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The Pull Of The Lambing Shed
Lambing course provides practical advice (opens in new window)
The BBC has been getting very excited about its lambing series of programmes but SAC has been doing it for years.
Jim Marr has been running a series of one-day courses entitled “Management at Lambing” in Aberdeen, at his Craibstone base and Inverness. They have been aimed at people who have little or no knowledge of lambing ewes. The final one of four takes place on Monday, 15th March 2010.
Many of those coming along have bought converted steadings with a few acres of land attached or have built a house on a plot and have excess acres. Sheep are seen as an easy method of controlling the grassland. It is not all newcomers though. Farmers' wives and families are also attending and gaining the confidence to be better help during what can be a stressful time for all involved.
The one-day course begins with learning about the preparation for lambing. It considers the equipment required, the importance of ewe nutrition in late pregnancy and the welfare issues. Time is spent considering the veterinary care of the ewe and newborn lamb, how to deal with orphan lambs and successful fostering.
The very practical session in the afternoon is not for the squeamish. It involves lambing simulators (with dead lambs), stomach tubing, castrating and tailing, injecting glucose and, if required, skinning a lamb. Nevertheless, according to Jim Marr, the courses are always well received and a lot of fun to boot.
On the last course in Inverness a crew from BBC Alba, the Gaelic Channel, popped in to film the afternoon practical session. Unfortunately none of the trainees, or Jim, speaks Gaelic but the reporter and crew were suitably entertained. Their work was broadcast the following weekend.