Watching lambs leap makes you smile, despite the weather

The saying that March comes in like a lion and leaves like a lamb has not rung true with this year’s spring weather. It has been tough going. Letting out lambs between downpours and holding your breath that they won’t be frozen to death is the fear that probably runs through every sheep farmer’s mind at this time of year.

Thankfully, while it all looks bad, they are tougher than I give them credit for. Although it has been wet, it is also relatively mild so we are managing, and once they get over a couple of days, they may look miserable, but they make it.

When the sun comes out and you catch a glimpse of them racing up and down the field leaping with joy, it puts a smile on your face and you realise that you will get through this ferocious spell of weather. It will end.

Last year I culled any ewe that would be over five years of age at lambing, and it has made life easier. I’ve had far fewer problems compared to other years, which is a relief given the workload at lambing. You simply do not have time to deal with pets and problem ewes. A younger flock is hardier, and I have had fewer losses.

I was lucky to get plenty of help this year for lambing. Two UCD students who were with me for work experience last year came back to help me out for the first two weeks of lambing, and now I have a lovely French couple, Louis Bordat and Marie Martin from Lyon, staying with us until midApril to see it out until the end. I got them through a website called HelpX that links up people like Marie and Louis with farmers all over the world.

I love having them here, as it’s company and helps make farming a bit of fun. Even if your sheep-farming skills amount to just filling a bucket of water, cleaning out a pen or feeding a pet lamb, it is great to have the extra help — though Marie and Louis have a lot of farming experience.

Springtime is the most dangerous time for farm accidents, as farmers are exhausted. So, you need to be careful and mind yourself. The way I deal with it is to get loads of students from UCD and people like Marie and Louis. It eases the pressure and sense of isolation that can plague farmers at this time of year... not to mention the overwhelming workload. I do not think I would be able to cope with farming unless I had the extra help.

The priority over the next few weeks is to adopt as many pets as possible so we have the single scanned ewes housed beside the triplets and are watching them closely. Sometimes if a ewe loses a second lamb, I try to adopt a new one on to her, and most times it works. There are almost no rules about adopting. Some people wash the lambs to remove any scent.

If it works, it’s good. A wet adoption, I find, is the most successful method and provided the ewe has enough milk, it is always worth a try. It’s a great feeling when an adoption works, as I feel it cancels out a loss.

I’ve my magnesium buckets out, as grass tetany is bound to raise its ugly head with the dodgy weather so it’s best to be prepared for the worst.

As soon as the ewes and lambs are settled in the fields, I’ll tip around with the snacker and drop them some nuts to keep them happy and thriving. I find the feed snacker a major help as it removes the need for troughs.

We all know the love that sheep have for food so there is very little waste in doing this. I just find it fascinating how, in all the frenzy of feeding time, the ewes manage to sort themselves and their lambs out again.

Over the next month, I will be just wrapping up the rest of the lambing and hoping the rain will ease off and give us a break. I think we all deserve it.

One thing that is definitely helpful is the rise in prices, long may they last.

‘I’ve my magnesium buckets out, as grass tetany is bound to raise its ugly head’