March31st - Snow On The Hills

A windy cold morning with snow on the hills overlooking us. One lamb died in the shed in the night, his belly was full but he had started to scour so don't really know what happened there.
Picked a big dead single lamb off the filed below, something had had his stomach out, and the crows had pecked out his eyes other than that he looked healthy. Philip picked up a small twin lamb off the field behind from the small stream, looked as if he had drowned - poor thing, well that's all the dead ones over here.
Kate accompanied Philip during the night and they had a calf and had to pull a couple of lambs, a big single and a pair of twins. feeding lots of lambs a supplement as a lot of our yearling ewes just haven't performed this year, they have little or no milk so the extra two pairs of hands is coming in handy.

Looking forward to WI this evening, I am taking a community dance session with them - just hope they enjoy it.
And my big son Tom comes home for the weekend on Friday so I am really looking forward to that, thinking of doing a big curry night on Saturday...... get cooking then Rachael

Lambing has Started

Two students from Nottingham Vetinary University arrived on Sunday signalling the start of the main lambing. Kate and Poppy have settled in well and are very keen, both getting up at 3am the fist night to check the lambing sheds, and Poppy taking the shift last night. Both have had the experience of pulling lambs at the main lambing sheds and are keen to muck in - and out!"
Yesterday morning saw me eating my porridge as I was handed a lamb bought from of the fields who was 'sick'. Buster, our 6 month old jack Russel licked him to warm him up and stimulate him - I think! and Jess blow dried him with a hair dryer, whilst I spent nearly and hour getting 100ml of lamb milk down him. Hannah named him Bertie and off he went back to the lambing sheds where he continued to improve throughout the day and then died last night! that's lambing for you.....
I of course am stuck with feeding all of the people involved in lambing and the children who are off school for the Easter holidays I have just put 20 lamb chops in the slow cooker ready for lunch time and am about to make a batch of welsh cakes.
Ever imminent is the financial year end on the 31st of March. i wander how that will go down with the men when i ask them for a stock take this week!