Field & Stream

Looking out for swallows to herald the start of Spring

Some mixed weather this week has meant that the fat ewes are wading around in mud…. again. The good news is that, because it is so sunny and warmer now, the grass has started to grow. We are strip-grazing the field, ensuring that they have some nutritious grass after they have lambed, and that the little ones have something decent to jump around on.

Strip grazing is exactly what it says. A new strip of grass is released to the sheep every few days and this is controlled by an electric fence, which is moved forward at intervals, allowing them to graze another fresh strip. The electric fence with our girls is redundant – they instinctively know not to go near it so they don’t, regardless of whether it is on or not. The ewes also need their Heptavac P injections this week. This is a widely used vaccine to protect the sheep against a range of diseases caused by clostridial bacteria. We need to inoculate them a couple of weeks before the lambs are due to protect both the ewes and lambs from pneumonia. This year there is a shortage of the smaller bottles, which has led to many smallholders sharing a larger bottle. It’s a complicated share as the liquid needs to be kept cold and once opened it must be used up very quickly. I certainly did not envisage wrapping up a bottle in cold packs and driving across Dorset to pass the bottle on! But such is the curious life of a sheep keeper. Foot health is on the list this week too, as well as giving the ladies a bit of a trim at the messy end in readiness for the new arrivals. Their feet have taken a battering with all the mud and need keeping a close eye on. The mud becomes impacted and causes infection, which can quickly lead to lameness. It is not all work, though

The Field by Tri Stebbing

Tria’s sheep are strip-grazing the field, enjoying a fresh allocation of pasture every couple of days

– it has been a joy to watch the land come to life. So many trees are shooting and the bluebells are gearing up to give us a grand display. For me, the swallows arriving is a sure sign of spring in full swing. Fingers crossed that they show up soon.

Kingfishers at Stour Meadow, Blandford

These beautiful kingfishers were captured on film by NBVM reader Nick Dibben: “Stour Meadow behind the Brewery is great place to see kingfishers. As it’s a public space, the kingfishers are used to people so you get great views of them. Well worth a visit if you live nearby.”

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