And we begin...

This morning we woke to find that our first ewe of the year has lambed. Unfortunately she had lambed a triplet in the middle of the night and although all were a good size, one was dead and one was almost dead. The Farmer brought it in and put it in the Chinese takeaway box next to the Aga but it died before I could make any milk up.
It's hard when they have three as they are so busy trying to clean each lamb up that sometimes one or two will suffocate on afterbirth while the ewe is busy cleaning the first. So these may have just got too cold or suffocated. Of course The farmer is now cross with himself for not checking them in the middle of the night but how was he to know.
This lovely old girl is a Zwartble and they make marvellous mothers with lots of lovely milk. They are often used as dairy sheep. And the sickening thing is that out of all the sheep we have, the zwartbles are the ones able to actually rear three lambs.

I've been keeping a close eye the rest of the day but of course they'll wait til we're in bed to start again.

Today saw TB testing come to the farm. 450 cattle to test and breath being held all round. I don't know how it's going. I'm scared to ask. I can feel the stress in the air from here.

Whit had her second injection so we're all systems go. And I have a child off school sick.
It never stops round here.