Off with their.................

In the 10 so far weve got 4 male lambs. We dont want any more rams and unfettered testosterone  isnt good for anyone (!)
So its time they were castrated . We've got  castration rings .

So we need to do the deed.





Round up your ewes and lambs

Get yourself a (male) lamb and put on the castration  ring . Lamb testes are surprisinglyl high and surprisingly mobile!  I cen see how its easy to miss . 

and then when all are done, put ewes and lambs back together again 

its a bit noisy whilst the ewes and lambs find each other, but they all go off  with the correct lambs(s) in the end

Another limper

The previous limping lamb has got better - but we've got another one 

And catching it the 'ankle' joint ( left rear leg)  is perhaps a  little swollen. 

And it has a high temperature high 40.7 degrees .  The normal temperature of a lamb is 38.3-39.9 C (100.9 -103.8 F). But it didnt stop her  running around . !

We've had jointill before. She is a bit old ( 3 weeks)  for it , but nevertheless its a course of antibiotics for the 7kg lamb  

In sheep its called  Norocav. Given to people its call Augmentin.

So daily inections for the next 5 days 

Welcome Back

A few days ago we took 3 of the sheep for slaughter 

Anyway today one of them has been returned

This one was a Boreray cross. the meat look a bit fatty. Probably a lazy sheep !
Anyway , we will see what it tastes like  in due course

For the Boreray mutton you ned to contact The Dounby Butcher 

limping update

 The original is here

Things improving - masterly inactivity on our part has made him better

Eat it to keep it

"Eat it to Keep It" is a strapline from  the Rare Breeds Survival Trust

The way  you encourage  farmers to keep  , and increase their stock of  a breed to to provide a market for its products.

So an early start  (6am - but at this time of the year the sun is coming up at about 4am) and hitch up the trailer

reverse trailer as  necessary

Sheep + trailer

And a brief drive to the destination. And more reversing with the trailer 

For any further followup , you will need to contact the Dounby Butcher 

the limping lamb

we spotted this  in one of the newborn lambs .
the concern is that it is 'jointill' ( septic arthritis ). We've had a case before 
It would need antibiotics  if it was infective .

But thelamb was active ( as you can see)  and its temperatre was 40 degrees C - which is normal for lambs.

so we decided to wait and watch .

And its improving slowly.

Cutting the grass

the grass has been slow getting going this year - but at the start of May I need to cut the grass.
But why expend the energy ad do it myself when we have resident grass cutters  ?

 OK , they dont eat *just* grass.

 But they do nedd a bit of watching  incase they decide to go exploring or eat some of the other stuff they aren't supposed to

sadly

So far the sheep have gone into labour and  got on with it. 

But for one of them it clearly wasnt straightforward, and after watching a could of hours of restless, uncomfortable  wandering around the field , we had to have a look 

And a foot , so it was a breech (wrong way round ) presentation.

Here  are some diagrams . We've had a breech lamb deliver   byherself in the past , and its usually OK  as long as the lamb isnt too big. Labour takes a bit longer as the presenting part doesn't dilate things as effectively as a head . But  this had gone on for too long and the vet was summoned.

And the vet delivered a dead lamb.

Looking at it , it had been dead for  a while (couple of days perhaps) . Some of the fluid looked infected and the placenta wasnt really there any more.

The ewe was given a shot of antibiotics and remained in a pen in case we had to do something else.

Last year we had a couple of lambs die just  before or just after birth . The ewe , not really aware of what has happened, goes round looking for a bleating for her lamb as this ewe is doing this morning

And the lamb ?





If you are of sensitive disposition, dont scroll down










YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

One down ,15 to go

the result

At about 6pm , Charlotte  ( one of the ewes ) sat down a lot . 

Then  in the uncomfortable getting ups, the membranes appeared . 

then this appeared 

 then she did this 

and then a few more pictures

15 to go

the duck-unfriendly hen feeder (fail)

Ducks have a voracious appetite for everything. All ducks for food  and drakes for females - not really fussy on the variety - as well as food. And they will eat the food for hens.  The hens have any food put in a  treadle feeder - it stops wild birds getting at it , a la DEFRA 'practicable precautions' for biosecurity because of Avian Flu

So I made a duck -proof surround for a treadle feeder


Or perhaps not