Like butter wouldnt melt...

Meet Harold the Shetland tup(ram).  He had a wee adventure yesterday while we were out. This morning I went round to the shed to feed him and his friends Alfie and Chevie to find he was not present and that the string was snapped on one of the gates on the pen. After scanning the local area I deduced he must be out the hill with the ewes. Went round with the bag of feed and gave a shout and right enough there he was with the ewes. I had to bring the whole lot into the yard and round to the shed. I couldn't use the usual pen I run them into as the horses were eating their breakfast in it so I had to push him and some ewes into a wee pen on the side. Second attempt lucky as Breagh and I managed to get him in the pen. Then I grabbed hold of his horn. Because he was shown last year (at the Royal Highland Show no less) once you hold onto his horn he just stands with you and doesn't fight to get away. So I put him back in his pen with his friends and broke out more baler twine to reinforce his pen. The unfortunate result from his escapade is that if any ewes were in season they will be lambing in July.

For our main flock we cross the Shetland ewes with a cheviot tup to make a very good hybrid ewe. We then use the Suffolk tup on the Shetland x Cheviot as what they call a terminal sire which produces the big fat lambs that we sell at the market. We bought Harold last year for our Shetland ewes to breed some more Shetland females to cross with the cheviot. We had unfortunately lost our old Shetland tup the winter previously and have an aging population of Shetland ewes. It definitely looks like Harold has done his job at tupping time as I am seeing some heavily pregnant Shetlands at the feeding.

Any male lambs from the Shetland we castrate and keep for meat to eat ourselves and sell. We slow produce them so they generally live on the hill for a year or two before its time.

Now I have confused you with all the sheep talk I think I will go have another cup of tea. Its been one of those days as the tractor which we borrow for putting bales of silage out to the cows broke down today, thankfully right in the yard and after all the bales were put out. Got mechanics coming tomorrow to look at it, they are super local father son operation hopefully its something simple and not too expensive.

8c 5mph SW sunshine and mainly blue skies with the very odd rain shower. Very muddy and wet from the snow melt.