Lambing 2016 is up and running. There are around 100 ewes lambed as I write this. Like every lambing season, each one throws a different challenge at you. This year is no different and death by total rectal prolapse is this year’s challenge. Four ewes have succumbed to it so far; never nice to see them with all their intestines out the back door. Hopefully that’s it.

Obviously it’s only affected ewes carrying two and three lambs. We have discussed it with the vet and our teagasc adviser but we knew where the problem most likely lay before we got their thoughts. With the mild autumn, our ewes were carrying too much condition. Before any died from prolapse we had cut them back on hay/silage as we were aware that something like this can happen with over-fleshed ewes at lambing time. Leading on from the good weather at tupping time, lambs are being born very big this year. We are especially glad the single bearing ewes are getting no supplementation as they are throwing very big lambs.

It’s always disappointing to lose ewes carrying lambs but I think it is essential to get them to the kennels or knackery as quick as you can. Looking at a dead ewe in the yard for the morning or day doesn’t do you any good. Luckily the Ward Union Hunt Kennels are only five mins from us in the tractor so the four dead ewes, which all died overnight, were in the kennels before breakfast.

Apart from that, lambing is going smoothly. So far, the crop looks up on last year. There are nearly as many triplets born so far as in the whole of lambing 2015 and one set of quads. Unfortunately they nearly all came in a 24-hour period and there was only one single born in this time. We got one adopted and four ewes are successful rearing three lambs, the rest are in “pet central” as we call it, being trained in on the ad-lib system. It takes all the effort out of minding pets.

We have had one or two ewes receive “red cards” from different reasons – blind in one spin, caesarean section, vaginal prolapse. Around here we use a blank red tag in one ear and red branding fluid down the middle of the ewe’s back as notification of a red card.

Ewes carrying multiple lambs have now been stepped up onto an 18% ration, receiving 0.5kg. The ewes and lambs are being turned out ASAP if we can, ewes are not receiving any meal at grass, yet, and if grass growth and the weather play ball they won’t receive any. Easi mag buckets are being put out in the fields for magnesium supplementation.