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Lambing

We are currently lambing crossbreds. It probably doesn’t mean much to you so let me explain. Crossbred lambs have a merino mother and a different breed for a father (hence the cross breed). They are normally bred for meat, as opposed to purebred merinos, which are bred for wool (we lamb purebreds in August).

We have been lambing for about 3 weeks now, and it’s been going OK. Generally it is best to leave the ewes to it – if you get too close they tend to run away, leaving their lambs behind. They then can’t find their lamb and so the lamb dies. On the other hand if you don’t go out and check them the ewes can get stuck on their side after they have given birth and the lambs can’t get any milk, so both mother and babies die.

If we can find the lambs before they die, we can bottle feed them in much the same way you feed a baby – including getting up in the night to feed them!

Here are last years poddy lambs – Susie, Caleb, and Lucy – named by Hannah and Meg

Country Boy goes out every day to check on the sheep, and try to help any sheep that needs it. Despite this we have still lost several ewes and lambs. Keep in mind that each animal that dies represents a loss in income as well.  It can be disheartening to see animals who haven’t made it. Not to mention unpleasant having to pick up dead lambs and sheep. Each time Country Boy finds a dead animal, he feels like he should have done more, though of course he can’t really.

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Comments

  1. Lisa Wood says

    July 11, 2012 at 11:47 am

    Gosh it sounds like really heart breaking work – good for they make it and all are ok, but not so good when they dont make it.
    I never realised that they cant find there young ones if Mum runs off?
    With night feeding – how many times a night do you have to get up? It would almost be like having another baby in the house!

    Reply
  2. Nat - Muddy Farmwife says

    July 11, 2012 at 4:35 am

    Lambing time is hard, especially when they pass away.
    Do you have a cool room Jo to keep your fruit and veg? It lasts longer than in the fridge.

    Reply
    • Jo says

      July 11, 2012 at 4:52 am

      Not yet Nat. If it works out that we stay, we are planning on extending the house and building a new kitchen/dining/living area. We are planning a cool room/storage area as part of that. I also need a walk in freezer and a pickle storage room so I might not get everything lol.

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Jo

I'm a city girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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Team work makes the dream work. We were asked rec Team work makes the dream work. 
We were asked recently whether we “make” our kids work on the farm. The answer is “of course not”. Having said that, all three love to help out whenever they can. They all work hard because they want to; because they take pride in working hard and contributing in a meaningful way to our family life; because they love living on our farm and don’t remember life before we moved here. Whether it be planting trees or doing sheep work or feeding animals, they all want to be involved. As a parent, nothing is better than watching them grow in skill and confidence as they work along side you. We’re so glad that we get to spend time with our three, working together.
We’ve had an unexpected addition to the family ☘️🐑. She is a lot easier to look after than the other family members but she does try to escape her yard and head butt people. Poddy lambs are super cute but they tend to think they are a human. Clover the lamb is sure that Meg is her mum. Can’t think why… 🤔🤣
The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: toge The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: together, cooking damper around the remains of the bonfire.
It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got through shearing without a hitch (thankfully 🙏) but we’ve had a run of the flu followed by Covid run through the family since then. The kids and I have tested positive (this is my second time getting it 🦠) though so far C has managed to avoid it. There has been a lot of lying on the couch feeling pretty ordinary. Han had to reschedule her driving test for a 4th time due to Covid, which is disappointing for her because she wants her freedom and for us because it would be so much more convenient if she could drive herself places. Just to add in to the mix, our hot water system has chosen now as a good time to die so we’re on cold showers until we’re all out of iso. This is not meant to be a whinging post but sometimes life just sucks a bit and it’s good to be real. Fortunately, the sight of the fire going with a stack of wood next to it cheers us up. Things will improve soon. Onwards we go…
A picture perfect Autumn afternoon to end the scho A picture perfect Autumn afternoon to end the school holidays. We’ve been busy spending time with friends and family, harvesting the last of the summer produce, as well as a short escape to explore the big smoke. After the craziness of last term it was the break we all needed. It’s back to school for me tomorrow, and the kids are back on Wednesday. Shearing starts soon and so it’s all systems go over the next few weeks.
Covid has made some late changes to our weekend pl Covid has made some late changes to our weekend plans so we are embracing the unexpected and doing not much at home. Plenty of time for hanging out on the dam and enjoy the perfect weather.

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Hi, I’m Jo

City girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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