MONICA AKEHURST AT THE KITCHEN TABLE
THE DISAPPEARING HURDLES MYSTERY
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Where have my sheep hurdles mysteriously disappeared to? The Easter hunt begins. If I offered chocolate eggs in exchange for hurdles, might they magically reappear? It’s a reoccurring theme when lambing preparation start. Hurdles get scattered far and wide, bolstering up weak places in hedges. They might be a quick fix, but I’m fairly sure I stipulated my shiny purchases were strictly to be used for pen building only. However I’ve found some in the cattle yards, in random gateways, making dens and guarding the fire pit. They’re not looking so smart, and they don’t fit together as seamlessly as they did. But doing the job they’re designed for will make a pleasant change for them. If Nigel had his way, he wouldn’t pen any ewes and lambs; he says I mollycoddle them. If a ewe has carried her lambs for five months, I think it’s worth giving them a little attention for 24 hours to set
them off on the right foot. With a starting date of 14 April, I wasn’t expecting a ewe to appear with one lamb in tow on April Fools’ Day. She didn’t reveal any birth details. This lamb didn’t look single size, and mules are apt to produce multiple lambs. I’m suspicious, but the flock was running over 50 acres of land which includes several ponds, woodland and shaws, which provides plenty of cover for sneaky ewes. Unfortunately it is also home to several predators. Incidentally I’m rather enjoying seeing the increased numbers of pheasants around, in particular Mr Reeves’s. He must be three years old now. Floss, our spaniel, gets all of a quiver when she spots him. I tell her he is off limits. The Reeves’s cockbird looks magnificent, especially when the sun glints on his plumage. I was amused when he appeared to have collected up a harem of six hen pheasants. He was intent on chasing off the competition, sending other cock pheasants
running. I’m not sure he won all the battles, because next time I saw him one of his tail feathers looked damaged and he was on his own. But at least he’s managed to evade the foxes. The next morning a second ewe had lambed, but this time it was more obvious where her labour had taken place. There was one large lamb slightly wobbly on his feet and close by lay one large half eaten lamb and afterbirth. This young ewe was overwrought, and I had no chance of catching her. The lamb was a quick learner and tanked after its mother as best it could. I did manage to catch it to dip its navel in iodine. For a couple of days I only glimpsed these two from a distance, exiting the field as I entered it. When I did next get close enough to observe the lamb, it looked empty and gave a plaintive bleat, it ran up to another ewe as if looking for extra rations. The ewe had calmed down but was still a good runner. I enlisted Brie’s help and together we managed to guide her into our large collecting pen. > Lockdown hair, doing pen work in the shed
> Lambing in the sunshine
> Walking the ewes home
MAY 2021 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET
