It’s lambing time here on the farm again. It’s always a wonderful time of year when our ewes finally get to deliver their babies and the next generation of the Woodchurch Flock appears.

This year we had three ewes in lamb, thanks to a tup ram called Del from Tinkerblack Livestock. Del came to stay for a few weeks late last year and as a result all three ewes that we put in with him became pregnant.

At the time of writing (mid May) we have had two of the three lambs successfully born, one ewe and one ram. We’re just waiting on the third one to come any day now. Lambing is a great opportunity for our pupils to experience real life agriculture and witness the miracle of life.. Some of our pupils make up our lambing team each year. This small team of pupils, chosen for their dedication and consistent interest in the farm, get to be among the first to see the lambs, even being there for the birth if it happens during the school day. They then ably assist the farm staff with the first checks of the lamb, usually once it’s around an hour or two old. They will help to weigh the lamb, monitor that it is feeding properly from its mother, and administer iodine to the umbilical cord. This helps the cord to dry up quickly and prevents fly strike and infection.