After the drought came the rain, and it rained for the better part of July and most of August. Further fields of silage were snatched in short dry spells and we now have enough to see us through the winter and also some to sell, despite the lower yields this year. The lambs were all weaned by mid-August, and a couple of loads have gone to market, and one small group sold for breeding. The gimmer lambs we are keeping are all named and double tagged with the new EID sets we have to use. Pebbles and Samson were weaned this weekend too - later because they were so much younger. Most of the ewes look well - fit not fat - but one or two are in the shed on a straw-based diet in an attempt to slim them down a bit before tupping. If they are fat they either do not get in lamb or only have one.
Marty the cat has been in the wars - he was missing last Sunday until teatime, when after an extensive all-day search, Kev found him in an old shed round the back of the farm. He was in quite a sorry state and not able to walk much. A trip to the vet revealed he had dislocated his elbow and had a pad on the rear foot torn nearly off down to the bone. He had the elbow re-set and strong antibiotics and stitches to deal with the pad injury. He is very frustrated as we a are having to keep him in a cage to prevent him going outside and aggravating the problems.