Lambing with dad

Today Katie, Frankie and Poppy helped dad (Fred) check some stud ewes with their new lambs. The ewes they were checking are lovingly named "The Old Girls" which consists of 7 and 8 year old stud ewes that are nearing the end of their productive lives in the sheep stud. Instead of lambing these sheep on the hills, they are looked after in the paddocks around the house where life is much easier - after all, they have nothing to prove, they are the best sheep on the property!

Every morning there is another dozen sets of lambs, mostly twins and triplets, to ear-tag and match to their respective mothers. Once they are identified and deemed top quality lambs they are shifted or 'shed' into the other half of the paddock which has more grass. This enables the lactating mothers to eat 'mouthfuls' of feed and keep her udder full of milk for her babies.

Katie is very useful because she has her own little red motorbike and is used (but not treated) like a dog to round up ewes that have just lambed. When Katie is busy with school, however, a dog will do. 

The ewes don't run from the dogs as they are herded to the corner of the paddock with their lambs. These sheep have been tested for their mothering ability and as a young sheep they must prove that they will stick with their lambs and protect them. By the time a ewe reaches the "old girl mob", she's seen it all before and is often more than willing to chase the dogs around the paddock in order to protect her young ones. Quite a sight to behold - a sheepdog being herded by a sheep!

Poppy and Frankie love running around the paddock helping the dogs move the sheep onto their new pasture, often barking as if they are a huntaway - not entirely useful when trying to keep sheep calm. Fred will typically only use Heading dogs to shift ewes with newborn lambs because they work silently. It enables the lambs to hear their mothers' call and keep matters civil.

Frankie is far too loud babbling away about whatever seems to bubble up into her imagination, which causes Poppy to turn into her boisterous alter ego - "Bob". When "Bob" comes out, stockmanship is null and void, sheep will go everywhere and lambs the other way. We'll teach her some stock sense yet.

Patience is a virtue and being able to learn how to behave around animals is a gift that we often take for granted. The kids learn how to move livestock on their own, by making mistakes and trying again. Sometimes as a 'team' we cause a bit too much confusion and have to head off for a cup of tea to let the ewes and lambs settle down. All part of a kiwi upbringing - good character building.