Country diary: Lambing is in full swing on the farm | Andrea Meanwell

Tebay, Cumbria: Only our small rare breed, the Ouessant sheep, must lamb indoors due to the dangers that watch from aboveThere is one little yow and lamb that are having trouble getting their feeding established, so I gently sit the yow on her bottom and lean her back against my legs. She doesn't struggle - once a sheep's feet are off the ground, she knows she cannot escape and sits quietly. Now I can lift the lamb on to her teat and watch as he guzzles down the milk, tail spinning and whole body moving in time with his sucking.Later, I will try to put him underneath the yow while holding her between my legs, and over a few days they will work out how to feed independently. They will then move from a small pen into a larger pen with other sheep and lambs, and he will have to learn to recognise his mother in a crowd. Continue reading...