With the help of two very good vet students from Edinburgh University during the 2nd and 3rd week of lambing, we lambed over 350 with a very tight 95% lambed in the first cycle. (We don’t use a teaser). We did however suffer from a number of multiples being in too good condition. Next year we will need to separate these out and maybe run them with the twins. We do provide ad lib haylidge once in doors (3 weeks prior to lambing), and last years haylidge had a very good analysis. Our lambing students are continually impressed as to how quickly Lleyn lambs are up and sucking.

With the weather swinging from one extreme to the other, managing grazing has been challenging! Growth rates are bound to be impacted, although everything looks very well. As Signet members we weighed at 8 weeks and will again at 21 weeks. Always interesting. It is our first full year with Signet, although with the help of Border Software we have been recording weights etc for over 6 years for our own breeding selection purposes.

I have been glad to see that the periods of very wet weather have resulted in no foot or worm problems, (so far), but having said that, aggressive culling of sheep with a record of more than three foot rot problems, and a strict policy of not selecting replacements with any foot problems or worm problems in the autumn, has had clear results over the years. In previous years spring staggers has been a bit of a problem. Over the last 2 years all the grassland has been treated with a bespoke trace element from Field Science. As a back up we initially offered some Mag buckets, but the sheep would not touch them. Anyway this year we have no incidents. www.fieldscience.co.uk.

With over 250 Lleyn shearlings for sale this summer via the Lleyn Society Sales www.lleynsheep.com and from the farm, along with 16 shearling rams, shearing is something I look forward as a time when one can really start to see what they look like. The tup rams have wintered well (they get 1/2lb/day of nuts, from Christmas to mid March – when I remember, and nothing until mid July). They are certainly looking smart and continued to grow well over the winter. I will be taking them to Newark this year for certification.

Lucy’s Jacobs have had a particularly good lambing and there are now some really eye catching lambs, particularly those bred from the home bred ram, Culland’s Georgetown.

Do come and visit the flock this summer.