Diary of a Revesby Shepherdess – December

As Christmas approaches, the pregnant ewes are now in the lambing field, looking rather round. Crunchie sometimes gets stuck, so I have put the lambing cameras up to keep an eye on them. Recently, I’ve been bringing them in at night due to the harsh weather.

The ewes that are due at New Year have altered and are showing signs that they will lamb soon. The ewes that didn’t get in lamb earlier are now hopefully in lamb for April.

With the wet weather, the sheep are now having some hay during the day to keep them filled up. I’ve also supplemented them with mineral licks to maintain them over winter. They get a handful of sheep pellets every day to make them easier to catch and to give them a bit of energy—especially the ones that are lambing soon.

With the days drawing in, I mainly do the sheep in the dark at the minute, so at weekends I make the most of my time doing jobs that might need doing. I have recently vaccinated the early lambers and rams, as the pregnant ewes get vaccinated 4–6 weeks before lambing.

Hopefully, in the New Year, the early ewes will have lambs next to them.

Sophie, The Revesby Shepherdess.🐑😊