Lambing Season on Our Wool-Focused Farm by Susie Parish

Lambing season is always an exciting time on our farm. As a low-input, fibre-focused operation, our approach is relaxed and natural, allowing our ewes to lamb with minimal intervention. Our flock is made up of three breeds, the Gotland sheep, known for their long, grey, lustrous, and curly fleece, originating from the Isle of Gotland in Sweden. Our own Stein sheep, a crossbreed we have developed to produce a fleece with an exceptionally high softness factor alongside its lustre, and a small flock of Shetlands for our conservation grazing.

Our lambing season kicks off in April with the first group, followed on by the other groups through May and into mid-June. By staggering our lambing period, we ensure that we can manage the process smoothly, with plenty of time to monitor the flock while still maintaining a low-stress environment. The ewes lamb outside, which aligns with our low-input philosophy. They only get hay and general-purpose molasses tubs, without the need for additional concentrates.

One of the advantages of our breeds is their easy lambing. Gotlands and our Stein sheep are light, narrow-framed ewes, making birthing relatively straightforward. They rarely require assistance, and their strong maternal instincts mean that they take excellent care of their lambs. My role is primarily to keep an eye on the flock, ensuring all is going well and catching up lambs to ring the ram lambs when needed. Tail docking is seldom necessary, as Gotlands naturally have short tails, and our crossbreds also inherit reasonably short tails.

Since we farm for fibre rather than meat production, there is no urgency for the lambs to grow quickly. Our breeding strategy reflects this, as we typically lamb for replacements and maintain a significant number of wethers in the flock. To ensure our ewes remain in optimal condition, we rotate their lambing years, giving them a break between lambing cycles.

While our own lambing season is generally laid-back, I do miss the hands-on aspect of more intensive lambing systems. This means I’m always eager to help friends nearby with any challenging births, no matter the time of day or night! There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of successfully delivering a lamb in a tricky situation.

The biggest challenge we face is the weather. Our flock is shorn in January or February, meaning that by lambing time, the ewes have short wool. In particularly wet years, if they are in fields without shelter, I sometimes need to bring a few back in to protect them from the elements. However, for the most part, lambing remains an enjoyable and rewarding time of year.

With the arrival of new lambs, we look forward to another year of producing high-quality fibre. Here’s to another smooth and successful lambing season!