April 2014
First 2014 lambs
Wednesday 2 April, 2014
First 2014 lambs born at teatime.
Smudge, a coloured gimmer, was 147days on Sunday, scanned with twins; she's been looking a bit preoccupied for a couple of days but started lambing properly at about 4pm. I caught her and had a little feel; two feet and a nose well into the birth canal, so left her to get on with it. Of course, at that time of day, the others wanted fed, so Smudge put lambing on hold while she had something to eat. Ryelands always get their priorities right :-)
After feeding the hoggs, I came back to keep an eye on her; she lay down and gave two or three heaves and stood up - and both lambs were there! Two ewe lambs. What a girl! She was chuntering over them so I left her to get on with it while I corned the hens. Mistake. Came back about 20 minutes later and Jinx had "adopted" one of the lambs - she's not due for two weeks yet :-(
Hens on holiday
Wednesday 2 April, 2014
The chookmobile is now occupied by twenty four mixed hens and Hoppy, the cockerel.
More lambs
Thursday 3 April, 2014
I'm sorry if this gets boring. Well, no, I'm not really :-)
Pixie had her lambs at lunchtime - a white ewe and a white tup, not in that order. Unassisted, although I did get the see the ewe lamb born. I think she had a leg back but Pix is quite a big ewe and it's her second lambing, so all was well. Both lambs up and suckled - Pix has plenty milk and nice wee teats - and their eyes are fine.
Smudge's two are learning to skip. The one with the turned-in eyelid is now normal - I turned it out a couple of times while I was out checking the ewes and it's now staying out by itself. The lambs looked teeny but each weighed 4kg. I was really surprised but maybe I just need to "get my eye in" this year. Pixie's two look much bigger - I'll weigh them in a wee while and see if I'm right.
Poppy's triplets
Friday 4 April, 2014
Poppy's triplets were due on Wednesday - she looked like Moby Dick, poor thing. She went into labour today - I was a bit anxious as we've never had triplets before.
No1 (white girl) born unassisted; Poppy very attentive, lamb up and sucking. No sign of No2 - Poppy didn't seem to be trying. After an hour, I assumed something was amiss; did a quick examination and could feel nothing that felt like a head or feet. Well, call me a quitter, but that was enough for me and I called the vet.
Lambs out and Penny has twins
Monday 7 April, 2014
It was a nice day on Saturday, so we turned out Smudge and Pixie with their lambs. They are such timewasters :-) They all seem to be doing well - there's loads of grass in a little paddock that's nice and sheltered.
Yesterday (Sunday) Penny had her twins - a ewe and a tup, weighing in at 4.5kg and 4kg respectively. The ewe lamb had both eyelids turned in but they're fine now. We always get the odd one or two with fairly mild entrpion but I've always been able to correct it by turning the eyelids out every couple of hours for half a day or so.
More ewe lambs
Thursday 10 April, 2014
Lucy lambed this morning - twin ewes. Haven't weighed them yet but they look like big girls, especially the second one.
Sweetpea had her twins on Tuesday - a ewe and a tup (4kg and 4.5kg respectively, which isn't bad for a gimmer) - and went out to play today. Poppy and her triplets are already out and she seems to be coping fine with three.
So, six lambed and that's us halfway. Thirteen lambs born; nine ewes and four tups. We've always had pretty even splits between ewes and tups before, so this is unusual. TBH, I'd rather it was the other way round :-) But I'm just glad all the ewes and lambs seem to be in rude good health.
Stella
Saturday 12 April, 2014
Stella lambed yesterday at 4am - mixed twins. She's Juno's daughter, so quite canny for a gimmer. She's the first to lamb outwith daytime - she was restless all night but finally got down to business about 3am. I could feel a head and two feet almost there, went for a cup of tea, and when I came back she'd had the first one. Second one was a normal presentation too, so iodine on, in a pen and I went back to bed for an hour.
Stella is proving to be a great mum - very milky. The lambs have tummys like drums. I've put them out today, but will keep an eye to make sure they stay mothered up.
Just when you think all is tickety boo
Monday 14 April, 2014
Niamh cucked out, eventually, a 6kg ewe lamb yesterday - both well. That left four to lamb. Jura and Juno were trying to kill each other - not sure if it was hormones or being stir crazy, but I've penned Juno for her own safety.
This morning, I could hear Lyra chuckling to Niamh's Lamb and I guessed she was starting. After an hour, there was much heaving but no lamb (she's a fourth timer expecting a single); I had a feel, wasn't sure and called the vet (my usual MO).
Vet lambed a big tup lamb. Lyra is fine but I fear we're going to lose the lamb. He's obvioulsy inhaled some fluid but there's something else "not right" with him. He's obviously having some breathing issues but his heart and lungs are functioning well, and the lungs are fully inflating (according to the vet). But he has NO vigour. I mean NONE.
The Originals
Tuesday 15 April, 2014
Just realised this morning that the three ewes still to lamb are our Originals. We bought Juno, Jura and Jinx as ewe lambs in 2007, so this is their sixth lambing.
Jinx has just had two ewe lambs, all by herself. She's had four single tups, followed by a single ewe last year and now twin ewes. She used to be boss sheep before being displaced by Lucy :-)
Juno's carrying twins and Jura, a single. Hope all goes well with them.
One to go
Wednesday 16 April, 2014
Juno had twins this morning - a ewe first (head, nae feet) and a tup. All doing well. Like Jinx, she's a bit low-slung but the lambs seem to have cottoned on to kneeling pretty quick.
Jinx's are wee porkers :-)
So, just Jura to go; expecting a single today, but she's an awkward b*gger, so I bet she makes me wait.
Soooo looking forward to an unbroken night's sleep :-)
Bird ringing
Tuesday 29 April, 2014
Peter was here bird ringing on the 23rd April. He caught 2 Blackbirds, 6 Chaffinches, 4 Dunnocks, 11 House Sparrows, 2 Robins, 1 Wren and 2 Yellowhammers.
No idea where all the rest were :-)
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