[Freddiesfarm]

Has anyone else experienced a delayed start to their lambing this year?  I lamb about 200 sheep and should have started on 6th February according to my records, but so far have only lambed 15.  Expected end date is 4th March for most of them with 30 late lambers!  So either I am going to have a very busy next couple of weeks or........a very protracted lambing.

Wierd thing is I record raddle changes etc and I have never had it like this before - I am wondering whether the snow has affected them.  Unusually for us we had a lot of snow for a long time.

Curious to know if anyone else has experienced similar - I do know of one other person in the village with the same delay, but could just be coincidence.

[VSS]

We had a similar experience last year - due to lamb from 10th March, only two lambed in the first week out of 130. All hell broke loose after that.

We use teasers, so they obviously did a very good job sychronising the ewes. I would suggest that your ewes were all in season at the same time or thereabouts.

[Freddiesfarm]

We used a teaser too.  So by that reckoning they should all go bonkers this weekend, which would be great as someone is using us for their lambing course - so atleasrt people should get to see some action!

Failing that do you think  a curry and a brisk walk might do the trick?

[VSS]

by that reckoning they should all go bonkers this weekend, which would be great as someone is using us for their lambing course - so atleasrt people should get to see some action!

We use a teaser for the same reason - except that we run the course ourselves over 4.5 days.

[andywalt]

Let us know how it gos, looking forward to seeing some photos, what bread have you got Freddiesfarm?

[daddymatty82]

wholegrain?

[Freddiesfarm]

We have mostly lleyns, with a few dorset downs and southdowns left over from our original flock, a few jacobs for training the dogs on different looking sheep and this year I have used lleyn rams, charollais, hampshire down and a Rissington Highlander - supposedly a new super breed of sheep from New Zealand. 

Still bored of waiting - been making flapjacks to sustain myself when we finally kick off!  Plus they had better get on with it as we have a liltter of puppies due in two weeks and I need to waste time looking at little puppies!

[andywalt]

Ha ha  my spelling , hahahhah  late nights must be getting to me, causing confusion....

wow  lots of differant breeds, I almost brought 10 Lleyns, I think I have enough to be getting on with....

Do you do any dog and shepard training courses or days?  and if so what part of the country are you?  I would really love that !!  I have a 7 year old colliie, but we have our own language mainly hand signals, id love to be tought and teach my dog.

[Freddiesfarm]

We are in the South West on the Devon/somerset border.  Yes we do classes and training days after lambing and in between doing sheepdog demos at summer agricultural shows.  I have a deaf collie and she works to hand signals!  The others are more normal with come by and away etc.

[Tilly]

----- I could not manage without the farm dogs Gypsy and the old dog Tess.

 I have had Gypsy as a puppy and took her to sheep dog classes --we have a good working relationship and she is very loyal to me.

We have several different breeds of Rams and the biggest( the Lincoln longwool) set about me in the middle of a field a couple of weeks ago--he was not going to back down --- each attempt I made to defend myself, as he charged at me, just made him more aggressive to be perfectly honest he had got me beat!

I had left the dogs at the Field gate so shouted to them "came in" they held the Ram back enough for me to gather myself and make a swift exit!
 

[ellisr]

I have a lovely border collie that I was hoping to train but found he is afriad of sheep, just fits in nicely with my strange animals

[Freddiesfarm]

Tilly that is one beautiful red collie!  I also have a bitch called Tess. she was brought to me last year for training and the chap paid me to train her.  After three weeks she was perfect and I got the guy back to collect her and he said his dad would shoot her if he brought her back to the farm. And would I find her a new home - well my best dog had just suffered an injury which left her partially deaf so she stayed with me.

She is the nicest, sweetest dog and my best friend. 

[faith0504]

love all your photos 

[andywalt]

Great photos love em.

so would you do an extensive course over a weekend? and if so what would you charge?  Id be very interested to see if there is a possabiliity?


andy

[ScotsGirl]

Those are gorgeous dogs.  When my old lurcher and mongrel go on up to doggy heaven I am definitely getting a  collie to help with the sheep.  My 2 cockers are not much use and spend most of their time on their backs waiting for my ewes to tickle their tums!