#LoveLambWeek

It’s finally here…  the best campaign in the farming calendar (although as a sheep farmer’s daughter I am a bit bias!).

#LoveLambWeek is an annual campaign promoting the work of British sheep farmers and their efforts in providing the produce on your plates.

With over 65% of the UK’s farmland suited to growing grass (aka unable to grow crops), especially in Upland areas, grazing livestock is the best way of converting natural resources into protein rich lamb.

Grazing plays a key role in shaping and maintaining our iconic countryside and also stores a huge amount of carbon – a win win for everyone!

Swale lambs grazing at 1000ft above sea level

This year’s campaign, running from the 1^st – 7^th September, is all about celebrating everything that is tasty about sustainable British lamb and the health and wellbeing benefits of eating this red meat.

I’m quite old fashioned in that I like my lamb chops served with roast potatoes, veg and a dollop of homemade mint sauce.

But with recipes for lamb kebabs, herb rubbed steak and pies popping up all over the internet, the versatility of this delicious meat is becoming common knowledge, which is great to see!

Teriyaki Lamb Stir-Fry

Here’s a link to some awesome lamb recipes from @simplybeeflamb should you wish to expand your tastebuds and cook something new! http://www.simplybeefandlamb.co.uk/campaigns/love-lamb-week

But whilst this is a week of celebrating this sustainable protein rich red meat, it is also a week of educating and shattering misconceptions about the production of lamb.

Some of these misconceptions have already surfaced on my social media timeline.

For example, this image.

It shocks me how misleading this image is.

Suggesting that the lamb in the photograph is a few months old is laughable – at most it is 4 days old.

Here is a photograph of a few months old lambs – let’s play spot the difference.

Just a shed full of lambs

Notice how these lambs are much bigger, with broad legs, neat and compact shoulders, have a good width of loin and their tails are not too lean or fat.

These are the kind of lambs, known as finished/fat lambs, that are served on your plate – not the week old cute and cuddly one in the photograph.

But what bugs me more is the misconception that farmers are cruel to their sheep!

The reality is that sheep farmers care too much about their flocks wellbeing and a lot of time and planning goes into producing a lamb!

A short insight into a year of lamb production…..

Autumn If farmers did not care, we would not spend days at an auction ringside, bidding at sheep/tups sales for additional or replacement stock to ensure our flock grows in strength.

Winter If farmers did not care, we would not drag ourselves from our comfy warm beds at 5.30am to scan sheep in the freezing cold morning or go searching in blizzards of snow for lost sheep.

Spring If farmers did not care, we would not tire ourselves out during Lambing time for months on end.

The list of daily jobs include: bottle feeding pet lambs, marking and turning out, bedding up, feeding up, checking outdoor sheep, bringing in any poorly lambs – to name a few.

Oh and of course, lambing sheep!

If farmers did not care, we would not spend hours out in the fields checking on new born lambs and running after them until we are blue in the face trying to catch them so that they could go back inside for some extra TLC.

We also would not free the lambs who get their heads stuck in fences and suffocate themselves, a notorious party trick for horned lambs!

There is always one!

Summer If farmers did not care, we would not spend most of our time maintaining our flocks welfare through daily chores of dosing and foot-trimming (the smelliest job!).

If farmers did not care, we would not work long hours gathering and sorting lambs to go to the auction/abattoir in sweltering hot conditions.

In charge of tagging

So, think again before stating farmers do not care as we clearly do! This, in short, is how the lamb on your plate is produced each year.

A final point to mention is that not all lambs are produced solely for meat! For example, on our farm we select Swaledale/Texel  lambs each year in order to improve the quality of our future flock.

For me, #LoveLambWeek is an incredibly important campaign that sheep farmers everywhere need to get behind.

It is time we educate our consumers about the provenance of their meat, rather than leaving it all to Google.

If you are still unsure about eating lamb, ask your local farmer questions and if possible, go and see how lamb is produced.

Support us by buying lamb directly from local butchers or consciously selecting British Lamb at the supermarket.

And finally join in with #LoveLambWeek and promote our hardworking sheep farmers!

Staying Safe on farm

I’m incredibly proud to be a part of the British farming industry. It is a profession that is diverse and rewarding, with no two days being the same.

But I am less proud of our safety record which sees our industry taking the spotlight as the most hazardous, with a total of 32 farm related deaths occurring last year alone.

This needs tackling and is why am I supporting Farm Safety Week each and every week of the year.

It is a simple concept that can saves limbs, lives and livelihoods if implemented across UK farms.

Granted farmers can be set in their ways, grumbling about ‘health and safety’ procedures claiming they a) take too long b) cost too much – but as the saying goes, if you play with fire you will get burned.

It is incredibly disheartening to see farmers, young and old, lose their lives doing what they love, all because of quick decisions/carelessness/lack of awareness.

Wearing a helmet when operating ATVs can save lives!

So, as young farmers, we MUST utilise our voices and shout about the importance of farm safety to our peers and seniors.

Our position as the next generation provides the perfect opportunity to promote the safety message and tackle an outdated and quite frankly unacceptable attitude towards health and safety.

I have put together some safety tips for all farm workers to bear in mind this week and the remaining 51! Please let me know if you can think of any more.

Transport and Machinery

Perhaps unsurprisingly, transport and machinery was the biggest cause of death for farm workers last year.

Tips for T+M:

• Cover PTO shifts and make sure they are in good condition. As the saying goes, don’t be daft, cover your shaft!
• Wear appropriate clothing when working with machinery – no loose threads.
• Wear a helmet when operating ATVs.
• Use the Safe Stop procedure and switch off the machine before getting out – even if it is only to open a gate.
• Consider all round viability.
• Maintain your vehicles at any costs necessary.
• Know your limits and stick to them!

Working at a height 

Everyone falls over. I always fall up and down stairs. But falling from a height can have serious medical complications…

Tips for working from height:

• Do a quick mental risk assessment before carrying out the task.
• Inform work colleagues/family so they know where to find you/what you are doing.
• Make sure the equipment is in good condition – only use ladders that are in good condition and long enough for the job.
• Avoid overhead power cables.
• Consider if the task can be carried out safely from below.

Livestock 

Everyone has been chased by a cow at some point in their life. But incidents involving animals can become severe quickly so it is vital that you work with animals safely.

Tips for livestock:

• Be competent and agile – if you feel unsafe at any point tell someone.
• Have an escape route. Animals, like humans, can become aggressive, especially if offspring is involved, so you need to be able to get to safety as quickly as possible.
• Keep cattle calm when handling them & never turn your back on a bull.
• Make sure work surfaces are clean to avoid slipping.
• Always treat animals with respect – they remember bad experiences.

Children on farm 

Growing up on the farm can be the best thing ever. It certainly was for me! But the farmyard is an incredibly busy place and presents many dangers for children.

Tips for children:

• Keep track of family members and their whereabouts.
• Make sure all family members know what to do in an emergency and have a prepared list of emergency numbers.
• Implement good hygiene practises in the home to stop diseases spreading.
• Have a safe and secure play area for the children to prevent them from playing near livestock/machinery. The garden is always a good starting point!
• Keep children away from moving farming machinery and vehicles.
• Keep children away from animals unless accompanied – I was bitten by a working dog when I was one!

It is time our industry commits to making changes on farms to save limbs, lives and livelihoods and I hope you have found these tips on staying safe on farm helpful.

But more importantly, I hope everyone stays safe farming!

                                      

10 signs you know Christmas has arrived on the farm!

As I’m feeling slightly festive, a rarity for me, here are 10 signs you know Christmas has arrived on the farm!

The 3 Wise Reps 

Similar to the nativity scene, the festive period warrants an annual visit from local reps who come to the farm bearing gifts of calendars, chocolate and whiskey as a thank you for your custom over the past year.

It is an age old tradition replacing the advent calendar; as soon as you see the rep, you know Christmas is around the corner.

Double order everything 

Most things shut down over the Christmas holidays and the farming industry is no exception to this rule.

Experience has taught you to order that extra proven to tide you over until the New Year, as feed wagons don’t and won’t work on Christmas Day!

But for some reason the bills keep coming…

Beware the practical presents 

Being pragmatic is something every farmer has a knack for and this is most evident in the giving of practical presents at Christmas time.

Try and look excited as you unwrap yet another pair of overalls, new wellingtons or a head torch for lambing time: it was bought with good intentions, honest!

Make sure the turkey fits in the AGA 

Farmers get overtly excited when they realise they can secure a bargain and this happens every Christmas with a visit to the local Turkey Sale.

Despite going to purchase a 17lbs for Christmas Day, it’s not unusual to leave with not one, but two cheap 22lbs!

And whilst you personally may delighted with your bargains, the person cooking the Christmas dinner certainly isn’t when they realise the bird doesn’t fit in the AGA.

Cue a few curse words, some last minute butchering skills and a promise that next time you’ll just stick to the prescribed shopping list!!

Jobs before Presents 

It is still a working day meaning daily jobs, such as milking and feeding up, need to be complete before any presents are unwrapped!

On the plus side, the folks are used to getting up early, meaning you never needed to wait for them to wake up as a child before you could open anything.

Rating fields in terms of sledging speed

There is something enchanting about fields covered in glistening untouched snow – especially for a child growing up and playing on the farm.

With slopes and fields galore, you have ranked each one over the years on how fast your sledge will go down the hill and still have favourite field to sledge in.. even at the age of 22!

However, please note that sledges, ropes and quad-bikes do not mix and will only end in tears…

Holly Seekers 

Christmas time means holly seekers come out in force, looking for berries to make some festive decorations.

And whilst it is tempting to send these festive people found rummaging in your hedgerows away, experience shows acts of kindness are sometimes rewarded ….

Like that time when we awoke to find a handmade wreathe on our doorstop!

What’s a Carol Singer? 

Certainly something only found in films.

The mere thought of carol singers trekking all the way down the snowy and slippery lane just to sing you a song is simply absurd and amusing.

But fair play if anyone has ever turned up outside your farmhouse and belted out a carol or two!

Lost Christmas Walkers 

Everyone loves a good countryside stroll and for some reason townies choose the festive period (Christmas Eve/Day/Boxing Day) in particular to go on one.

Be prepared to answer the door to a lost walker half way through your turkey dinner: it is guaranteed to happen one year!

Mouthwatering Kitchen Smells 

You certainly never went hungry at Christmas time in a farm house.

From Christmas cakes, mince pies and festive trifles to homemade stuffing, pastries and cheese sauce, farmers wives and mothers have the festive menu perfected and you are guaranteed to leave the table feeling as obese as the turkey you just devoured.

You have dreamed about this meal all year long and every year it just keeps getting better.

And nobody’s Christmas Dinner will ever come up to scratch!

Processed with VSCOcam with c1 preset

Those are my 10 signs Christmas has arrived on the farm. But what are yours?

I hope you have enjoyed this festive post.

All that is left for me to say is Merry Christmas Everyone and a Happy New Year!

Mental Health and Farmers

Mental health is a subject that unfortunately attracts so much stigmatism.

But it is time to change this!

With campaigns such as Mental Health Awareness Week and World Mental Health, there is a clear need for more awareness in today’s society, with more and more people suffering with Mental Health.

Whilst I am not quite ready to share my experience with you all just yet about battling Anxiety and Depression for many years, I am proud to say that I am getting better at managing it and feel in a positive place.

It is for this reason why I am joining the bandwagon (to put it colloquially) and spreading awareness about mental health on my blog, especially when considering that agriculture is a high risk industry for suicide with farmers statistically less likely to seek help.

Tip Number 1. Talking  

Yes, it is horrible to talk about your mental health battle to family/friends/professionals.

I speak from experience.

It is never easy to admit that you cannot cope, that things are getting on top of you, that you simply can’t go on. In fact it is pretty damn hard to do and takes an incredibly amount of courage.

Yet trying to cope alone ended up making my depression and anxiety more severe in the long term.

In hindsight, I wished I had opened up sooner and got the help I needed rather than letting it get so serious.

My advice, as a young farmer and someone who has experienced these terrible diseases first hand is just talk to someone.

Whilst I know how lonely and isolating the countryside can be (when the only other lifeform is sheep), there will always be someone or something to talk to; for instance, your best friend at YFC, the Auction Mart Café waitress, amazing charities such as RABI and FCN, professionals like doctors, strangers (phone-lines are always available) and even your beloved sheepdog!

After all, farmers LOVE to talk and are always up for helping someone wherever and whenever they can. It is an industry that has a strong community vibe, so don’t be afraid to utilise your auction mart visits.

Getting your feelings out of your mind and into the open is such a relieving feeling and whilst you may encounter close-minded people (I know I certainly did and I let them prevent me seeking further help!) openness is key to recovery and is the reason why talking is my number one tip for mental health sufferers.

Tip Number 2. Keep On Going

 It can be incredibly hard to just keep on going when fighting your mental health on a daily basis. I certainly found it draining: I was disengaged with everything, had no appetite and wanted to sleep all the time. This meant my hobbies and studies suffered as a result.

Farmers suffering from mental health may know this feeling of giving up when faced with daunting daily routine chores.

Points like ‘there is no point mucking out the cattle shed today, it’ll be covered in crap again tomorrow’ may run through their minds leading to further points such as ‘whatever I do is pointless and will make no difference’.

By ignoring this negativity and getting stuck in with daily tasks, the farmyard can offer a great distraction from the troubles occupying the mind, making you rationalise the initial problems and their consequences once you have had some time to rethink them.

So, my number two tip is keep on going. You have got this!

And if you find yourself lacking motivation, a good distraction will take your mind off your problems and allow you to rationalise it later.

Tip Number 3. Be Yourself

My final tip is to be yourself.

There is no need to be constantly comparing yourself to others,  whether it’s about friends, jobs, relationships etc.

It is a fruitless exercise – the ‘the grass may be greener on the other side’ kind of thing.

Yes, others may be good farmers, have the latest machinery, are popular in the YFC scene, or have fantastic stock, but being envious won’t make you feel any better – infact it’ll make you feel worse!

Moreover, chances are, that they too have some area of their ‘perfect’ life that they would do anything to change. Like you.

So the solution is simple. Just be you and do your own thing – being an individual is far better than another sheep!

I embrace my difference, and so should you.

***

So those are my three top tips! Guaranteed that they aren’t the easiest, but they were the most effective for my mental health battle.

I hope they are useful to you.

Let’s smash the stigma surrounding Mental Health and remember that’s it’s okay to not be okay!

Helplines to call if you/ family/ or a friend is struggling with mental health:

Royal Agricultural Benevolent Society (R.A.B.I) – 0808 2819490

Farming Community Network: 0845 367 9990

Mind: 0300 123 3393

Mental Health Foundation: 020 7803 1100

Farming Help (Frontier): 03000 111 999

10 things you’ll know if you grew up on a farm

Being at home for summer has made me feel nostalgic.

Here are 10 things you will know if you grew up on a farm!

Nothing is ever a five minute job 

If they say it is then they are lying!

You’ve learned from experience that lending a ‘quick hand’ turns into a twenty minute operation followed by a list of jobs that takes you all morning to complete, making you question why you volunteered in the first place.

Moving sheep takes longer than 5 minutes

Bale twine fixes everything 

Waterproof trousers too big? Bale twine belt.

Setting up a temporary race? Bale twine.

Lost your dog lead? Bale twine.

You’ve probably lost count of the amount of times someone has asked you for some whilst working. It has happened so often that you dream about charging. After all, it’s an essential pocket requisite that fixes almost every problem.

You can’t out run a sheep

But you can certainly try! You counted this as your daily workout as it left you out of breathe and threatening to sell the troublesome (to put it politely) ewe at auction the first chance you get.

There is no such thing as being snowed in 

Snow is no longer exciting when there is a 4×4 always on hand. But you do look pretty cool rocking up to school on your dad’s tractor.

Dad to the rescue

Who let the ewes out? 

Field gates left open becomes a Spanish Inquisition around the kitchen table. No matter how many times you proclaimed your innocence, the blame was assigned to you and dad muttering ‘next time I’ll do the job myself’.

Days off always coincide with bad weather

Booking planned events and actually going is something of a novelty to you. Especially in summer when you are constantly on call for seasonal jobs.

Friends know from experience that you will be missing in action once the weather forecast improves as you’ll be either in the shearing shed or driving a tractor, whether you want to or not. After all, farming comes first in your household.

Even on days off you can’t escape farming

What’s a lie in? 

Certainly something that doesn’t happen in your household with your parents considering any time after 8.30am a lie in.

And the horror (and slight envy) when university friends text you at 4pm saying ‘sorry I’ve only just woken up’ whilst you have been working hard all day.

Love/Hate relationship with the weather man 

You developed a changeable relationship with the weather forecasts from an early age as it was the most discussed subject on the farm.

TVs were often tutted at and switched off if they stated unsuitable weather for proposed plans and there was an element of speculation surrounding upcoming forecasts. You constantly played a game of who dares win and it was typical for it to rain once you have grass down.

But no matter how many times you trolled the internet in search of a more favourable weather report it always stayed the same – or sometimes got worse! You just learned to get on with it.

Smartphone but no signal 

You have spent years searching for a certain spot in the shed where there is enough signal to send a text. In fact you have perfected the lion king scene, holding the phone up high and hoping it sends.

Yet dodgy signal still plagued your rural life and internet was a rarity. People who sent Snapchats/Instagram posts from the lambing shed simply amazed you!

Fine dining equals a trip to the local auction 

You were more than happy to accompany your dad to the auction and stand around a cold ring looking at livestock just for those auction lunches.  You developed a favouritism towards a certain auction mart cafe and believed they were second best to your mum’s roast dinner.

Mmmmm

Those are my top ten things – if you have any please let me know below!

Farming Fathers

With Fathers Day this Sunday, I thought I would blog about why our farming fathers are a show-winning breed.

Being a farm dad is by no means easy or glamorous, with long hours and changeable schedules meaning they often miss out on important school events, such as my primary school debut as Wolly the Sheep.

Yet our farm dads still play a vital role in our upbringing, providing us country kids with a unique upbringing that town kids could only dream about.

Always a ‘daddy’s girl’ and landrover lover

Here are my five reasons why having a farmer for a dad is the best thing ever and why I would not swap my upbringing with anyone else.

Always Hands On 

Living on a working farm means everyday is ‘take your child to work day’.

Me and Dot

Ever since I can remember, I was involved with farming life, from gathering sheep on the quad bike with my dad, playing on his new tractors and machinery to mimicking our hardworking sheepdog when herding a flock of sheep.

Gathering sheep 

Sorting the sheep

I even farmed in my school uniform (on occasions!) for small tasks such as turning sheep on the road or shooing them up Pendle Hill.

Me (left) and Ellie (right) strolling on Pendle Hill 

My dad not only acted as a teacher through this hands on approach, informing me about animals, nature, diseases, life and death, but demonstrated the importance of hard work if I wanted to succeed in – even if that meant working 24/7 and doing tasks that I don’t enjoy doing.

Animals galore

Another perk of having a farmer for a dad is that you have the option of owning the coolest of pets.

Forget the usual  dogs and rabbits – I’m talking ponies, pet lambs, calves, farmyard kittens and even tups!

I definitely became a daddy’s girl after he purchased Beauty, my first ever pony, following Foot and Mouth in 2001.

Yet having a range of pets meant that I grew up having responsibilities in terms of caring for the animals I acquired, like my pony. She had to be brushed, ridden, mucked out etc…

So farm dads are fairly lenient about having pets as it teaches children about the importance of responsibilities and the real life consequences if chores/tasks are not completed.

Pet Lambs = Friends

Unique Toys 

Growing up, I had a completely different set of toys to most of my classmates, such as a toy tractor I used to drive around in to pretending to be a Dalek in a spare bale wrap box during haytime.

Beep Beep

Other toys included whatever dad could make in his spare time, like a tractor tyre swing.

‘I AM A DALEK’

Jack of All Trades

Farming fathers have this amazing superhero ability whereby they are an electrician, plumber, mechanic, vet, farmer, welder at any given stage of the day.

From erecting a new fence to mending broken down quad bikes to fixing the milk machine, it seems apparent that there is nothing our farming dads cannot do, except work iPhones…

They have shown us that as long as you work hard, you can be anything that you want to be and that you can be a multi-faceted person if you put your mind to it.

Driving Instructor 

Persuading your dad to give you a driving lesson when you live on a farm is no problem whatsoever.

They are incredibly keen for you to learn to drive so they don’t have to ferry you around anymore (they call it ‘independence’).

But more likely, they are excited for that extra pair of hands so that you can drive the tractor at Haytime whilst they go and do something else.

Forever a John Deere Lover

Here’s to all the farming dads out there – you are doing a great job!

And finally … Happy Fathers Day Dad!

Filming at the Farm

The secret can finally be shared…

Last week (10/4/2017) ITV Granada came to our farm in Lancashire to film lambing, in particular the fell sheep.

I got to meet some of the team, such as Jo Blythe (weather presenter) and Simon the cameraman! They were incredibly friendly and eager to get going.

Filming started around 10am and we headed to the fields to get some outdoor footage before the rain started pouring.

Feeding time

Setting up the camera

The photos above show Dad and Jo feeding the Swales whilst the cameraman and producer filmed.

The sheep had just come off Pendle Hill (in the background) ready for lambing.

Seeing as we will be lambing them outside, they are moved to enclosed fields – this is so we can keep an eye on them and get involved should any problems occur.

I enjoy seeing sheep lambing outside, especially the Swales, as they have their own technique – when they are starting to lamb they segregate themselves to the outset walls to give birth.

Then, after a few days and when the lamb is strong enough, the sheep will gradually make their way back up the hill to join the others. It is amazing to watch.

Once we got the footage, Jo interviewed my dad, asking him a range of questions such as ‘When does a lamb stop being a lamb? and ‘How important is farming to the landscape?’

It was great to watch how they filmed the interview from different angles to get in a range of shots.

After a quick brew, we headed back outside to go and see some mules and lambs a few weeks older.

I drove Jo and the producer to Downham in my defender. Dad followed on behind with the camera man and Polly.

Luckily the sun came out and the lambs were running around the field, enjoying the media attention.

We spent a good 20 minutes watching them play as well as soak in the landscape, something we don’t often have chance to appreciate!

Finally, we stopped off at the lambing shed. They were shown the milking machines and the many pet lambs that we look after (up to 200 so far!).

Some of the older pet lambs

We let Jo get into the pen and after a few minutes she was surrounded by nibbling curious lambs! She loved every minute.
Apparently we should market it as ‘lamb therapy’ and charge £50 per hour. Who would be interested?!

And as an extra bonus, a mule sheep had just lambed a healthy set of twins for the cameraman, demonstrating exactly  just how busy and demanding lambing time is!

Newborns

Whilst I didn’t actually get to be in front of the camera, I did teach Jo the correct way to bottle feed a lamb and had a lot of fun chatting about all things farm related.

Me doing what I do best… bottle-feeding pet lambs!

Overall I really enjoyed the day filming at  the farm!

It gave me an insight into tv film producing but most importantly, showcased the hard work farmers up and down the country are currently doing to viewers everywhere!

I think it is important for young farmers like myself to raise awareness about the amazing work farmers do to tackle inaccurate misconceptions and myths about the industry floating around in the media and to highlight the hard work and pride we have for our livelihoods!

After all, it’s not just a job, it’s a lifestyle!

As a special thankyou, the cameraman took an aerial shot of some of our farm with his drone for us to keep.

‘It’s not much, but it’s home’

Tune in to ITV Granada on 8/5/17 @ 6PM to watch and let me know if you enjoyed it!

And if you missed it, here it the link to watch it whenever you have time. http://www.itv.com/news/granada/update/2017-05-08/jo-blythe-helps-with-lambing-in-lancashire/

HB

The end is nigh…

The past 2 months has been extremely busy with lambing!

Thankfully, the end is in sight with the Swales happily lambing outside and the inside mules being finally down to double figures *the relief*.

Whilst I have no new exciting tales to tell, I thought I would share with you some photographs taken from tonight’s farm visit. After all, everybody loves photographs of cute lambs.

Polly was eager to accompany Dad and I on our ‘twice a day check’ of the outdoor hillsheep. We do this to make sure that the sheep and lambs are all okay and are able to intervene if not!

We drove around the sheep, bringing in any that we were concerned about.

We check for problems as we ride around, looking out for sheep who have lost lambs (either dead or mismothered), who are ill or having problems lamb.

Tonight, we only had to bring two sheep in – one had twins but had unfortunately lost one, whilst the other had neglected to look after its young lamb and it was starving as a result.

As you can see, Polly was obsessed with the poorly lamb and wanted to get stuck in helping.

Additionally, it is an also an opportunity to take in our surrounding scenery, – that is when we have the time!

For me, there is no better sight than a sheep outside with healthy twins. It makes me feel wholesome and proud of our work here on the farm.

After checking the outdoor sheep, it was time to venture into the lambing sheds.

We all have indivual tasks to get the jobs done quicker: I go around and fill the various water buckets and hay nets, whilst Dad rubbers and marks lambs. Perhaps the short straw, Mum’s job is to feed the many pet lambs we have acquired.

Below are some general lamb photographs I took this evening for you to browse at!

Before we left, the lambs decided to put on a race for us in their pen. Call it “The Lamb National”.

Now it is time for a strong cuppa tea and a well earned rest – before we go back down later on to do it all over again!

Lamb seeking name

It is typical that the cutest lamb is born when I am away from the farm!

A couple of hours old

Isn’t she a stunner?!

However there is a problem … we don’t know what to call her!

Do you guys have any suggestions?!
Let me know,

Farming Fridays

Breaking up for Easter means one thing: LAMBS!

I have *unfortunately* missed some of the chaotic rush that Lambing time brings due to being incredibly busy at University. But now that term time has finished for an entire month, I can finally shove on my wellies and get stuck in! (I never thought I would miss the farm and its hectic schedule!)

Today was an incredibly sunny day and Ziggy made the most of it, basking in the sun, whilst I clambered into my Landrover Defender and headed down to the farm.

Ziggy being the ultimate poser

Landrover View

To my delight my sheep, Augusta, had lambed overnight and had two healthy lambs without any complications! They are 3/4 Texel and 1/4 Beltex and will hopefully make a good set of lambs.

Augusta and her two newborn lambs

After checking the other sheep and making sure none were lambing, I helped my dad create a large pen for the numerous pet lambs that are occupying the shed.

First we made a pen for the lambs – it needed a lot of straw and space so that they could run around.

Stage 1: Prepare

Next, we had to make a board with teets (which the lambs suck on to get milk) and wire it up correctly to the milk machine. This didn’t take too long as Dad knew what he was doing (as we have used these machines for quite a few years now!).

We then checked the teets were working by squeezing them to make sure the milk was coming out.

Then came the tricky part – catching the larger pet lambs and transferring them into the new pen! They certainly worked off their milk intake, as they were incredibly quick and difficult to catch.

It took me a while to transfer them all, as they ran rings around me, but once moved, it is safe to say they LOVED their new home.

Once this task was complete, I helped my mum load the kubota trailer up with sheep and lambs – we often turn twins out into the fields after a few days to free up pen space in the sheds.

Lambs all ready for the field

As you can see, the lambs go into different compartments – this is to avoid them getting mixed up and going to the wrong sheep, making turning out an much easier process.

Whilst mum was turning the sheep out, I took the dogs for a quick walk as they hadn’t been out of the kennels for a bit.

Polly admiring the view

Polly, despite being a farm dog, is wearing a lead because she is in a field with livestock! All dog owners must keep their dogs on a lead at all times when in field with livestock (abiding by the countryside code!)

It needs saying once again, due to the numerous amount of sheep worrying stories I have read about recently, that farmers are allowed to shoot dogs worrying livestock and NOT compensate owners! Keep this in mind when walking your pooches on farming land!

Before I set off home for tea, I stopped off to look at some of the smaller pet lambs and have a cuddle.

After tea, it was back to the farm – feeding pet lambs, filling hay nets and water buckets and lambing sheep. Whoever said farmers were lazy clearly haven’t visited a working family farm in Lambing time?!