diary of a comedy sheep farm

[Cab-over Pete]

No, not at all, just worried you are going to get frazzled if you’re not careful!!!!

 

[spin cycle]

y'know what someone asked me today..'when will you finish lambing'...i mean the naivety of failing to understand my revolutionary concept of lambing all yr round...i mean i suppose if you want lambing to stop.. i guess at some stage you have to take the tups out?...'puppydog' and 'stormin norman' are still in the last section of in lambers....IIRC..'stormin norman' rose majestically to tup 'fluffhead' just before i started this diary...so whats that....early july.....thats about the time i think 'humpy' lambed last yr....never easy being a visionary i guess

anyhoo the ewe lambs started proper today with mixed results....first thing i found a dead single and some 'my little pony' size twins....the mum was a little confused but by tonight they look quite viable....lunchtime another tegg produced a terrific single

on my todd today so it gave me a chance to look round everything as i fed/watered....some more into mothering up areas ect.....3 lambs out of hospital...1 in ..though it's just a mild case of joint ill i think and he's a triplet so time to be taken away anyway

had a longer/lazier lunch then tackled my tenants 'plumbing' again...poor girl's been so patient...anyhow i custom made a perfect bolt that along with a new rubber..and there were no leaks

down the docs for more pills for mum....finish up a bit early and home....been a lovely day weatherwise

 

[le bon paysan]

y'know what someone asked me today..'when will you finish lambing'...i mean the naivety of failing to understand my revolutionary concept of lambing all yr round...i mean i suppose if you want lambing to stop.. i guess at some stage you have to take the tups out?...'puppydog' and 'stormin norman' are still in the last section of in lambers....IIRC..'stormin norman' rose majestically to tup 'fluffhead' just before i started this diary...so whats that....early july.....thats about the time i think 'humpy' lambed last yr....never easy being a visionary i guess

anyhoo the ewe lambs started proper today with mixed results....first thing i found a dead single and some 'my little pony' size twins....the mum was a little confused but by tonight they look quite viable....lunchtime another tegg produced a terrific single

on my todd today so it gave me a chance to look round everything as i fed/watered....some more into mothering up areas ect.....3 lambs out of hospital...1 in ..though it's just a mild case of joint ill i think and he's a triplet so time to be taken away anyway

had a longer/lazier lunch then tackled my tenants 'plumbing' again...poor girl's been so patient...anyhow i custom made a perfect bolt that along with a new rubber..and there were no leaks

down the docs for more pills for mum....finish up a bit early and home....been a lovely day weatherwise

I look forward to reading this everyday, keep it up 'enry

 

[spin cycle]

I look forward to reading this everyday, keep it up 'enry

thank you so much...thats so kind

 

[swt]

I also look forward to reading your posts, it helps to feel that we're not the only one, doing swan impressions, looking calm on the surface, but paddling like mad underneath, where it isn't seen
It also pouts a smile on the face.

 

[spin cycle]

fresh from shower and 'curried up'

grumpy this morning...i'm desperate to get on with land work but there's always something sheepy to do....anyhoo went round fields...found poorly lamb...he's in 'hospital' but 2 more just about ready to go back...including 'banshee'...he doesn't bleat ...he shrieks

down to 'arkwrights'...£62 ....normally spend £20-25 but trip to lidl not very likely at mo and mum running low on supplies...'arkwright' chuckles 'faginesque'

leave 'K' in charge and finally get to field at 9pm....plough is in good nick and was greased after last year....not all the arable farmer has gone yet.....10am mum arrives on mule..'difficult lambing ...you'll have to come'....by the time we get back she's had twins....i then get waylaid with other jobs until finally i get going again at 11:30

now i'm ploughing with my little 3 furrow rabe + case cs...i opt to not press to get extra speed but it does mean i have to roll using my eldest 'nash' dualled up....a break at 4pm to check lambing pens (coffee + ciggie)...then back...listen to boro v city....city can't finish a cuppa tea today....fortunately boro are worse...trundle back from field listening to injury time...city scrape 1-0

net result...3ha ploughed...city 7 points clear...clean and fed

 

[spin cycle]

started 7am today...finished 6:30pm...new time....so whats that 11 1/2 hours....what the fudge have i been doing

1 1/2 hour roast lunch
2 hrs cultivating
1 1/2 hr rolling
1 hr ploughing
1 1/2 fert spreading
1 hr fiddling with machines
1 1/2 looking/tending sheep
1/2 hr moving fert cos stuff i wanted was at back
whats that.....10 1/2 hours......WTF...only an hour for coffee and rollie breaks....must try harder tommoz

todays 'highpoint' trundling around fields in retro (70s) cereal establishment mode....beautiful day .....sheep in correct fields to north...hares playing on bare ground to south

todays 'lowpoint' ....reversing over grandfathers old sack scales and getting wee'd on by an orphan lamb

 

[abitdaft]

started 7am today...finished 6:30pm...new time....so whats that 11 1/2 hours....what the fudge have i been doing

1 1/2 hour roast lunch
2 hrs cultivating
1 1/2 hr rolling
1 hr ploughing
1 1/2 fert spreading
1 hr fiddling with machines
1 1/2 looking/tending sheep
1/2 hr moving fert cos stuff i wanted was at back
whats that.....10 1/2 hours......WTF...only an hour for coffee and rollie breaks....must try harder tommoz

todays 'highpoint' trundling around fields in retro (70s) cereal establishment mode....beautiful day .....sheep in correct fields to north...hares playing on bare ground to south

todays 'lowpoint' ....reversing over grandfathers old sack scales and getting wee'd on by an orphan lamb

Think yourself luck in regards wee, I had a calf scour right into my wellie today! I am never eating Korma again

 

[yellowbelly]

todays 'lowpoint' ....reversing over grandfathers old sack scales

I'd be 'having a word' with him - a chap of his years shouldn't be just leaving his scales randomly about in a busy modern farmyard

 

[spin cycle]

just back from taking mrs spin's icecream van down to wells...she has a concession down there and sells her dad's farm made icecream...the van's a bit of a lump so 'weeta' tows it down for us....wells harbour is an absolute picture tonight

before that i'd just finished drilling the low input barley....it's fiddly cos it's an 'L' shape round a fallow plot......because it's hls low input i have to lower the seedrate....i shut off every other coulter...it looks a bit odd but i think it's better having a row of strong plant rather than sparse overall.... it's the last yr i have to grow it....yield wise it has ranged 0-2t ac over the years....last year being the 0.....i won't miss growing it TBH....bit of a woopsy as i hadn't emptied the drill after last year....nice job that

mum had to go to have her wounds dressed today...'boy' is home and did the honours taxi wise which was a huge help

sheep wise....3 outta the hospital....2 to orphan pens.....1 to 'dead bag'....no lambing since saturday which i don't mind TBH....we're now into our 'april lambers'
after starting to improve the orf suddenly came back with a vengence in 4 orphans....my theory is orf is associated with stress...mind you, if that were true, i'd be permanently covered.....i resort to pen/strep and antibiotic powder....revue tommoz

mrs spin making rice pudding

 

[yellowbelly]

the orf suddenly came back with a vengence in 4 orphans.

Be careful neither you nor your merry band of helpers catch a dose of it. Orf can be nasty in humans - Mrs YB got a finger infected by some cade lambs a few years ago .It made her quite badly, as we say round here, and she's a fairly tough old stick that takes a bit of stopping.

In fact it was that bad I had to give her half an hour off one day so she could go to the doc's

Get some rock salt and some Tubby FRO buckets, the A/B's won't touch it as it's a virus (they will help any secondary infections though)

 

[spin cycle]

Be careful neither you nor your merry band of helpers catch a dose of it. Orf can be nasty in humans - Mrs YB got a finger infected by some cade lambs a few years ago .It made her quite badly, as we say round here, and she's a fairly tough old stick that takes a bit of stopping.

In fact it was that bad I had to give her half an hour off one day so she could go to the doc's

Get some rock salt and some Tubby FRO buckets, the A/B's won't touch it as it's a virus (they will help any secondary infections though)

point taken ....tubbys in there.....it's the secondary infections i'm worried about

 

[Spuddler]

Be careful neither you nor your merry band of helpers catch a dose of it. Orf can be nasty in humans - Mrs YB got a finger infected by some cade lambs a few years ago .It made her quite badly, as we say round here, and she's a fairly tough old stick that takes a bit of stopping.

In fact it was that bad I had to give her half an hour off one day so she could go to the doc's

Get some rock salt and some Tubby FRO buckets, the A/B's won't touch it as it's a virus (they will help any secondary infections though)

How did you administer the rock salt or the tubby bucket to Mrs YB?
Or shouldn't I ask

 

[yellowbelly]

How did you administer the rock salt or the tubby bucket to Mrs YB?
Or shouldn't I ask

 

[abitdaft]

just back from taking mrs spin's icecream van down to wells...she has a concession down there and sells her dad's farm made icecream...the van's a bit of a lump so 'weeta' tows it down for us....wells harbour is an absolute picture tonight

before that i'd just finished drilling the low input barley....it's fiddly cos it's an 'L' shape round a fallow plot......because it's hls low input i have to lower the seedrate....i shut off every other coulter...it looks a bit odd but i think it's better having a row of strong plant rather than sparse overall.... it's the last yr i have to grow it....yield wise it has ranged 0-2t ac over the years....last year being the 0.....i won't miss growing it TBH....bit of a woopsy as i hadn't emptied the drill after last year....nice job that

mum had to go to have her wounds dressed today...'boy' is home and did the honours taxi wise which was a huge help

sheep wise....3 outta the hospital....2 to orphan pens.....1 to 'dead bag'....no lambing since saturday which i don't mind TBH....we're now into our 'april lambers'
after starting to improve the orf suddenly came back with a vengence in 4 orphans....my theory is orf is associated with stress...mind you, if that were true, i'd be permanently covered.....i resort to pen/strep and antibiotic powder....revue tommoz

mrs spin making rice pudding

I got Orf last year, it was obvious that the lambs were dunting their mouths against the teats on the feeder causing little nicks and cuts and the infection spread around them. I then grazed my finger and through bottle feeding some of them I caught it. Gloves are your best friend at the moment!

 

[primmiemoo]

Orf is not a fun thing to catch. I had urticaria as well as infection of the lesion.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Ouch!, the itching and the fatigue

Worse than being chucked into a nettle patch by the pony, and it felt like it lasted forever.

 

[spin cycle]

being chucked into a nettle patch by the pony

is that some kind of euphemism or west country fetish....as in 'she looks like the kinda girl that wouldn't mid being thrown into the nettle patch by the pony'

RIGHT...i've noticed my last few entries have lacked the disaster/chaos....well comedy....of my intial tales....i mean i've tried...leaving gates open ect...but no....TBH it's all been...i did this/that or this lambed or that died....well buckle up ppl cos it's about to change

nothing lambed this morning...break from landwork...so i decide to weigh the store lambs,,,,,hopefully some ready....there are 36 in our polytunnel for killing.....9 ram lambs + 1 ewe lamb in the 'fat shed' ( i know what you're thinking....she got in with months ago..dirty little minx)....then another 36 ewe lambs in another barn that had been running with a beltex tup...and the nz suffolk tup somehow

So..i pen up the polytunnel lot...start to weigh...they're even...few ready....not bad considering i'd been 'winging' the feeding for a while so they didn't run fat at the ht of lambing or drilling....midway thru the scales go mad....that lamb's not fat...i feel the spine...2 at most...i step back...she's wide... lift the tail ,,UDDER...she's only in fudging lamb .... look round the pen...there's another....not sure of my next move i finish weighing....then report for 'board meeting' with mum......'how did that happen' she says...well ,i start. 'when a mummy sheep and a daddy sheep fall in love..'......'I MEAN....' mum rolls her eyes...we discuss....first thing is to pull the wethers out and put with rams....off i go...now first time out i was relaxed, the lambs penned and flowed beautifully ....this time it was a different matter i was stressed..trying to sort wethers out....the hurdles come apart and half the fekkers spill out.....by some miracle they halt at the fodder beet rather than head for the field next door with ewes+lambs...i mean sort that fekker out if they got together.....by some miracle 'K' and i get them back...one fluffhead is particularly stubborn...'i hope its a wether i curse'.....go thru them ...only 3 fekking wethers

SO instead of 45 fat lambs and 37 in lamb ewe lambs....i have potentially 12 fat lambs and 70 in lamb ewe lambs......so the last thin vestiges of my cashflow plan evaporate...i mean first there's the drought...then natural england...and now no fat lambs
only upside is mum thinks its hilarious

do any of you remember the tv adverts for hamlet cigars from the 70s + 80s?....well just at that moment i need a case of them....i mean i no longer care...i try my best but...well you know...anyhow take a break... google the famous music from the ad and think of me...i'm off for a double strength nescafe and rollie before carrying on

ok...onto other matters....mrs spin and 'boy' have gone to fetch 'her highness' from heathrow as she returns from 'CAAAmbodia' volunterring in her latest 'GAAap yaar' experience....mid afternoon i get that feeling like i've forgotten something ......'FUDGE...SCHOOL RUN'....off i fly to get 'cinders'...i'm not terribly late...but a chocolate bar is demanded from local garage....she picks a £1 aero bar..i protest...she points it's better value than the 70p one....i have a £1 milky bar....the cashier informs me that mrs spin and 'boy' booked copious amounts of petrol and food earlier.....time for another 'hamlet cigar'

back home i have to feed lambs in 'hospital'....only two residents at mo....one feeds fine but the other refuses to suck...typical female (i am so sorry...couldn't resist).....of course only i could have a fudging anorexic lamb....she's looking at me now....over her shoulder...hang on....' OF COURSE YOUR BUM LOOKS BIG...YOU'RE A BELTEX IT'S SUPPOSED TO'....oohh...thats better i needed that

right time to sit down in a darkened room

 

[Cab-over Pete]

I’d love to be a fly on the wall at your place!!

 

[primmiemoo]

Sounds like you've yet to experience the agony of being parked in nettles by a triumphant, hairy pony, you lucky thing, @spin cycle

Quietly, I'd be surprised by how few sheep keepers have had ewe hoggets caught by an anonymous entire in with the wethers.
Not that many would admit it.

I nearly forgot to do the school run, too.

 

[Spuddler]

I've had ewes this year that have had an apparent 'immaculate conception '
So your not the only one