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chronicles

Heartbreak, hilarity and little hooves

30/9/2012

2 Comments

 
Lambing. OMG.

Basically, our first experience of lambing was pretty horrendous. We’d sort of prepared: we had supplies of colostrum and milk powder, two feeding bottles with lamb teats, an elastrator with rubber rings and a woolly lamb jacket. As it turned out, those things were vital and we used them all, so yay us. But in other respects – especially where shelter was concerned-- our preparation was woefully inadequate. It didn’t help that the weather was absolutely the worst we’ve experienced here to date: gales, snow and freezing, lashing rain for the better part of ten days.

In a nutshell, ten lambs were born and we lost four, plus a ewe. Two of the lambs were lost because of our inexperience (we didn't get enough colostrum into them after their mum rejected them) and two because of the weather. We lost the ewe because we didn’t have the medication she needed.  Oh, the lessons we’ve learned.

We had lambs in our laundry for almost three weeks. Two died, two survived.  When we started running out of newspapers and floor-mopping energy, Farmer Wan constructed the LAMBorghini (see pic below) to contain them. It saved a lot of work but it also meant we could no longer hear little hooves clattering around the place, which was kind of a shame.

On the plus side of the affair, the two weeks of lambing coincided exactly with Farmer Wan’s R&R break home. I really don’t think I could’ve managed on my own. We also had a lot of support from our neighbours and friends: spare newspapers and drop-sheets for the laundry floor, extra hot water bottles, two beautifully-built sheep shelters, alternative teats for the bottles, help with feeding the laundry lambs and even some muffins to feed us!

So... with the laundry lambs now roughing it in the great outdoors, we have six little ovines bouncing around the place. Every afternoon between three and four o’clock they go mental, chasing each other around and finding the highest piece of ground as a look-out. I’ve taken some film footage and I’ll try to post it here sometime soon. In the meantime, enjoy the photos. And for the sake of posterity, the full, day-by-day account of our lambing travails can be found here.

Posted by Farmer Nik

2 Comments
millsy
8/10/2012 05:42:34 am

sheesh, lambing is always hard and murphy's law dictates that lambing always seems to coincide with horrible winter weather occuring in spring time!!! footrot flats has devoted many a cartoon frame to this too, and my own memories, while not at the coalface because that was up to mum and dad, are of similar scenes in the laundry!! and the hooves clattering into the kitchen surprising us when we thought it wouldn't recover. i used to adore feeding them, and the bottles were big glass things with red teats and how they would bunt me for more if they drank it all. & oh those happy, wiggling tails!! but it's always hard. Next lambing season you'll have it all sorted, and while the late nights in cold weather will never change, your skill in helping lambs and ewes survive will. keep up the good work Farmer!

Reply
Farmer Nik
9/10/2012 04:02:08 am

Thanks for the encouragement and for sharing those wonderful memories, Millsy. We had friends staying over the weekend and their kids (girl, 12 and boy, 8) had an absolute ball feeding the lambs. I would've loved that experience as a kid and I'm sure the memory will stay with them as it has with you. Welcome back, btw!

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    About Ewan and Niki

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    Farmer Wan

    Scottish mechanical engineer with a deep and abiding passion for good food. Outstanding cook. Builder of lots of stuff. Cattle whisperer. Connoisseur of beer. A lover rather than a fighter.

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    Farmer Nik

    Kiwi writer and broadcaster who hates cabbage, even though she knows it's good for her. Chook wrangler. Grower of food and flowers. Maker of fine preserves. Lover of dancing and wine. Definitely a fighter.

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