Little and large!

On Sunday evening we had the unexpected (a week early) arrival of the smallest lamb we have had this year. We had vaccinated for bluetongue on Friday and although we kept things very quiet and low key it is likely that this young sheep, a first time lamber, was upset by it and so lambed early. She had licked the lamb clean when Rachel found them, and with a bit of help and the removal of a large amount of wool to clear a pathway into her udder, the lamb seems to be getting enough colostrum to still be surviving four days on.
The next day I was home alone, without the 'lambulance' - the new name for our daihatsu truck! - as it was away for its MOT, and another first timer was lambing. This was the complete opposite, a very big lamb and with one leg still right back. Thank goodness for Countryfile, where two weeks ago he demonstrated tipping a ewe up on her head to get help from gravity in order to push the lamb back in to be able to find and straighten the missing leg. A lamb this big could not be born without doing this as there would simply not be enough room to get it out. Anyway, alls well that ends well and the lamb was fine. Mum was a bit shocked though, and it took her until the next day before she really came round to thinking she maybe did like her baby after all.