The final week of lambing has arrived. We are past the cold winds and heavy rains and the first born lambs are three weeks old and skipping in the evening sun. When it is like this it is my favourite job in the world.
The weather, never too far as a topic of conversation, has been a strange one this winter. A continuous cycle of rain from all directions, followed by wind from every corner, but no frosts at all.
The sun made a welcome but brief appearance late on in March, giving the 50 hectares of waiting lambing fields a window to freshen up for the ewes due on April 2.
Unfortunately, those lovely couple of weeks were a false spring and the wind and rain returned in style for the first lambs arrival. We even had a few mornings with snow on the ground, unheard of here at this time of year.
As the lambing shed fills up Im starting to regret putting a Bluefaced Leicester ram on 325 ewes. I cannot say that watering individual pens is my favourite job. These Mule ewe lambs better be a good trade this autumn.
It is a cliche, but we have no control over the weather. We literally have to ride out the storm. In many ways I feel that way about lambing. It does not matter how well prepared you think you are, new problems and challenges show up every year. Like all sheep farmers, I can safely say I have had my fair share. A season of toxoplasmosis abortion, followed by enzootic abortion, watery mouth, joint-ill and overly fit ewes going down with twin-lamb disease are all bad.
But by far the worst experience was lambing during in 2018 Beast from the East - the storm which took out the electric and froze the water supply as well as the tractor.
Dealing with all this can be tough and easily overwhelming. Many of us farm by ourselves and the pressures are very real.
For me, I have learnt to change my mindset. I see problems as new challenges and hurdles to overcome. The mentally negative become the positive, making experiences more manageable and often enjoyable.
Overall, this lambing has been a good one with the usual ups and downs, as well as a new challenge presenting itself, a fox. I was beginning to think the scanning man had had a bad day back in January.
Usually spot on 99.9 per cent of the time, a few ewes carrying twins had one lamb with them and no dead lambs on the field. A probable answer to my thinking presented himself while wandering around the lambing field, eyeing up some of the lambs to chance his luck.
He was in superb condition. Im convinced he has had a few away. How many is anyones guess and until my annual count in a couple of weeks time I will not know the damage.
A short break from the sheep has been had to meet the RSPB ranger and take a look at the resident chough population here and how sheep grazing is encouraging their numbers. Spring is well underway.
Heres to looking forward to a great summer and the new challenges it will bring to us all.
