We are well into lambing now and I think most people are aware of what happens. We are lambing inside this year so the farmer goes into the shed each morning to see if any have been born. If he is lucky, all the new lambs are with their mothers and he pens them up … [Read more…]
I have wanted new animals for ages. After the pig debacle (they were bit vicious and wild), the farmer said it was a strictly grazing-only-animal farm. So that narrowed it down to cows, sheep goats or alpacas. Cows are currently a no-go as the regulations for keeping them are so strict that even I don’t … [Read more…]
I always think the last month has been quiet until I go and look at the photos. In many ways I suppose it was quiet but the blanket covering of snow certainly kept us on our toes for a few days. When it snows, all of the animals need a little bit extra. You have … [Read more…]
My paternal grandmother is the reason behind my love of wool-long before I married a sheep farmer. She was always knitting and I remember getting one go those little dollies with pegs on the top which started my relationship with yarn. I imagine I was about seven when she started to teach me to knit … [Read more…]
Just before Christmas and after my December Farm Life post, the rams were rounded up (apart from one illusive one) and brought back to the farm. Their job is done now for the year and they can happily munch grass and have a well earned rest. As with everything at the farm, things get repurposed … [Read more…]
We shear our sheep once a year, usually in June or July. Our main flock are mules which are a commercial crossbreed bred for meat and wool. Despite what some people think, we do not breed sheep for their wool. It is purely a welfare issue which I will go into further in a moment. … [Read more…]
Everyone dreams of a good night’s sleep. What if your slumber could also help farmers? If you buy a pillow from Herdysleep, you will be doing just that. From the founders of Lake District brand Herdy, Herdysleep began using fairly traded Herdwick wool to make award winning mattresses and has recently expanded to pillows too-the … [Read more…]
We thought winter 2017-18 was bad enough with all the rain but as we have all come to realise, a long spell of dry weather is not great either. The impact on farming has been in the news recently and while we have not escaped completely, compared to some farms, we have been ok. I … [Read more…]
Where there is livestock, there’s dead stock. Most farmers and there families are familiar with this saying. For other people though, it can come as a shock that animals die. I can’t actually believe this but it is true. Sheep in particular have some kind of inbred gene that just makes them want to die. … [Read more…]
Lambing is in full swing at the farm and, as I was sitting on my own one night as the children slept and the farmer saw to the new arrivals, I got thinking about lambing. It can go on for six to eight weeks which, on the face of it, doesn’t seem too bad. When … [Read more…]
