DONE - No.12: Sheep Wrangling

Cue some Ennio Morricone spaghetti western music...today, me and Stewart moseyed on up to the Brecon Beacons to go wrangle us some sheep!  In actual fact the challenge was a lambing experience on an organic farm but sheep wrangling just sounds more exciting.  But then again, what could be more exciting than this - as it's lambing season - would we get to see any lambs actually being born? We couldn't be 100% sure, so you'll just have to wait and see!

So, early this morning we travelled to the Brecon Beacons and Aberhyddnant Farm, an organic sheep farm.

We spent the whole day here.  When we first arrived we met farmer Paul and his wife Liz, and their daughter Emma who would be with us the whole time.  Over a coffee and Welsh cake we were welcomed to the farm and told what we could expect to be doing.  Yes there was going to be a lot of time playing with the animals - exactly what we want - but we would also be helping to move them, mark them and feed them.  At this point in the season they know that they have a lot of expectant sheep so it was on the cards that we could see a birthing.  But, of course they can't actually give that guarantee. 

I will try to write a little bit about what we did today but there is a risk that I'm just going to post loads of pretty pictures of bloody cute lambs - its too tempting!

But after playing with them we were given our first 'task'. these wee lambikins were all only a day old so in order for them to be kept with their own Mums they needed to be marked.  This is where we got to be all Banksy as we basically just spraypainted either numbers or letters on them.  Main problem here was trying to stop them wriggling.

 So, after marking them, we had to move them, carefully.  You had to make sure that the 'Mums' could see where you were taking them.  Once the lambs were in their new pen the sheep would follow.

Once all the lambs and sheep were settled, it was time to feed some of the lambs. There was a special pair who had both been attacked by a fox, had no mothers, and had been too poorly at the time to be put with 'foster' mums.  It looked likely that this pair were going to end up as 'pet lambs' so for the moment they were being bottled fed.  This was A-MAY-ZING!  Their natural instinct to suck is incredible and they couldn't always be bothered waiting to be given a bottle.

 So, dun, dun , duuuun.  Did we actually get to experience an actual lambing?  Hell yes!  Two sheep gave birth while we were there, each to twins.  It was the most incredible thing I have witnessed.  The first birth was straightforward, the second one was complicated.  But, it reminded us what an absolutely mindblowing and amazing thing birth is.  What these 'mother animals' can instinctively do.  Thankfully, even though the second sheep had a really hard time everything seemed to thankfully work out well and by the end of the afternoon we had seen both pairs of twins take their first steps.

SPOILER ALERT - If you have a squeamish disposition you may not want to look at some of the following photos - me?  I think it's all just so bloody amazing.  Photos below are of the straightforward birth and then eventually her with both her lambs.

 

 

So, this was an absolutely beautiful day.  I''ve previously witnessed the end of stage of life, this is the first time for me to the very beginnings of a new life.   It was fab. xxx