June 2013

The rather chilly weather during most of May took a sudden U-turn and the month ended with some scorching hot days, which had me in a flap about getting the sheep shorn. Our regular shearer has taken on more of the management of his family farm, so instead of getting the preferential treatment we’d been used to, it was a matter of lots of phoning and gentle nudges to get a new shearer in – and, of course, you don’t get to choose the date. So, shearing day saw just me getting 4 separate batches of sheep in, separating the ewes from the lambs, rolling fleeces, stuffing the woolsacks, checking tags and re-numbering the ewes. It was terribly well organised – NOT! But we all survived and the ewes eventually ended up back in the field with the right lambs.

Last month I wrote about the sad losses we experienced at lambing this year. They were typical of a particular type of disease, caused by an organism similar to that which causes coccidiosis in lambs, and that is spread in the environment by cats and rodents. A few sightings of an unfamiliar young black cat around the lambing field spurred my suspicion that our losses were probably due to Toxoplasmosis (commonly known as ‘Toxo’).

Our flock MV-testing was due in May, which involves taking blood samples from every single ovine on the premises (quite a logistical challenge!). I arranged for the vet to take some additional samples from the ewes that had lost their lambs at the same time. I was not surprised to find these returned positive for Toxo (and very pleased that all our sheep tested negative for Maedi Visna, confirming our MV Accredited status for a further 3 years). It is quite likely that the other breeding ewes were also exposed to Toxo at some point during their pregnancy, and would therefore have acquired some immunity to the disease. However, if we bring any of our homebred shearlings into the breeding flock next year, they will be naïve to the disease. Our only safe option for lambing next year appears to be vaccination for all the ewes, but firstly I will discuss all the options with our vet.

By the first week of June, several lambs were scouring: a greyish watery scour typical of coccidiosis. Samples were quickly scooped up and I delivered them to the vet. By late afternoon of the same day we had the results, the lab had found a massive count of cocci oocysts meaning the lambs required fast treatment if their gut lining wasn’t to be permanently damaged. The worm egg count was quite low, so I knew exactly what I needed to treat, and which drench to use. This ‘knowledge-based’ approach not only tells me exactly what I need to do, but it gives me the
reassurance that I’m doing the best for my lambs.

June was a very busy month in the production of our new DVD “Showing Sheep”. We’d arranged to follow 6 different pedigree sheep breeders through the process of preparing for and showing their sheep over the 3 days of the Royal Three Counties Show in Malvern, and this meant that pretty well every day was spent making arrangements and travelling to film the carding, trimming and general ‘tarting up’ that a show animal requires to stand any chance of winning a coveted rosette!



All our sheep-stars and their handlers looked tremendous at the show, and we filmed each one going through its paces in the show-ring. I think we were as proud as their owners were when the rosettes were handed out.

In addition to the glitz and glamour of the major ‘county’ shows, there are local shows and Breed Society events taking place throughout the summer months. The finished programme will show this aspect too, where everyone is encouraged to ‘have a go’ without the pressure of an audience of hundreds!



I don’t know whether it’s an age thing, but I’m certainly noticing things in the natural world more acutely these days! Perhaps it’s due to a combination of living in a very beautiful and quiet area, and working from home (meaning I rarely get to leave the farm!). I’ve become quite captivated with the doings of the local bird life, and though I’m no ‘twitcher’, I can be happily distracted from my computer to while away a bit of time watching, listening, and noting anything out of the ordinary. For example, the call of the Cuckoo on the last day in June – does this mean a second brood, or that the first brood failed? I’ve certainly never heard ‘cuckoo’ this late in the summer, but as they were so late in arriving here due to the cold spring, either scenario may be the case.

I’ve also enjoyed watching the progress of a couple of Collared Doves making their nest in the lambing shed (where they obviously found a good supply of feed) and rearing their pair of chicks. Today, they took flight and left their nest. One of the success stories of the bird world, these birds have spread across all of Europe from their original range in the Balkans in less than 40 years. I put it down to the utter devotion of the species, who I believe mate for life.

The Magpie on the other hand, despite its striking beauty, is a brute – I’ve watched them through the spring and summer hopping along the hedgerows plucking eggs and hatchlings from the nests of smaller birds.

So now, already into July and I’m fretting about getting the hay made! The early spring was so cold that even by early May our 7- acre hayfield looked more like it would in March, and by the middle of May I’d noticed the grass, barely 150mm tall, had started to ‘head’, meaning it had given up the idea of growing and decided that reproduction (flowering) was its best bet. Our only option was to ‘top’ the field, and by foiling its attempts to go to seed, persuade the grass to have another go at growing. A risky strategy, but one that, thankfully has paid off and the grass has grown back thick and tall – but, now I’m anxious to get it cut, baled and safely in the barn!