Friday 16 January 2009

Rambo goes home.




I am able to report that all thirty-nine "ladies" ended up with pink bottoms! Rambo has finished the task he was set - all the ewes appear to be "in lamb" and he has gone home, ignominiously trundled off in the back of a trailer, without a chance to say goodbye. I shall miss him; he was an amiable chap. Expect the girls will miss him too, although when I last looked they were busy eating grass and didn't appear to care.


"Sheep" and "feet" are two words which appear in the same sentence regularly. Make a point of looking next time you pass a field of sheep. Some will be limping and some will be kneeling on their front 'knees' to eat. When they do that their feet are really bad. Today was a sheep and feet day.


The farmer gathered them in with his dog - the one you can see in the header (Tip) and then went in to sort them out. There were three with blue marks which were not ours anyway, so they had to be separated, their owner (our neighbour) had to be contacted and he arrived to bundle them in the back of his Landrover to take them home.


Then every sheep had its feet checked, hooves pared down, antibiotic spray put on and then each one was channelled into the crush to get an injection of worming liquid with added vitamins.


As they went out the other end most of them gave a huge leap into the air then galloped off back into their field. I suppose they felt like I feel when I have been to the chiropodist - walking on air.


Then Rambo, feet freshly manicured, harness removed, made the journey back to Hawes, where he lives, to live The Life of Riley until the Autumn when he gets a chance for his moment of glory again.


The farmer was left to clean up. The pile of sheep poo reminded me that when I was a child my father kept a hessian bag of sheep poo suspended in the outside water butt for watering his tomatoes. Now why doesn't the farmer think of doing that, we might get a really bumper crop.

35 comments:

Unknown said...

So Rambo wore a raddle? I only know this because last night on C4 Hugh FW had his ewes serviced (from a programme last autumn) and then on Beeb 2 the Victorian Farm guys had their's visited by 'Frederick.'

I know, I lead an uninteresting life!

Jinksy said...

More poo? reminds me of how the subject always seemed to crop up at our family 'Saturday Teas'when anything up to 17 people would cram themselves round my auntie's table. Is it because lavatorial humour is a basic English trait?

Teresa said...

Thirty-nine pink bottomed sheep? Quite a busy fella!

Gwil W said...

39 sheep ....... and not even Welsh. There's a boyo for you. Well done Rambo!

Woman in a Window said...

Sounds like Rambo needs a little R and R.

Annie Wicking said...

How I love reading your blog! What a insight into life on the farm, Wonderful!

Great to know there will be more little lambs to see in Mad March... How long does it take until you see the first lamb?

best wishes,

Annie

Leenie said...

Rambo--such a good name for such a guy. Back in my farm days we had to worry about the holsteins' feet. All that walking in muck without boots is never good for any of us. Sheep poo on strawberries--yum! :D.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Are you enjoying Victorian Farm? We are tremendously. Interestingly they just painted raddle under the rama - so harnesses must have been invented after that date. Barbara S - Love Hugh FW too.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Yes I think you are probably right Jinksy although our middle class upbringing still makes us call it "poo", rather than its earthy alternative!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Yes Teresa - although some can manage more than that I believe! Some of these rams cost a huge amount of money (one who visited had cost £48,000) often they are bought by a syndicate of farmers and shared round.

The Weaver of Grass said...

No Welsh sheep round here poet in residence - it's Swaledale or nothing, although Rambo was Texel put to mules bred solely for chops! (and mint sauce)

The Weaver of Grass said...

He'll get plenty woman in a window - nothing to do from now until next September except eat and lie in the sun - he should be so lucky!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Lambing is late round here annie. I think there are some about but they will be indoors. Lambing doesn't usually start on the hill sheep until well into April. Are you getting my comments alright on your blog?

The Weaver of Grass said...

As my father used to say Leenie - you might put sheep poo on yours, we put cream on ours!

Elizabeth said...

An amusing tale!
Does it matter if all the lambs have the same dad?
I wonder what happens in nature?
Morocco was so lovely in spring with all the lambs and kids frisking about.
Miss it.

Crafty Green Poet said...

Gorgie Farm is expecting another 15 or so lambs in the near future...

HelenMWalters said...

Jason keeps telling me off for the alarming number of references to poo in my conversation - but with four cats to clear up after I feel it is inevitable. So I'm pleased to discover it's an acceptable topic of conversation here!

Acornmoon said...

I think you could make paper from sheep poo, should the inclination take you.

Dragonstar said...

It must be a great life if your a quality ram!

Tess Kincaid said...

Rambo is quite the casanova. I can't wait to see photos of all the baby lambs!

Mistlethrush said...

Foot rot, ticks, worms... it doesn't make you want to be a sheep does it?

Glad yours are being looked after.

Angie Ledbetter said...

You may be the first human who ever uttered (or wrote) these words: "...all thirty-nine "ladies" ended up with pink bottoms!" My, how my mind did wonder, being new to your blog and all. :)

And who knew there were so so many uses for poo?

*waving to Jinksy* We dish a lot on poop and other bad subjects in my family too! LOL

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

Rambo has quite the life, doesn't he? I am curious about the sheep's feet...why are they so susceptible to problems? Are they softer than other hooved animals? Or do other hooved animals have similar problems and I am too ill-informed to know?!

Rob said...

Oh yes, sheep and their feet, I don't miss that. We always play a game of spot the lame sheep when we see some on the TV, you can usually see at least one. Bob.

The Weaver of Grass said...

It doesn't matter elizabeth - they will not be put to the same ram when it is their turn! I went to Marrakech once a few years ago and thought it was wonderful - so very foreign - far more so than China or Siberia where I have also been. The colour was spectacular.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Crafty green poet - shall expect either a photograph or a poem when those 15 are born.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Yes Helen - I find with a house full of animals it is important not to let poo become the SOLE topic of conversation!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Won;t ask for the recipe, acornmoon, I'll stick to papier mache thanks.

The Weaver of Grass said...

A great life indeed Dragonstar. When you pay that much for a ram then you see that he lives in the lap of luxury!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Willow - photos of lambs will appear in due course.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Yes Mistlethrush I think some sheep probably have an awful life.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Yes Angie, first time reading would be a bit of a shock I suppose. The poo subject is now closed!!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Pamela - I am afraid cows suffer even more than sheep with foot problems. For one thing they are often on damp ground, and as cows are usually inside in Winter they do a lot of standing about and they are quite heavy and ungainly.
With sheep and cows it is often digital dermatitis and that often leads to abcesses.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Spoken like a sheep-man Dreadnought.

Heather said...

Well done Rambo - at least he had his feet done before going home. You should bottle that sheep poo liquid and sell it to garden centres - it might make your fortune.