Ewes and lambs

All the ewes and lambs have been turned out of the barn to graze outside for the last couple of weeks. They are enjoying the fresh grass and ignore the hay in the hayrack. The lambs are growing stronger each day and are beginning to make exploratory nibbles of the grass. The older, more robust ones muscle in with the ewes jostling for a place along the line of troughs for the supplementary feed when I put this out twice a day. There are several troughs in a row of different lengths so there is more than enough space for everyone.

The ewes sit in their family groups chewing the cud for a lot of the time during the day with their lambs sitting beside them or playing around them, occasionally standing on mum's back. Late afternoon tends to be the time when the lambs play as a group, running back and forth.

Three times a day (7am, 3pm & 10pm) I have to bottle feed one of the lambs who was rejected by this mother. I go through the gate and call his name (Finbar) and he immediately runs up to me,  however far off he is. For the rest of the time he sits with a family group and is only nudged away if he gets too close. He is nevertheless growing well and looks to be a strong ram lamb.

We are having an  extended dry spell at the moment and the rain that had been previously forecast for this week is not now expected. Whilst it might be generally unpopular, we really do need some rain now to keep the grass growing for the sheep if not for the vegetable plot and garden. 

Ewes and lambs taking advantage of the shade.
The ewe marked '5' is a first time mum and her twin
 ewe lambs are beside her. She was a bottle fed
orphan the year before last as her mother died 
shortly after giving birth. She has turned out to be
the most attentive of mothers.