It was refreshing to welcome people back on-farm for our first lambing course in two years.
Old sofas and chairs created a room in the barn as an alternative to dining around our kitchen table, which was the norm pre-Covid-19.
As a warts and all course, we have no idea what is going to happen and we dont hide anything. Previous courses have started with skinning adoptions or euthanasia but this one had a gentle start.
The ewes had a sense of humour, deciding to cross their legs as soon as everyone arrived, despite numerous lambs being born that morning. Thankfully, normal service resumed after the theory session.
You can learn so much with a simulator and PowerPoint, but nothing beats the real thing. As most people on our courses are new to lambing, they need to know what to do when things go wrong and they also leave with us on speed dial.
Prevention is better than cure and this was covered in detail, including checking the ewes are in top condition before going to the tup.
With recent news over the delisting of Spectam Scour Halt, reducing use of oral antibiotics in lambs is paramount through hygiene, provision of quality colostrum and good ewe nutrition.
Practising what we preach, our March lambers received their Heptavac P Plus vaccination earlier this month.
Try as you may, problems occur; we are talking about sheep after all. This week the lambs had a sudden onset of scald. As it is caused by the same opportunistic bacteria that causes foot rot, immediate treatment is an essential part of our whole-flock lameness reduction.
We will keep a very close eye on them but hopefully a small problem has been nipped in the bud before becoming a big one.
In November, Hannah Binns reported inFarmers Guardianthat Welsh lamb was highly prized over its British and New Zealand counterparts.
Apparently, shoppers associated Welsh lamb as uncompromised natural meat, with high animal welfare, environmentally sensitive and from traditional, rural farming communities. I would like to add to this as I believe all Welsh lamb can be, and in some cases already is, carbon neutral.
A bold statement, I know, but Im currently calculating our own carbon footprint and recent work with farmers integrating trees into their farming practice has got me thinking.
Evidence-based is the way forward and having that carbon neutral sticker will not only boost sales but also help to silence the livestock bashing brigade.
It turns out our cider is also carbon negative, which gives us yet another reason to keep drinking it. Keep smiling.
