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Hello MyFarmers – we’re in the lambing shed with our head lamber, Chaz and we’ve
got a few extra bodies in during lambing as it’s a very busy time, so Chaz, being our
head lamber, how do you get the job of being the head lamber?
Well I started volunteering here about three years ago and came to do some lambing here
because it was advertised on my uni – we have a database thing of where to go and yes
I saw that this place had some sheep that needed lambing so I thought I’d come down
and help out for a couple of weeks and then I came back again the following year and again
really liked it, got a bit more superior in the chain of sheep handling and then came
back a third year and here I am.
and made your way to head lamber. So how many people are there in the lambing team that
we have in for lambing season?
Well it’s kind of grown really – the first year I was here there was about two of us
and then last year there was about two and then this year there’s been a little group
of us. We had in the first two weeks, a girl called Sophie and Amelie – both vet students
and they came again, like I did three years ago. Now we’ve got Dawn and then other people
randomly coming in on their days off to come and help out so I’ve had quite a good team.
So they’re all vet students and you’re a vet student. How far into your studies are
you?
Well I’m in my second year of the veterinary medicine degree and I’m doing another degree
at the same time which is veterinary bioscience and I’m in my last year of that so it’s
a bit hectic at the moment and a bit confusing when people ask that question but yes – halfway
through.
and is this helpful as a vet student coming here and working with these animals and staff
– has that helped your degree?
Definitely – along with learning about larger animals and the handling aspect and also learning
about marketing, all that side of things, economics, but also just being able to get
away from the books; unit theoretical reading and going to lectures and stuff – just to
be able to come here and wrestle a sheep is a nice little break.
Wresting sheep – we’ll talk about that because you’re covered in bruises and things,
but what do you do on a typical day in lambing?
Well we come in – Mark normally comes in about 6 o’clock and he comes and checks
everything, checks everything is alright and then I’ll come in at 8 o’clock and if
we’ve got lambs that have been born overnight, we’ll move them into pens, check on them,
check they’ve got milk and everything like that. Then we’ll start feeding up, so we’ll
feed all the individual pens – we’ll give them nuts and then give them haylage, top
up their waters – do that and then move on to the bigger pens – feed them all up.
We have to feed our orphan lambs so that’s all very exciting and crazy at that moment
in time and then the normal health and safety things we do in the marquee – we have to
sweep the floor, disinfect it and all that side of things, so it’s quite busy until
half ten.
but quite diverse – so going from sweeping the floors to trimming the feet of sheep and
things – are they kind of normal days?
Yes, yes definitely – a bit of everything.
and also normal nights – because sheep don’t have lambs to appointment, they kind of have
lambs all the time in the middle of the night – so you’ve done a few nightshifts as
well? Is that different or is that just the same but in the dark?
Pretty much the same but in the dark. So I have to wander around with a torch – still
have to feed up, do the orphans and then when there is a sheep lambing have to keep an eye
on her, keep checking everyone out, general cleaning up trying to do as much as I can
to help out everyone in the morning.
You had a bit of a bone to pick with the MyFarmers in the Oxford Downs – you had a bit of a
run in with an Oxford Down?
Yes – I was here on a nightshift – Mark and Richard are always close by and everything
so I was alright. This Oxford Down lambed – she was a lovely Oxford Down to look at
but as soon as I had to start moving her and move her lamb and everything and move her
into one of the single pens, she decided that she did not want to actually follow her lamb
and kind of reared back and tried to ram past me and I went to grab her and stupidly didn’t
actually let go when realising that she was stronger than me, I fell on the ground, hit
my head, bruised my knee and was in a bit of pain but then I still had to catch this
Oxford which was running wild around everywhere. Eventually managed to get her in but she did
also fall into the trough – the water trough, so that was a bit funny, but she was fine.
So a few bumps and bruises, knocks and callouses and things – so that’s the glamorous side
– that’s the down bit. What’s your favourite bit about lambing?
Just watching the actual process of lambing – the ewe actually giving birth is so beautiful
and when she has actually got the lamb out and then she starts licking it – some of
the whitefaced woodlands are absolutely brilliant ewes and they’ll start licking the lamb
even before it’s all the way out – the lamb will be half hanging out and they’ll
be round there licking it – it’s just unbelievable. No matter what time the shift
is – if I’m five minutes before I’m going home and suddenly I see this ewe that’s
lambing, I’m just like alright I’ll stay and watch it but I’m not angry that I have
to stay because it’s so beautiful to stay and watch – just before you go to sleep
and you get to watch that, it’s just amazing.
It’s a new take on counting sheep!
Yes exactly.
Thanks Chaz.