I always think that this month is a month of anticipation in the farming calendar for sheep at Yellingham. At the beginning of October we put our rams in with the ewes, but before we do so, there is quite a lot to do to make sure that lambing goes as smoothly as possible.
This means making sure that all our sheep are in tip top condition. For the ewes this involves checking them all thoroughly – feet, teeth and of course udders. Any ewe that is not up to the mark is culled – no matter how hard you try, you always get unforeseen problems, so cutting out any potential problems before you start is a must. In terms of the rams, they get the same MOT.
September is always a good month for weather and we continue to get good grass 
growth. About 2 to 3 weeks before the rams go in, we “flush” them on the fresh grazing – in non-technical terms it helps to ensure that the ewes are in the best condition possible before mating. Not too thin and not too fat.
What we are aiming for is to get the ewes to successfully mate during their first heat cycle and so condense the time that we are lambing. Obviously this doesn’t always happen and some mate during their second heat cycle and some unfortunately do not get pregnant at all. So Septembers work is very important as it does have a direct impact on the number of lambs eventually born. We want twins please, not singles or triplets!
September is also important as the first of this years lambs start to go to the abattoir. Our lamb is extremely tasty and we sell from the farm gate from now until well into the New Year. So please if you want beautiful, reasonably priced lamb, do give us a ring. No order is too small. If you live within the Village and we sell lamb to you, we will donate 10% to our fabulous, local shop.
Janet East
