Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Paddock Change With New Lambs

Summer has arrived again, so it's time to change paddocks in search of the trees for shade. Our roadside paddocks have the best tree cover for shade, so when it's hot it's off to the front paddock we go.

Normally paddock change with the sheep is over and done with in a matter of seconds... but with lambs not so.

Mumma ewes rush towards the open gate, then madly stop remembering that they have their lambs... so then panic ensues when mumma ewes can't find their lambs amongst the chaos.

So it's slow going... forward 3 steps back 2 steps. But eventually all make it to the new paddock.

The pond has finally dried up.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Girlie's Generations

In the above photo we have Girlie who is the ewe sitting down with her two lambs from this season.

Standing next to Girlie is her lamb from last season, who at the time of the photo had just gone into labour for the first time.

She was rather vocal about it and she wasn't sure what was happening, and was seeking comfort and support from her mum. She followed her mum about for sometime bleating. 

Kinda cute, and just another example of why Girlie is such a great mum, still there supporting her adult children.

Come this morning she finally had her first lamb, and I hope that this first time mum becomes a fantastic ewe mum just like her own mum, Girlie.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Well That Lasted All Of 2 Seconds

I was just saying yesterday how great lambing was going... well last night while checking the lambs and ewes, I spotted an abandoned lamb. After a short chase through  the paddock, over the fence, down the drive the lamb was caught and reunited with mum.  I think mum just forgot that she has 2 lambs to mother.

Then I noticed that her other lamb was rather wobbly with her rear legs, dragging and bending them unnaturally backwards.

So after penning mum and lambs in the yards, I checked first that mum had milk, and that lambs were feeding. Then  I inspected the lamb. She could walk and keep up with mum, but the legs would bend backwards... very creepy like. She wasn't in any pain from what I could tell. She seemed rather healthy all in all.

So we went to the vet today. The lamb was a model patient. Very patient and much loved by the staff. She was even attended by 2 vets.

It seems while in her mums womb, or during birth, her tendons/ligaments may have been stretched so they are all loosey goosey rather than tight and firm. The vet said something that they see in foals but unusual in lambs.

So both legs are now in splints and bandaged to help correct that. Hopefully things return to normal after a week or two.

Fortunately when reunited with mum all went well. Lamb was straight on mums teat.

I think I will wait a day or two before reuniting them with the flock... just until the little lamb finds her new feet.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Lambing Season Summer 22/23

After such a long wait, we are just over half way through our lambing season. So far we have had 14 healthy lambs from 9 ewes. 5 lambs popped out last night, a busy night. There are 5 more ewes to drop their babies.

We tried things a little different this time. Instead of having lambs in the middle of winter, we are, well we should have had lambs in November, towards the end of spring. But I am guessing that our ram Whiskers took his time to enjoy the ladies, as the lambs only started appearing after Christmas.

So far... touch wood, everything has gone super well and we have 14 healthy lambs.  I haven't had to worry about frosts or the lack of feed or exposing myself to the elements.

For the first week of the lambs birth the mumma ewe will keep her newborns well away from people and anything potentially dangerous. The lambs will obediently follow mum wherever she goes. At this point I am just worried about whether the lambs are up an feeding. So I am keeping a close watch to see if the lambs are finding the udder and then if they are drinking. Generally if they are getting milk their little tails will be wiggling at a million miles.

After about the first week mum starts to relax and I can get close enough to see what sex the lambs are. By about this time the lambs have found their feet and are running circles around mum. Jumping on and over mum while she is resting. The lambs have started to interact with the other lambs and now its mum running after her lambs.

Come the second week of age the lambs have formed a gang, and new entrants are enlisted as they become of age. You are able to get close enough to pat the lambs if they allow and mum isn't bothered by your presence. 

It's by this time I can start to relax, the lambs are big and healthy. 

I am still keeping a close eye out for hawks and wandering dogs. 

I spotted a wandering dog the other day in the lambing paddock. At first I thought it was an Arapawa sheep, similar colour and size, and I thought why was it out on it's own. As I got closer I realized it was a dog, so I yelled at it to "go home". Hopefully a familiar command all dogs are taught. The dog left the paddock but only to get stuck in the fence and needed assistance to be freed. It's collar somehow latched itself onto the fencing wire. After I just yelled at the dog, I approached with caution, and fortunately the dog was friendly and let me untangle him. He was then on his way running down the roadside... accompanied with my parting words "go home go home".

I am just loving this lambing season. 

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Hay Season

This year I thought I would try to be a little organised and do things a little different. I wanted to have the grass cut a little earlier this time around with the idea that the grass seed heads remain intact before they go to seed. As always it's a rush to get the grass cut, dried, baled, and stacked in the shed before the weather ruins everything.

I must thank 2 awesome guys, Josh & Derek... they were coming around to buy some of last season's hay, I had 15 bales left over to move. On arrival I was nearly halfway done of loading the trailer and stacking the new hay in the barn, and they jumped in to give me a hand. They both had previous experience which was good as their stacking skills were better than mine. Before they arrived I already had 1 fall from a 4 bale height. So their skills and banter was greatly appreciated.

Despite my allergies I rather enjoy hay season. It's a good work out and the paddocks look great after.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - A Rat!

Well that was my first thought when I spotted something moving along the ground underneath the fallen hay on the barn floor... A big f#@king rate!!

But no, I went from a ewwww emotion, to a ohhh you poor fella feeling...

It's a hedgehog!!! 

But I think I have destroyed it's nest, as I was clearing out the barn getting ready for this year's hay.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Farm Gate In Town

DWL Farm Gates can also be used in a town setting...

The customer has a little boy, so the gate is to stop him running out into the street. 

I think it also adds additional security to deter people and other animals from just freely wandering up the drive.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - The End Of Spring

We have so much grass this year... it's crazy...

We've set aside some areas for hay, but even the sheep's standard paddock rotation isn't keeping the grass down. 

I think I will have to get the weedeater out.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Some Cuties

I've just finished a couple of gates that came together rather nicely, and I am very happy with the finished product...

Normally the hinge straps are attached to the back of the gate, but the customer had a specific swing to be achieved.

The above is a 2.9m Larch gate.

Made with Oregon these are 2x 2m gates meeting in the middle to create a 4m gate.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Shearing 2022

Normally I love shearing, its exciting, it means summer is coming, and once they are shorn the sheep are unrecognizable. It's fun playing Who am I? Also the sheep seem to love getting rid of the heavy winter coat.

Finding a shearer can be sometimes a challenge when you have a small flock. But there is the odd person who specializes in lifestyle blocks. 

The guy that I called in this time, was recommended on Facebook and was local so I made contact and arranged for the job to be done Monday morning. 

I was excited and had the sheep in the yards early. 

When the shearer turned up he was an older guy and had issues getting out of the car and complained of stiffness and a sore back. I didn't think much of this at the time, as I complain about the same thing getting out of Gary's car. But it should have probably rung alarm bells in hindsight.

I showed him to the sheep and he said they were tidy and looked healthy and should be no problems. So we got started.

Drench, trim the feet, and shear.

I suggested to do Whiskers first who is the big ram and has horns that go on forever. Basically for everyone's safety to get him done and out of the way. Whiskers is a very calm go with the flow kinda ram. Very chilled for the first 5 minutes or thereabouts.

Now I need to point out that Arapawa's are a smaller breed of sheep, and can be a little wirly at times. Arapawa's have character.

From the very start the shearer never seemed to have control of Whiskers. Whiskers always had the upper hand. This isn't my first rodeo and I have seen other shearer's handle Whiskers with no issues. The shearer was swearing and cussing and shoving Whiskers down. It was a complete shambles. I should have stopped it then and there. 

The guys back was giving him pain, and if he couldn't cope he should have said so. 

Then he attacked the girls, some who were very well behaved and some not. But I have never had a shearer swear so much and just struggle handling them. I am sure the neighbors could hear the commotion.

During the job I started questioning him, how many sheep do you do in a week, do you do this full time, any more jobs today... just to get a better idea of his experience. 

Sadly there was a few nicks and as soon as he had left I applied iodine and gave the flock some love... sheep pellets.

It was about this time I then noticed the shearer had managed  to cut and tear the lower eyelid on one of the ewes. I don't  know how I missed that.

I think it was Karen, who does have an attitude but I respect her for that. Karen has Kaths hair of Kath & Kim, and always stamps her feet at me... just because she can.

After examining and contemplating what to do, I called out the vet. There was about 1cm of skin hanging off, and I started to worry about the eye, infection and the future of the eye.  Karen is with lamb, and I didn't want anything to affect her baby.

The vet examined her and gave her some pain relief, cut off the skin tear, examined the eye, cleaned the wound etc. It was by some miracle that he didn't get the actual eye. It should heal and will have a scar, but it is something that I will keep an eye on going forward. I am very thankful for the vet.

While the vet was attending to Karen I was holding her and she basically just sat her full weight down on my leg. It was as if she knew we were helping her, so she settled down and relaxed too much, giving me a dead leg. I could barely stand up myself when all was done.

I haven't received the bill yet... but it's going to be expensive, at a guess it will cost me 3 gates.

I'm a bit angry at myself, as I should have stopped him when he wasn't coping. I am disappointed in the shearer.

Most of all, I miss my old shearer from Kaipara, Shanelle from Shanelles lifestyle shearing... she was always superb! Shanelle treated the sheep with love and respect. She would talk to the Mama's and rub their belly.

I need to find the same kinda person down here.

But the flock is looking superb!!