Tupping is here
Autumn is one of my favourite times of the year. A carpet of leaves, dew clinging to cobwebs in the morning, that fresh cool air and, of course, the beginning of the lambing cycle. Yes, tupping.
Tupping - a word we use for sheep mating - normally happens in autumn. As the hours of daylight fall, ewes begin to come into heat. Tupping during fall means that in five months time (or there abouts) lambs will be born right at the beginning of spring when warmer air brings a surge of grass growth. It’s why many mammals from temperate regions have their mating season now. You only need to think of roaring stags with their hot breathe in the morning frosts and dying bracken caught in their horns, to know autumn is time for some Mc’Lovin.
I’m pretty excited this year because it’s the first time I’m tupping with my own sheep. There was Connie and Montague last year, of course. But that was more a case of popping Connie into a pen and leaving her with the rams until the spring because a) I didn’t know when she got pregnant and b) she did not want to stay within the electric fence with the other ewes. Whatever I did, she broke out, caused choas with the fence and just sat next to the rams. It was easier to simply leave her with them. This year, however, I have my three Norfolk Horn ewes to go with Montague, and my four Jacobs ewes to go with Oberon.
Montague meets up with Connie and Cotton - the red is a raddle to see which ewe the ram has tupped.
I have to say - thank god for bucket trained, friendly sheep. Splitting the ewes into their breeding groups was actually very easy. I simply ran them all off the pasture where I rotationally graze them, and into a smaller pen Then, using a feed bucket, I pulled out each ewe one by one. First the Norfolk Horns. I raddled up Monty and then off to the field they went. Then the Jacobs. Raddled up Oberon and off they went. Though, here lies some words of wisdom, don’t ever forget the lengths in-heat ewes will go to to reach their man. My back was turned for a second and Tina, a rescue sheep I wasn’t going to tup, squeezed through a small gap in the fencing and bobs your uncle, charlies your aunt, looks like she’s a-pregnant! (see below)
In my previous job I always sponged ewes as I had to ensure lambing coincided with the February school half term for an event. It’s a process of bringing all the ewes into ovulation at the same time. Your ram has his work cut out, but you know to the date when the lambs are due. This year it’s nature all the way. One Norfolk Horn (Connie), one Jacobs (Curtains) and lucky ol’ Tina were the gals of the day. And now we wait to see who else is tupped in the coming days.
I should say that Capulet (my other NH ram) actually got in with the ewes last week. My friend found him and noted he was sniffing around Curtains (now tupped), Connie (now tupped), Gertie and Tracy. So if my rams ignore these two ladies there’s a good chance Capulet had his wicked way!
Montague meets Curtains
Bucket trained sheep makes moving them around easy
It’s an exciting time on the farm. One of my most enjoyable parts of the year is welcoming new lambs and seeing that fantastic bond between the ewes and their offspring. And now the countdown is on as we march towards, erm, well, March. Soon there will be lambs frolicking in the fields again. And my meagre numbered flock could more than double!