Tag Archives: lambing

Lambing’s Nearly Finished…

Posted on April 12, 2017 by Francis Pryor

I’m writing this on Tuesday, April 11th and we’re approaching the final week of lambing. Easter, late this year, is next weekend and we are down to just four ewes who haven’t yet lambed – and one of them, I’m … Continue reading →

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Freedom! Ewes and Lambs Released

Posted on April 9, 2016 by Francis Pryor

This is a very brief blog post to celebrate the release of the first batch of ewes and their lambs out of the barn and onto the lush green pasture of early April. It’s always a joyous (and yes, that’s … Continue reading →

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Katie, lambs and human frailty

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Francis Pryor

Abigail, Barney, Clodagh, Desmond…? I had to Google the names our weather forecasters have given the succession of storms that have lashed the British Isles this winter. We’ve just experienced storm Katie, which the Daily Mirror predicted would be an … Continue reading →

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Lambing, 2015: no two years are ever the same

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Francis Pryor

I’ll discuss the actual lambs and their mothers shortly, but I want to start with what you might think is a digression, but is nothing of the sort. In fact I sometimes think it’s the main reason I like to … Continue reading →

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Getting Ready for 2015

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Francis Pryor

Since last year we’ve decided to lamb rather later than in the past – which means that we put the rams in with the ewes late in October and expect our first lambs in mid-to-late March (the actual date this … Continue reading →

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Missed Posts, 1: Puppytime

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Francis Pryor

What a year! I don’t think I’ve ever been so busy as I was in 2014. Completely lunatic. Absolutely mad. You might have thought that after damn-near 70 years (in 6 weeks) on this planet, I would have learnt to … Continue reading →

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Lambing, 2014

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Francis Pryor

Every year is different. Some years are marked by tough, resilient bags that imprison the lamb when it is born and can quickly suffocate it, unless the ewe or one of us clears the membrane from around its nose. Other … Continue reading →

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At Last: Late Spring Flowers

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Francis Pryor

Lambing has finished and yesterday we gave the last batch their protective inoculations before releasing them from the barn and out to pasture. They still have open access to the shelter of the barn, should they need it, but they … Continue reading →

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A Festive Spring (With Gynaecological Rhubarb)

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Francis Pryor

This cold weather has held everything back, except one or two of our ewes who have had prolapses. This normally happens in the last weeks before lambing and is a result of a shortage of space in the body cavity, … Continue reading →

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Not Losing the Plot

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Francis Pryor

I’m sometimes asked how I manage to combine sheep farming with writing. A follow-up question is often about the difficulty of getting back into the swing of writing, after a period away from it. I suspect both would be answered … Continue reading →

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