Lambing-26

 

Each year Newlyns Farm open up to share lambing with those of us in North Hampshire. Ewes are carefully inseminated to ensure that they lamb on a given weekend so that we can see what goes on and witness at first hand how these cute little creatures come into the world. This year the weather took a turn for the worst and the weekends events had to be cancelled. Lambs can withstand cold but not a combination of  wet and cold and so the ewes were taken from the field by the Farm Shop and taken to a local barn so that they were warm and dry.

The lambs here were lucky. In the north of England where the snow hit badly there are ewes with lambs buried under feet of snow. Food was being airlifted in by RAF helicopter (ironically the helicopters are based almost next door to Newlyns farm) to try and help with the disaster.

Nat and Penny were lucky to be invited down to the barns to see the new lambs and take some pictures. Our guides for the morning were the farm’s ‘young farmers’ Molly, Ellie, Jack and Sam who caught lambs for us to hold and told us a bit about what was going on. Unfortunately there were no ewes giving birth that morning, it was probably too cold! the lambs we saw were only a day or two old, and were very sweet. Their mums are very protective but the lambs themselves are quite nosey and if you stand quietly they start to come over and investigate you, and in the cold wind I think they were quite enjoying their cuddles with us! They are numbered along with their mothers so that the farmers know who belongs to whom and any escapees can be quickly reunited with mum.

Lambing-3

Born gorgeous the lambs grow very quickly and in about three months time they will look like little sheep. The lambs born at Christmas are already making their way to the dinner table as new season’s lamb for Easter. Just a day or two after they are born, and mum has had a rest and a good feed, the lambs in the shed will be turned out into the field. The farm has provided little shelters in the fields to keep them out of the biting wind we have at the moment, but with bellies full of milk and cuddled up to their mums they are very cosy and will be delighting us all here by charging about the fields in little gangs.

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