I was raised in the Hodder Valley on our family hill farm, and my family still has this farm today. Spring is a very busy time of the year with 600 sheep due to have lambs….whatever the weather!
Here are some interesting facts for you from Lancashire County Council.
- The Ribble Valley has by far the largest number of farm holdings in the county, 626 or 17.8% of the county total. Cattle and sheep are the dominant livestock.
- The number of sheep in the Forest of Bowland, equates to 47% of the Lancashire total” Lancashire County Council
Seeing bouncing baby lambs in the fields for the first time signals the beginning of Spring, and in the Ribble Valley, there is no shortage.
My sister Janet has continued the family tradition of sheep farming and has kindly provided information for this blog post; I hope you enjoy reading it.
It all begins in November …
For lambs to arrive in the Spring, the rams (or tups as they are known locally) go out to mix with the Ewes in November.
Eating for two …
Once the ewes are in lamb, they may need to be fed several times a week in the fields with extra nutrients so their lambs grow fit and healthy.
One, two, three? …
In early February, the sheep are gathered up and scanned to see how many lambs they are carrying, and they are divided into groups of single lambs, twins, and triplets.
Nearly time …
Towards the end of March and the beginning of April, depending on the weather, the sheep are brought into a large shed in batches, depending on their due date. Some ewes can have their lambs outside if the weather is nice, but ‘first-time mums‘ are brought into the sheds.
Checking in …
All the sheep are very close to having their lambs now so both the outdoor and indoor ewes are checked several times daily.
Making an appearance …
The day starts at 5 am checking all the sheep; once the lambs start to arrive, they are put into individual pens until the lambs have learnt how to suck milk from their mothers and they are fit and strong enough to go out into the fields. If they have had their lambs outside, they may need to be brought into the shed for extra help and warmth.
Throughout lambing time, for one reason or another, a pen of orphan lambs accumulates; these need to be fed by machine until they are strong enough to be put back with the sheep. Once they are strong enough, they are transported from the shed and into the field.
Nice sunny day so getting the shed emptied ready for the next batch of sheep to come in and have their lambs.
Safety in numbers …
Any sheep and lambs outside need checking before nightfall to ensure they are safe with their mothers.
Playing in the fields in the sunshine, the lambs are a bit more independent so play together away from their mothers in the daytime but then my sister will go round and make sure all the lambs and mums are together before nightfall.
Rinse and repeat …
The last check of the shed occurs at midnight, and then we start again at 5am the next morning.
In the farmer’s barn, behind the door by Josie Whitehead
In the farmer’s barn, behind the door,
A lamb was born upon the straw.Her mum’s warm tongue soon licked her dry
And she saw her world through tiny eyes.
Beside her was her little brother
Soft and warm beside their mother.
Twin lambs in their wintry world.
Little lambs so snuggly curled.
Those two lambs now, who’re playing free,
Explore their world, with stream and trees.
They’ve learnt that they’re part of a flock
Who live and play on grass and rocks.
‘Mother, when we’re big like you –
What do you think that we will do?’
‘You’ll wander hills and clamber rocks
And grow soft wool for children’s socks.’
Other articles and videos on the subject of lambing:
Living in the Valley Lambing Time 2020
Aud’s Kitchen
Orange and White Chocolate Brioche by
Kathryn , who works with me at Valley Living, introduced me to this fantastic recipe book, Sarah’s Slice – Easy BakesThat Always Work, and I have made a few items out of it now and they have all worked brilliantly. This brioche recipe is amazing, I haven’t made brioche since I was a pastry chef, which is some years ago now, but I loved making this and we all enjoyed eating it. Making bread does need time to make but I find it very therapeutic and hope you do too. More delicious recipes are available from Sarah at SaraSlice.co.uk
