Sheep

Friday 20 May 2011

Amber, Possum and I head out to check the sheep today. I know there is no way I can handle our recalcitrant ewe on my own. She’s in the yard, fit and healthy with the two lambs still alive. Well done ewe for keeping them alive on a cold night. Amber and I open the little gate and out she goes like a Bondi tram. She heads for the gate we had shut and runs into it three times, third time lucky over she goes. Disaster, I’m looking at rearing these lambs, night time feeds, torture, I’ve already done it with four kids, don’t need to do it with two lambs.

We run to the ute and chase the ewe around the paddock. Amber and I jump out and run her down, Amber sits on her while I drive the ute up beside her. We lift her onto the ute, she weighs a tonne, quite a struggle. We get her up and pause for breath, big mistake. She’s up on her feet, runs across the back of the ute and off the other side. Off across the paddock she goes, we ring Hubby to tell him the good news, but don’t worry we’ll sort it. Great! Amber and I head her off again, but she’s in the middle of the rocks, no way I can get the ute up beside her. Amber and I wonder what to do, Possum hops out of the ute and the ewe jumps up and runs straight past him. Back in the ute again, we follow her across the paddock, she heads towards the flock, so we cut her off and head her back towards the shed. Eventually she collapses. Amber sits on her again while I bring the ute up beside her. This time we consider hobbling her while she is on the ground, but then we realise we can’t lift her up with her legs tied together, its all we can do to lift her as it is. Still I have the hobbles in my pocket and the moment we get her on the back of the ute the hobbles go on, before we even put the side up.

We head back to the shed, we’ve been chasing her for over half an hour, we are hoping the lambs are still there. As we drive into the shed yard I spot one lamb still in the sheep yards, Amber spots the other near the water trough. I pull up as close as possible to the yard, as I’m reversing into place Amber panics “Stop mum!” I stop, the lamb has headed our way and is under the back of the ute. Close call. We gently lower the ewe over the side and force her back into the little yard. We put the lambs in with her, check her water and head back to the inlaws for a quick drink and to give the keys back.

Surprise, Hubby pulls in just after us. Apparently Father in Law had gone to check on us because we took so long, but couldn’t find us. Amazing, it is only 1000 acres, not the Simpson desert. Still we did it ourselves, justly proud. Hubby suggests we head back and check the ewe, she can’t be too bad she kept the lambs alive all night. At the yard we open the other gates and allow the ewe a long slow walk to the paddock, she goes a short way and waits for the littlest lamb. Hubby and I agree that I’ll come back after school to check on them. We head home, Hubby goes back to work, I stop off to find out the cost of lamb formula, jaw drop it costs $80 for enough for 2 lambs for six weeks. That ewe better get it right.

After school Lily, Possum and I head out to the farm to check on the ewe and her lamb. We can’t see here when we get there. We check the yards, no lambs, we follow the path she had to take to get the lambs into the paddock, no lambs. Thankfully no sign of ewe or lambs. I pack the oats and buckets back into the shed, hopefully we won’t have to do that again.