Finally our 2014 lambing is over
Posted: Tuesday 6 May, 2014
Jura produced a large tup lamb this afternoon, between 2pm and 5pm. When I went to feed the ewes at 5pm, he was up and dried. Mind you, it's been a glorious day here. So lamb and ewe are in the field shelter. Her teats are quite big so I made sure he suckled before I went for my dinner - which was nice but not as nice as HIS appeared to be, judging by the waggly tail :-) I'll ring him in the mroning and he can get out on the grass - she won't lose him.
So, thirteen ewes to the tup; twelve in lamb, twenty two lambs scanned; twenty two born alive, one dying shortly after birth :-(. Of the twenty one live lambs, seven tups and 14 ewes. So a lambing % of 161 - best we've had so far.
I'm culling Jura and the one that had the dead lamb (who happens to be Jura's daughter). Neither are very prolific and both are bonkers. Assuming I don't lose any ewes, that leaves ten from this year's group and I have seven gimmers. I may sell a couple of them, and plan to put 15 to the tup in November. Or I might go with seventeen.
Of this year's ewe lambs, I'm planning to sell some - they will all be registered.
But for now the trick is to get them all to weaning :-)
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