Diary

February 2012RSS feed

Preparing for lambing

Monday 27 February, 2012

by Rosemary at 3:26pm in Sheep Comments closed

Our first lambs are due on 25th March, so we're starting to get ready.

I went on a lambing course run by Ardene Veterinary Practice and Scottish Agricultural Colleges on 10th February and it was very useful. Using dead lambs and lambing simulators, we were able to practice delivering various presentations as well as stomach tubing, tailing, castrating and giving intra-peritoneal glucose injections. I had read about the last technique but would have been reluctant to try it without this practical opportunity.

Li'l Bud

Wednesday 29 February, 2012

by Rosemary at 1:24pm in Sheep 2 comments Comments closed

Back in 2009, our very first ewe to lamb was Jinx; she had a tup lamb that we called Li'l Bud. I got rather attached and decided to sell him for breeding in autumn 2010. To my eyes, he was the handsomest Ryeland that ever drew breath.

Anyway, autumn 2010, I sold him to a nice man who lives near St. Andrews and runs a few commercial cross ewes. Buddy did well; threw some good lambs; managed to send me a Christmas card smiley but Alex was reducing his ewe numbers so contacted me about August last year to see if I wanted Buddy back. Given that I have his mammy, his auntie plus various half sisters and cousins, that wasn't an option and I thought it would be curtains for Bud.

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