Rams say goodbye to the ewes

Today the rams were separated from the breeding ewes having spent 28 days together to do what is expected of them. The average gestation period  for sheep is 147 days so the anticipated date of the first lamb arriving is 12th March and the date of the last lamb to arrive is 10th April, but potentially up to 5 or so days either side of these dates.

For the time being the two rams and the ram lambs are together in one field and the ewes and ewe lambs in another. There is always a little argy-bargy between the rams when they come back together again, and some bleating from the ewe lambs, but all will settle down in a day or two. Another stage in the annual shepherd's calendar complete.

Ewe lambs before the move