A Midnight Rescue .... We're Back!!

It should have been a straight forward simple task, locking up and going to bed but it wasn't. Just before midnight I remembered Bean was still outside so I shouted her and waited for her to come back. Not long afterwards she scratched on the door to come in and that's when it started. I opened the door and there she stood looking extremely pleased with herself and barged past me into the kitchen. For a split second I thought she had a teddy in her mouth, I could just see two little white furry legs hanging down but then I realised it was a baby rabbit and despite it being clamped tightly in her mouth, the poor thing was still alive.

As soon as I took a step towards her she took 4 steps back. I took another step, she took 4 more. Great, she thinks it's a game!! I shouted for her to drop it like a lunatic which did nothing!  I told her calmly to drop it which also failed to work! By now I was close enough to see it's back legs kicking at one side of her mouth and two tiny black eyes and little nostrils flaring at the other side. I was petrified that she would crunch it there and then because I knew Bean was not going to give up this tasty snack by choice. I ran at her and with her tail wagging she turned and ran. 

Shrieking 'Bean, drop it' like a lunatic I set off after her round the kitchen then outside which was pitch black and pouring down in my pyjamas and slippers that helpfully slipped off my feet every other step I took - enough was enough and I lunged at her to grab her tail as she turned and wrestled the 10 stone lump to the ground and eventually got the rabbit from her mouth!

It didn't look good and I grabbed a towel wrapped it up and put it in a box with a heat pad underneath. Shut the door and finally went to bed.

If I'm honest, I can't see it being alive in the morning.

Twins On Mother's Day ..... At Last More Lambs!

The Mother's Day Twins

Well it's 00.38 according to this phone I'm typing tonight's blog on and I'm in the stable once again keeping an eye on the sheep that I am convinced are about to lamb. I wouldnt expect any activity just yet though as I've been convinced one girl has been about to lamb for the past 8 days! I have religiously sat with them in the dark with my torch waiting patiently expecting a new arrival but have returned to bed freezing cold in the early hours with nothing to tell apart from frostbite! And tonight seems to be no different. I think Its becoming an obsession! I have now upped my game and have decided that the floor is no place for lamb  watching and have pulled Kyle's old buggy out of storage and as I type sat in it I feel it was quite a good idea! I just hope noone catches me huddled in said pushchair as it may look more than strange to the normal eye! I sit for 3 hours but decide nothing is going to happen tonight!

So it's another night back in the stable, maybe more lambs tonight! It's 11.30 and I've just come in to see if any of the girls have taken themselves away from the flock to find a bit of peace and quiet which is a sign they are about to lamb and I've found 2 in here. The one I've been watching for over a week now and another girl who I sensed was not too far off lambing. I have given them some hay which they have both eaten and now they have found corners in the shed and are lying down panting - I've begun to learn this doesn't mean anything is about to happen straight away!!

I'm sitting comfortably in the buggy again and am waiting patiently. I'll stay till about 3am and then make a decision as to whether my bed is the best option! I think both of the sheep in here with me tonight are having twins because of pure size but not opting to scan for pregnancy means I can never be 100% sure. The twins born 2 weeks ago will need their tails docked tomorrow and I will need to castrate the boy which is a sad realisation that he will not live out his days here at Nunnery Farm but will instead be for meat. Anywau, enough for tonight - once again I see no signs of any lambs so I am off to bed!

It's Mother's Day today and I've decided to check how things are with the sheep. I need and to dock the tails of the twins. I decided I wouldn't castrate the boy on the same day as I docked his tail due to limiting the stress so once his tail has settld down I will castrate him. I set off down the field to do my job and check all was well when I found Ivy in labour at the bottom of the field. The front hooves of a lamb were already visible. She did extremely well and after a short time gave birth to a beautifully marked boy! She cleaned him up and then walked away so I was pretty sure another was on its way. I was right because she then gave birth to another boy. He is pure white.

Ivy is doing well, she has cleaned both boys and they are currently down at the bottom of the field having a rest in the sunshine. They are both feeding and so as far as I am concerned there shouldn't be any problems with them!

Dave The Lamb Meets The New Twins!

2 down 4 to go!!

Not One But Two New Arrivals at Nunnery Farm

This morning I went out to check on the sheep and noticed Violet  was by herself and as soon as I saw her I knew she had lambed. When I got there I saw a little white lamb next to her which I scooped up and told Violet to come with me and we set off for the stables to get her settled into the comfy straw bed so she could have a rest and so I could make sure both Violet and Baby Violet were ok.

 The lamb was female and very small. I had a funny feeling that Violet may have a  touch of mastitis so I tried to put the lamb on her to feed and it just wasn't going very well. I left them to it and got ready to go the vets for some antibiotics to give to Violet and the lamb should the mastitis get any worse. If the lamb starts to feed normally sometimes the swelling can reduce and things are ok. I have found that it is when the milk is not being stripped that mastitis can set in and mean taking the lamb from her and hand rearing which seemed a shame because she was such a good mother last year.

 Then I heard a sound - another lamb bleating - Violet had had twins but where was the other one?  I started searching all around the field, the place where she had given birth to the other lamb, in the stream, under the bushes and practically everywhere. I thought I may have imagined the noise and then tucked up next to the stables in a dark corner I found this one!

 A little boy black from head to toe, completely the opposite to his sister! I put him in with Violet and his sister and went off to get my supplies to treat them with should things not go to plan (as most things at Nunnery Farm tend to do!). My experience with Dave and Poppy last year meant that I was taking no chances this year and wanted to have everything to hand should I need it. 

When I got back I was armed with orphan milk to feed them with just in case Violet abandoned them, some penicillin to sort out Violet's mastitis, some colostrum for the twins and some antibiotics to inject them just in case they were not able to get that all important first milk from mum but the good news is that all was well in the stable and both lambs are feeding from mum now and settled down for the evening and both the new lams and Violet are happy and having a nice rest before going out in the field in a day or so.

I am now on official lamb watch and will be doing my rounds during the night with the torch so maybe tomorrow there will be some more new additions to the Nunnery Farm Flock!