raindrops.....

Oh... so refreshing! It rained, indeed is still raining. We are a funny bunch, complaining it's cold, then it's hot and now it's raining....... Shep ain't complaining, it was a pleasant change to have the wet stuff come out of the sky, fortunately it was mild with it which is always a help. Working in wellies and leggins again, top coat donned - a refreshing change it has to be said! Although it would be hoped it won't be a permanent fixture.

There was a down side to appreciating the mild soggieness of the day - midges! Them little monsters which so enjoy coming out to play in mild damp weather. They detest extreme temperatures, hide away on hot, cold or windy days but a day such as today was an absolute treat for them. 'Tis funny how ones memory forgets the discomfort these miniscule airborne characters cause, until....... they appear once again. A small price to pay I'm sure for being able to enjoy a refreshing showery day!

The lamb marking season is well under way. It is almost three weeks since Shep returned from over the border and many lambs have been handled since then, hopefully another ten days ought to see the job completed on the farms Shep visits.

The lambs above have been shed off their mothers, easier to handle without ewes careering around in the pen with them, they are also less likely to get hurt as the adult sheep are more than capable of running over the top of these little chaps. The lambs will find themselves caught up and held up a height on the top rail of the sheep pens. There are a number of jobs to be done to them on this their first visit through the sheep pens.

These lambs were born from the 16th April onwards and so vary from six weeks of age and less, this is their first main health check. They will indeed be marked, with a keel mark to ascertain who it is they belong to and also what sex they are for easy reference later in their lives.

Every farm varies as to the tasks required doing to their lambs, some need to give lambs a worm drench, others don't. Then there are ticks, some need to prevent infestations of ticks on their lambs and again others don't. Some farms put a lug mark on their lambs, a notch or hole cut out of the ear by means of a set of lug marking pliers, this being a permanent reference to the ownership of those particular sheep. There are such a variety of tasks from farm to farm that it can be easy for Shep to get confused, having just got the hang of one farms preferred methods before moving onto another farm with different requirements. Doesn't take much y'know to befuddle the grey cells!

Hoggs are finding themselves run off from the main flock as well, not that they are going to be lifted up onto the top rail of the pens to have bits and pieces done to them (god forbid!). No, they are starting to think it is time to be shorn......... Blimey! we're getting to that time of the year again!

Shep's been shopping - I know, women love shopping. Shep don't love shopping - never has, but this is different. A new cable for the clipping machine, the outer cable cracked towards the end of the season last year, was wrapped with tape to see the season out but now a new inner and outer cable has been acquired. Then there was the clothes shopping......... A new state of the art pair of shearing trousers, which fit! and look so nice and clean and respectable. Last years pair are still wearable, however, a lack of concentration caused a blip with the hand eye co ordination thing and a few stabs with the handpiece at the knees sees the jeans rather raggy in places - quite serviceable at the moment but I'm sure splashing out on a new pair wont hurt. After all, it is helpful to have one pair in the wash and a clean pair to put on.

The lamb marking season saw Shep back over the border for a couple of days, catching up with them there white, wild, woolly cheviots. MY lambs were looking well, it was so good to see them again although disappointing to find some were suffering from orf (watch these postings - coming soon!), on the other hand it was a relief to find others which were lame had foot scald and were not suffering from the joint ill type infection which a few lambs had gone down with towards the end of the lambing. The lambs were really thriving and weighed heavy when lifted onto the top rail of the pens to get the bits and bobs done to them, fortunately they don't have horns so injuries to the handlers were minimal. And guess what? Shep's lamb count was up on last year - now is that exciting or not? I was forever hopeful, especially with the number of twins (and triplets) which were born but I was also well aware that the Crunchylaw sheep may well have let the side down, the only cut lambed in an enclosure were the ones which suffered the most losses amongst their lambs. Fortunately for Shep the other three cuts of sheep which lambed out on the open hill brought the odds up and although not a massive increase on last years lamb count it was an increase - what a grand way to retire from a lambing!

On that note I will leave you with a picture of one of my sets of triplets (there were only three sets). This ewe off the Auld Faulds cut nursed these lambs for five days before I had the opportunity to lift one and set it onto another ewe. All three are still running around the hill but as a pair and a single and now much bigger than in the picture.

Home once again

13th May saw Shep heading south; homeward bound.

This gimmer was the last sheep to lamb on me, I went to the hill on the morning of the 13th to do my last round and here it is - my last lamb. I left a further 17 which were obviously holding on waiting for the shepherd they knew best to take charge again and see to their needs. It is usual for there to be only one or two left to lamb. This year proved to be different in so many ways.

. There were some spirit lifting days. This was actually mist rolling in from the direction of home on the 18th April at 6.30 am, a beautiful sight, one which had also had me praying it wouldn't come all the way!

Then there were the soggy days, when shelter was sought in the hope the onslaught would pass.

Not just myself sheltering either, this protective ewe had her lambs as full as guns and they wouldn't feel the harshness of those Oh! so cold winds we experienced for what seemed like the duration of the lambing, tucked up warm and cosy in amongst the tussocks of grass they were quite content with life.

Swallows arrived! They turned up on the 20th April and gave us all a lift, summer must be on the way!

I haven't spoken to anyone who has not said that it has indeed been a hattering lambing season, some younger than myself have wondered if they're getting older as they have found this year very tiring. That pretty well sums it up, this season has indeed been a challenge. I still enjoyed it tho'!

What will probably be my last lambing over the border has come to an end and once again I am home, it hasn't been the sort of lambing anyone would really wish to 'retire' on but we have indeed been very fortunate, everything could have been a whole lot worse. I don't get the opportunity to get my second wind, assistance was needed as soon as I returned and the monotony of hard graft continues but at least I am alive to rise to the challenges!

Early May

I ain't too sure of the date but it is a Thursday and a notable day an' all. To start with the dongle wishes to work tonight................ my god! Slow it may be but at least it isn't crashing every ten minutes just when you feel you may be getting somewhere - now there's something of note!

I've got my car back. Yup! Shep has been car less for a week now, not that I've had the time to go anywhere but y'know, it's nice to know it's there should I wish to run away. Even better the nice man at the garage couldn't get the computer to sort up the bill, so I ain't had to pay for the new tyres, engine service and nasty expensive sounding oil leak. Doubt that'll be wishful thinking tho', dare say a bill will track me down eventually, I'll make sure I'm sitting down when I open it!

I shed in the Crunchylaw today, a huge disappointment as there are still a good number to lamb, there were also a few to many geld although it seemed at least half had kebbed (aborted) early on. Unfortunately the hounds are getting the blame for this. The farm is on the cusp of the ground of three hunt kennels, and were overrun with hunts and their followers prior to lambing time,it seems highly likely that it may well have been the last season for hounds running their trails on this particular farm.

Was that what made this particular Thursday noteable? NOPE!

The sun shone, all day in fact, there was no fog this morning which was a huge relief as Shep doesn't see through fog too well. The sun shone - did you get that, should I repeat it? The sun shone. I went off to the hill tonight in my jumper, discarded the top coat and fleecy jacket and drove off on quad airing my jumper as I went. Even more exciting was the fact I had my boots on and had been wearing them for many hours, wellies and leggings discarded for once, actually for the first time this lambing I donned my boots - now how exciting is that??

We've been very fortunate, there have been some crap days but going by the radio we are far better off than those drought ridden souls down south who are now complaining that it's raining, at least we haven't had all that rain. We have however had bitterly cold winds, and I mean bitterly cold. Easterlies, occasionally veering north easterly, bitter, bitter winds. I have been told that the old 'uns used to say when the wind got into the east at this time of the year it wouldn't shift for six weeks, that has caused me to frantically try and work out how long the easterlies have been with us - seems like forever!

The cold winds are causing problems, milk is going off some of the sheep, some twins are dropping off but then it's amazing how a mother can turn up for them, something which has a dead lamb is only too pleased to be given a replacement, that is what the twins are for after all.

There have been too many twins, I have twins still running on the hill as there was no room in the field for them, these are actually doing very well out there which is good to see.

I have just over a week left up here at the lambing before I depart for home, life isn't going to quieten down in those days, there is still as much ground to cover and as said too many sheep left to lamb, there are lambs going cripply which need attention, probably some form of joint ill which is an infection through the navel of a wet lamb which affects the joints of the legs - there's aye something! All time consuming tho'!

Sounds glum but it ain't, has to be said it has been a hattering lambing, tiring and the cold making you wearisome but it's still been 'fun', or ought I say a challenge? If it was all plain sailing we wouldn't get excited at a day like today where the boots were donned and the top coat shed - would we?

Another Tuesday! (17th April)

That is what I was told this morning “Way..... it’s Tuesday you know”. The remark was in answer to my question as to whether or not the day was going to fair up. 6am and I was heading to the hill, if it was going to fair up I would have waited - what a foul morning! The shepherd had shot down to check the shed, all 7 of them! I had looked them before retiring for the night, he looked them in the morning to ensure I wouldn’t be held up heading out to the hill. A wicked smile as he told me he was heading back in for his early morning coffee as I headed out - happed (covered) up like an Eskimo, or so I was told.

Tuesday? Yup, that atrocious arctic snowy day was Tuesday 3rd April, Tuesday 10th April, the day my hill ewes started to lamb, was an equally atrocious morning and here we were – yet another Tuesday, the 17th, and truly abysmal weather, thank fully there is now only one Tuesday left in April, should the trend continue!

Shep and Moss headed out on the quad. Very strong, bitterly cold wind which drove rain, ice and snow right through you, ugh! It was awful. With hindsight (such a wonderful thing) I ought to have turned around and had a second cup of coffee, but I didn’t!

By the time we reached the top of the Dodlaw I was nithered (very cold), everything felt saturated. Raising my head against the onslaught was painful on the face; eyes were screwed up to stop the cold icy whatever stinging the eyeballs. I had passed a new lambed pair, busying themselves getting footed, that natural instinct was driving them on.

 

Once up on the top of this carbuncle it is necessary to get off the bike and walk down the hillside a short way to allow a better view of the ground. Shep ain’t good at heights, this is steep ground to what I am accustomed to and it doesn’t always take much for the vertigo to set in. This morning was no exception as Moss went sideways and I wondered if I would topple over. The strength of the wind out on the top there was unbelievable, I made a mental note to eat more chocolate, more ballast was obviously needed!

Over the top and onto the two cuts of sheep away over the back saw more shelter, still bitterly cold, still wet and icy but definitely more shelter. My face was stinging, my hands getting cold, for all they were encased in a good pair of gloves and the bike has heated hand grips they were still suffering. As was my backside, it was getting colder and colder and feeling wetter and wetter. I was half way round my trip around the hill when I realised what a plonker I was. My discomfort found me sheltering from the onslaught in the back of a dyke (wall). Gloves off and I rolled a fag, it was bliss to crouch down out of the unrelenting wind and shite that was being thrown at me, Moss cuddled in, he too appreciated the few moments of shelter.

Down on my honkers in the back of the wall I caught sight of my leggings – what a prat! Neither wonder I felt so bloody cold. I have two pairs of wellies and leggings with me, a fair weather pair and a wet weather pair. Basically, a brand new set and a set which are ripped and shredded, fine for keeping me warm and clean but no use for keeping me dry. Which pair had I put on?? Need I tell you? Some folk just don’t have the sense they were born with!

There were lambs a plenty, regardless of the weather conditions the ewes had been spitting them out. Most were new lambed, all were footed, nothing was taking any serious hurt. I eventually got in for my breakfast as the weather started to improve.

It would have been a strange sight should I not have been living alone, as I dropped my britches (trousers) peeled soggy knickers off my now numb arse then opened the top oven door of the aga and turned my back to it in an attempt to get some feeling back into that expanse of myself I had been sitting on for the past few hours. I feel sure that if I had wet myself I would have been drier and probably warmer than I was at that moment in time. The offending wellies and leggings found themselves pushed away into a corner, no fear of jumping into them again in a hurry as I depart in the mornings in a sleepy haze.

 

Thankfully the day improved. My next lap and all subsequent journeys were done in the dry. A cold, cold wind but sunshine did grace on occasions. There were a couple of lambs not sucked on my return, they got sorted and all was well. Full tummies and they will survive the rigours of the weather.

I had the pleasure of being able to sit and watch the dipper for a short while later that morning. I have seen it fly down the burn at ‘my’ spot once in the time I’ve been here, so I knew it was still on the water. Whether the same one that I have seen over the past five years I wouldn’t like to say but it definitely uses the same stretch of water. Today the burn was full and the little cheerful dipper did his bobbing act on a stone in the middle of the burn, then kindly dived into the water, swam under before once again appearing back up on top of another stone. He did this twice as I watched before heading further downstream and out of sight. I really do have a penchant for dippers, such cheery little things; memories of the early morning onslaught soon began to vanish as I went on my way with a spring in my step.

 

Not wanting to sit still for a photo, preferring to sniff his armpits !

 

Then deciding the smell was too much - time to leave!

The buzzards were busy today as well, soaring up and up and up on the thermals. Ravens too were to be seen and of course the corbie crows (carrion crow). There was another bird............ I need my bird book. I have borrowed one from the shepherd but it ain’t up to scratch. I’ve seen this bird once before, two years ago and whilst I was lambing here. It’s huge - massive wingspan. I’d like to think it’s an osprey; however, I may well be wrong.

A wheatear on the final lap tonight kindly alighted on a fence post right beside me; they are bonny in their own right and cheerful with it. The day finished on a high, a slight shower saw a rainbow arc across the sky – a grand way to put the day to bed!

 

Lambing a ewe

Sometimes sheep need assistance to get lambed succesfully. By succesfully I mean that hopefully the outcome will be a live sheep and a live lamb.

For what ever reason ewes do occasionally struggle, it is our job to try and work out when to intervene and when is best left alone. I always prefer leaving alone but there are times when intervention is necessary.

 

Ewes tend to pick their spot, both indoors and outdoors, they choose where they intend to settle down and lamb. They sniff the ground, sometimes scratch at it, turn around a few times to decide which way they want to point before lying down to commence labour. Restless they can be. They can be up and down like yoyos whilst lambing, often turning around to check whether it is there yet or not, huge look of disapointment on their faces to find that it isn't! That is exactly what the above ewe is doing, her waters probably broke and she is dismayed to find that is all that happened.

 

Time to lie down and have another go.

 

and smile for the camera at the same time, I don't think she'd be impressed if she thought she looked cute or comical, she'd probably sum it up as uncomfortable at the very least

This ewe put a great deal of effort into her labour, there were some enormous pushes came out of her

 

Finally something was happening, there was a foot - definitely a foot and a front one at that, excellent! Lambs ought to come into this world with two front feet and a nose, this was a pretty good start.

 

A great deal more effort was put into the proceedings, and even more effort still. For all the effort this ewe put into getting shot of her lamb the view remained the same - one foot.

When a ewe really pushes and strains on for a duration it is expected that the view might well change, two feet? a nose even?

 

In this case there was just a foot, one very lonely foot and one ewe tiring. Shep intervened.

On further inspection there was no doubt a big lamb was trying to head into this world, the size of the feet and the strength of the bone on its leg said it all, the other leg was tucked up, doing a grand job of putting the brakes on, making the bulk greater than it ought to be for sliding out of the ewe.

 

The second foot was encouraged to come and join it's mate, make life a bit easier for the ewe.

 

Once both feet were out the legs did follow along with the first sighting of a nose.

 

Then the head began to come into view.

 

It was a big head to match the big feet and strong legs. I applied pressure to the legs, not pulling, just keeping taut. As the ewe pushed she found the lamb edged out easier with the assistance I was giving

 

eventually even more lamb came out into the open.

 

Success! Even though the lamb isn't completely out of the ewes body it is already lifting it's head, she will soon be up on her feet.

This lamb had found the mucus removed from it's nose as soon as the nose had come into the open, do to my intervention, it is one of the first things we all do, ready for it's first gasp, the least slutter there is for it to draw onto it's lungs the better. The above photograph also illustrates how easy it can be to lose a lamb at this stage. Should the sheet on the lamb not have broken and the ewe decides to take a well deserved breather before springing to her feet the lamb will find itself either breathing in all the fluids or basically suffocating in 'a plastic bag'. By the time the ewe gets to her feet it is all too late. Lamb is dead. Suffocated.

 

Sometimes these lambs appear all twisted in their shroud, due to the fact they were trying to breath, their bodies start to flail and twist, unfortunately though, unless the bag breaks they will inevitably smother. Known in the trade as sheeted. Can happen even in sheds with people on hand, takes no time at all for a lamb to find its first breath is going to be its last.

 

This lamb was going to be fine, mother was soon up on her feet and beginning to lick the lamb, bonding with it, cleaning it, drying it, stimulating it.

 

 

The instinct is to get footed on unsteady legs like when some of us who have partaken in too much falling down water

 

But eventually with a sturdy leg at each corner the lamb manages to balance it's bulk and remain in an upright position.

 

Once footed and balanced there is only on objective - head for the bar! Milk bar that is. Amazing how the instinct is there for the newborns to get up on their feet and head in the right direction to find food.