffer from copper deficiency but they can also suffer from copper poisoning, the last thing you would want to do is administer copper to animals which don't require it. Over the years through trial and error it has become apparent to farmers and shepherds which sheep are susceptible to either complaint. Basically, those running on green ground or less acidic ground are the ones often vulnerable to copper deficiency.

One farm I work on has a black heather hill, the farmer took the tenancy for this farm a few years back and knew the ewes wouldn't need coppering, he kept the older ewes in the field ground and started a fresh flock of in-bye sheep which were retired off the hill, ewes which had never had any trouble with a deficiency of copper, within a couple of years he was having swaybacked lambs born to these ewes, not many but too many. That in-bye flock is now inoculated with copper and no swayback lambs are born anymore. The hill ewes are still fine as they are still out on the heather. Lesson learnt.

A few lambings back there was trouble in the shed I was lambing in. Hired to do a night lambing on mule ewes which were housed in a shed and things started to go wrong. A few sheep were 'going off' pre lambing. Odd ewes were beginning to go dour, lethargic. Now there are a number of reasons for such things, mild twin lamb disease was suspected, however after lambing down more ewes were going off - lying around, not interested in their lambs. The nearest thing I could put it down to was milk fever.

There is nothing more frustrating, you want to do a good job, do the best for the sheep and nothing seems to work, a truly disheartening position to be in. At the time lamb prices were very poor, sheep had little value and vets bills were high. Eventually the farmer succumbed, I whinged sufficiently until he was either going to sack me or call in the vet, I was lucky the vet was called in.

Blood tests were taken from a cross section of the sheep, healthy ones, poorly ones, in between ones. A couple of days went by and the results came through - mild copper poisoning! The problem was rectified by turning the sheep out onto grass during the day and the feed merchant was notified and swallowed humble pie. The wrong sheep feed had been delivered with the last order and it contained copper. It was a hugely frustrating time for Shep but an interesting one too. A situation I had never come across before - a learning curve.

So, in January ewes are finding themselves being either injected with a copper solution or having copper boluses administered orally. Some administer these boluses at tup time as they are slow releasing and cover the copper problem for six months, others wait until the ten weeks before lambing to administer them.

The above ewes are a prime example of the in-bye type sheep living on green ground which require copper. The ugly whiter faced things in the foreground are the bluefaced leicesters, the browny faced ones are mules and one white faced one towards the rear left corner is a texel cross which wouldn't have been coppered.

Above we have a 'gun' used for the administration of copper bullets. The nozzle of the gun is put into the sheep's mouth and pulling the trigger operates a spring which then shoots the bullet to the back of the throat, care has to be taken as you don't want to damage the sheep's throat and you don't want her to spit the bullet out either. The bullets are full of small copper filings and the coating 'melts' when in contact with moisture (can be difficult to use on wet days). The bullet finds itself in the stomach where the coating dissolves leaving the copper filings to be slowly absorbed into the bloodstream.

The other option is to inject a copper sulphate solution by means of an automatic syringe (see below) attached to a bottle of the solution. This is injected directly into the muscle, again taking care not to inject in a site which may cause tendon or nerve damage. There is a plate of muscle either side of the tail head which many years ago a vet student who was lambing with me advised was one of the best places to inject as there is nothing sitting in there which could be damaged, however, on lean sheep this is not always the ideal place due to it being a small area of muscle. Everyone has their preferred sites.

Occasionally syringes break down, bullets get spat out and aren't noticed until they are on the ground, or sheep break out of the dosing pen and mix with others. It's a shepherd's worst nightmare and one thing we dare not do is treat the whole lot again in the hope of catching the ones which were missed. We would not like to inadvertently poison the sheep. When such problems arise fingers are crossed and it is hoped the one or two which somehow missed treatment will be the one or two which weren't likely to give birth to a swaybacked lamb.