We’ve never yet had an infertile ram, but unless you buy a ‘tried and tested’ ram or have the vet test a semen sample, there’s no guarantee
that your shiny new ram is fit for purpose! I had no reason whatsoever
to doubt the potency of our splendid new ram lamb (who we brought home
from his Devon birthplace in September), but while we were fitting his
new harness and raddle I couldn’t help myself wondering whether he was
up to the job. He was such a polite and gentle young fellow compared to some of the obstreperous characters we’ve dealt with in the past.
Although a bit nervous about leaving the little paddock where he’d lived for the past couple of months with a pair of homebred ram lambs for company, he trotted along the lane on the halter quite willingly (despite never having been halter-trained) and through the gate leading to the ewes’ field. We released him from the halter, and he stood, looking first at the ewes and then back towards the lane.
It
was certainly touch and go for a minute or two as to which way he would
choose! We shooed him away towards the ewes, and as he tentatively
trotted towards them he obviously caught the fancy of a few of the older
ewes; within minutes he was surrounded by a trio obviously keen to make
his acquaintance. You could almost read his indecision, run away – or
be initiated into the world of sheepish luuurve. True to his nature, he
chose the latter, and in the space of less than 15 minutes the three
ewes were sporting blue backsides from the raddle crayon. The rest is
best left to your imagination, but by the end of the ewes’ 17-day cycle
all his ladies were marked, and ten days later we have had no returns.
So, we’re fairly confident that (a) he is fertile, (b) his instincts are
sound, and (c) we should have a nice tight lambing next April!
The only other memories I have of November are of rain, gales, mud, and flood. It rained, the tracks and fields all turned to mud (with the exception of the lambing paddock, that I am preserving for next year’s ewes and lambs), and our bottom yard, barn and cellar flooded. This was particularly annoying as we’d hired a digger and had all our ditches cleared just over a year ago (during the drought!) – but the sheer volume of muddy water coming off a recently harvested, and badly compacted cornfield simply swept across the lane into our yard. Nonetheless, we fared a lot better than many in this area, who, for the second time in a decade, found their homes and businesses flooded and ruined.
With the planned badger cull postponed for the present, our resident vaccinated brocks have been hogging out in readiness for the winter. Their favourite food is in abundance following the corn harvest, and we can track their route across our orchard by following the discarded cobs! All of the three entrances to the sett show recent activity, spore (footprints), recent digging, and most noticeably, they’ve been carrying lots of dried grass into the sett to make a cosy nest for winter. All around the fields are signs of digging (worms form a large part of their diet). We’ve also found the chewed-up remains of various vertebrates, mice, voles and baby rabbits, so we can be fairly confident that they are, for the time being, healthy and happy. If only they knew about the political hiatus they’ve been at the centre of this year!
