Latest news with #lambing
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Skirly Crag by Helen Percy: Chaplain who found solace with a different kind of flock
Skirly Crag by Helen Percy (Luath Press £14.99, 200pp) What tools does the modern shepherdess need with her at lambing time? Along with ropes, gloves, iodine and feeding bottles, she will also carry a bottle of washing-up liquid, which works wonderfully as a lubricant to ease trapped lambs out of their mother's bellies. The supermarket own-brand stuff won't do though – it's too runny and foamy to do the job. This account of the life of an itinerant shepherdess is full of such interesting and unglamorous details. In spring, Helen Percy's uniform is 'waterproofs, the same shirt worn for a week, jeans smeared with globs of birthing fluid'. The hours are brutal, sometimes starting at four in the morning and ending close to midnight, with ten minutes snatched here or there to wolf down baked beans from an unwashed pan. 'I've given myself food poisoning on more than one occasion,' she admits cheerfully. Lambing is the busiest time. She might start as midwife to an early flock in England, followed by a stint on a lowland farm in the Borders in March and April, and then finish late in the season in the Highlands. Castrating lambs is just one of the jobs she takes in her stride. At other times of year she is in demand for dipping (immersing the sheep in a chemical solution to rid them of parasites such as lice, ticks, and mites) or shearing. Percy isn't from a farming family, but she decided when she was 13 that she was going to be a shepherdess. Instead, she ended up studying theology and worked as a minister of religion and a prison chaplain. She left the church after being sexually abused by one of her congregation – the subject of her first book, Scandalous, Immoral And Improper – and found work on a Scottish sheep farm. She couldn't drive a tractor or quad bike and didn't have a sheepdog but she proved her worth: her small hands came in very useful at lambing time because they could fit inside a ewe's cervix. Percy is full of wonder for the abilities of the collies she works with. One of her sheepdogs has an uncanny way of knowing when a lamb, far in the distance, is in trouble. Although she clearly revels in her life as a shepherdess, parts of this book are distressing. She meets too many farmers who half-starve their flock and keep their dogs on short chains in tiny kennels. On one particularly awful farm, she sneaks a neglected lamb with hypothermia into her caravan so she can wrap it in a hot-water bottle. Percy has a special feeling for wounded animals: her menagerie (who often travel with her) includes an epileptic hare and a tame duck. This episodic, at times elliptical book, is a glimpse into a lifestyle that is harsh yet fulfilling. In her previous career, Percy's job was to find ways of helping people who were in difficult situations. Now she does the same for a different kind of flock.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Life in the Dales' Reuben Owen helps girlfriend save lamb from 'life-threatening' illness
Reuben Owen faced a race against time to help his girlfriend save a newborn lamb at risk of a deadly infection. The Life in the Dales star - who starred alongside his mum Amanda Owen and farmer dad Clive Owen in Our Yorkshire Farm - now has a Channel 5 spin-off following his journey building his machinery business. In the episode that aired on Tuesday, 8 July he took some time out from his own work to help his girlfriend Jessica Ellwood on her family farm during lambing season. The pair had gone to check on the new arrivals in the fields and spotted one shivering newborn whose mother wasn't feeding it. Without its first feed it was at risk of a bacterial disease that can kill newborn lambs fast. In the episode, Owen helped Ellwood set up pens in a barn ahead of lambing, so that they would be ready in case any of the lambs needed extra care and had to be looked after inside. The pair, who have been dating for several months after meeting at a convention for young farmers, then headed out into the fields to check on the new arrivals. Ellwood spotted one very young lamb which was struggling, as the mother was moving away every time it tried to feed. "I don't think that sheep is letting that lamb suck, she keeps turning when it tries to suck," she told Owen, 21. "Let's go on over and feel him, see if he has got any milk in him and if not we will have to take him inside." Approaching the lamb and its mother, Owen and Ellwood decided on a "pincer movement" to make sure they didn't get away. However, the mum darted off as Owen made his move, leaving him exclaiming over how "incredibly fast" she was. "This is the downside of lambing outside," said Ellwood, who managed to grab the lamb. "If we were in a shed it would have been easier," she added, as she enlisted the help of her sheepdog to round up the ewe. "This lamb was born about an hour ago and he hasn't sucked, he has got cold and he has just laid and shivered," she said. "She hasn't really licked him that well either." Read more on Reuben Owen Reuben Owen unveils new tattoo on Life in the Dales Reuben Owen comes to mother Amanda Owen's rescue over pothole trouble Life in the Dales' Reuben Owen suffers setback as he marks milestone with tractor challenge Reuben Owen overcomes big fear in Life in the Dales Luckily, Ellwood's dog was able to head the mother sheep in their direction and Owen and Ellwood managed to get her into a small trailer, where she could feed the lamb. "This is the colostrum, the most important... this will be the most important meal of his life won't it?" asked Owen. "Yes very important," Ellwood replied. "And he needs to have it quickly as well because the colostrum is full of all the antibodies." She explained that if lambs don't get their colostrum they can get a bacterial disease called "watery mouth". "It's really bad, it can be life-threatening," she said. As the lamb started to feed, Owen praised Ellwood for what she had done. "Well that's another little life saved - well done darling," he told her. "That's why it's so important to go round them. He probably wouldn't have survived if he had been left." "No definitely not, he would have got cold and shivered and then hypothermia and watery mouth probably," she agreed. Ellwood later decided to name the lamb after her boyfriend. Dabbing some orange pen on its head so that she could spot it in a crowd of lambs, she noted that it was the same colour as Owen's jacket. "Definitely called Reuben now!" she laughed. The episode also followed Owen as he moved 100 tonnes of stone as part of a job. When the job finally came to an end, he confessed he was feeling "lost" after having worked on it for weeks. "Do you feel a bit lost now?" he asked his team. "I do." "All we have been trying to do for the last month is 100 tonnes of this and now we are done," he explained. However, he marked the end of the job with a barbecue for his workers, plus Ellwood and his brother Miles, who is one of his eight siblings. Owen volunteered to cook the meat himself. but his friends were left looking a bit unimpressed when he had a hard time getting the barbecue started and then offered up sausages that one of his team said were so undercooked they were "about to run off". After the group had eaten, Owen shared his hopes for the future as he reflected on his week. "I think the next thing I need to think about is getting somewhere a bit better to keep all these machines," he mused. "And hopefully somewhere for me to live as well. That's the dream next." Reuben Owen: Life in the Dales is available on Channel 5.
The Guardian
04-06-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
Country diary: A week of relief for all on the farm
After five weeks without rain, it was wonderful to be woken one night last week by the sound of rain being blown on to the bedroom windows. We are well prepared for dry spells like the one this year. In 2022 we sank a borehole on the farm, after successive springs when the water supply dried up, so thankfully we now have water for the house and farm buildings even when there is little rain. The fields rely on natural water, though, and this year the becks ran dry during lambing time. Every morning, I filled the back of the Gator with buckets of water and drove them round the lambing fields. The sheep had to adapt their routine too, as usually they get most of the moisture they need from damp grass. Water is, of course, essential for them to make milk for the lambs, but yows also prefer to lamb during wet weather, often seeming to hold off for a wet morning to lamb. This is believed to be because they know there will be fewer predators around, particularly birds of prey, of which we have many. So lambing was prolonged this year as well as hot. On a wet morning, it was a relief to see that the last yow had lambed, and was happily cleaning her new lamb and murmuring to her. Once it is settled and knows her mother, we will clear the meadows, ready to grow hay (which should be ready to cut in July). Lambs will be marked with our red smit mark before walking two and a half miles over several days down to Low Park Farm, where they will spend the summer rotationally grazing small fields surrounded by woodland strips. Away from weather concerns, a massive relief to me was that a visitor attraction, Into the Wilds, that was proposed for the farm next to ours, was refused planning permission by the Yorkshire Dales national park authority. The plans initially included safari lodges, a ranger base and a variety of exotic animals including white rhinos, giraffes, zebras and lynxes. One of the reasons given was that it would cause 'significant visual harm to the iconic landscape'. I just hope they don't put in an appeal. Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian's Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at and get a 15% discount
Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Our Yorkshire Farm's Amanda Owen says 'time to finally explain myself' as she sets record straight on 'disgusting and disturbing' video that sparked fan backlash
Amanda Owen has set the record straight after 'disgusting and disturbing' video of her son Reuben sparked fan backlash on social media. At the start of May, the shepherdess, 50, shared a clip of her son Reuben, 21, laying on an ewe and lamb while helping her out on Ravenseat Farm in Swaledale, Yorkshire. The video received a number of negative comments in the comments section and Amanda has decided to speak out about the matter. Sharing a video of her milking an ewe, alongside some other snaps from lambing season, Amanda said: 'Here we go!!!! More disgusting and disturbing behaviour just for ewe. '*Obviously we haven't learnt anything, even after being slammed for the ill treatment of these woolly commodities* Time to finally explain myself. 'Amazingly enough it's been a busy couple of months, the physical birth element of lambing time is just a part of the picture.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The Our Yorkshire Farm star explained that after giving birth the animals can experience some issues. She continued: 'Post natal care is of utmost importance and consequently feeding issues can sometimes require a sheep to be caught in order to treat the issue. 'They are not particularly good patients but we treat them with care, compassion and as infrequently as possible. 'So far, after a lifetime of shepherding I have never had one willingly saunter over and request help with labour, breast feeding or any other minor ailment. 'Maybe it would be a lot easier to take care of them and handle them if they were all crammed into an industrial shed, not free to exercise and graze the meadows, moors & pastures????? 'But I reckon that we all know that being outside, free to wander and live naturally is a far better way for them. 'Incidentally the person most likely to be injured in the whole process of catching and restraining a sheep is me or even one of the sheepdogs.' Many rushed to the comments section to share their support. One said: 'U r amazing.' 'Great job Amanda and your passing all your knowledge and skills onto your children xxx.' 'Well said Amanda. Personally I wouldn't bother trying to explain yourself. These people obviously lack intelligence and can't begin to understand the bigger picture of what's required to keep a herd of sheep healthy and safe. They do say ignorance is bliss so they must live a very blissful life! Keep up the good work and completely side line these sad people with nothing better to do with their time but look for trouble. Love your programme Amanda..' 'You shouldn't have to explain anything.' 'Well said Amanda. I grew up on a sheep farm in the Peak District so do understand. It's when you get people commenting who haven't a clue, best to stay quiet if you have no experience.' It comes after last week Reuben defiantly hit back at critics after being slammed for the same video. In the clip, mum-of-nine Amanda can be heard saying: 'Well this is what you've been getting up to in lambing fields,' while Reuben is laying across an ewe and lamb. He then picks up the ewe by the horns and she tells her son: 'You did great there! And you got the lamb at the same time.' Amanda captioned the post: 'Caught ewe. Reuben downs tools and springs into action. '*Everyone lends a hand, there is no one exempt from lambing time tasks*.' Many rushed to the comments section to share their love with the shepherdess - and told her she shouldn't have to explain However, many fans were confused by the post and didn't like seeing Reuben handle the ewe as they didn't know what he was actually doing. Some took to leaving comments including, 'Why are you treating the ewe like that? Absolutely disgusting and I'm disappointed as I thought you were better than that.' Or, 'I didn't like how you held the sheep! Absolutely disturbing! Animals are treated with respect and not like trash!' In an interview with The Telegraph, Reuben responded to the online furore and said: 'I don't have the time or the inclination to scroll through social media.' The young farmer added: 'If you do ever see me on my phone, I'll be searching for machinery sales.' Some did jump to the 21-year-old's defence however and penned: 'Please ignore comments from any animal activist… if we all listened to them nothing would ever get done and we'd all be starving by now . Carry on farming.' Another said: 'Kindness is a gift, if you cannot say anything nice please say nothing at all.' Our Farm Next Door, which premiered last year on More4, follows Amanda and ex-husband Clive, 69, renovating an abandoned farmhouse alongside their kids Raven, 23, Reuben, 21, Miles, 18, Edith, 16, Violet, 14, Sidney, 13, Annas, 11, Clemmy, nine, and Nancy, eight. Earlier this month Amanda said she is 'suffering sleepless nights' after facing 'daunting and difficult decisions' in the show. The roof of the derelict property had no slates on it at all, leaving the Owen family starting from scratch to make sure it was warm and dry. Their builder Richard needed Amanda to decide which slates she wanted, asking, '15 or 16 inch wide?' - and pointing to one , saying: 'What we are thinking is this but we need a decision.' She appeared completely overwhelmed by indecision, replying: 'Oh no, is it up to me?' Explaining her decision-making paralysis, she said: 'Trying to get everything all joined up is so difficult. I never realised there was so much planning going into this. 'Richard is brilliant but Richard still has questions that need answering and it's trying to keep everyone happy. 'It's still quite daunting and it still gives me quite a few sleepless nights.' The builder admitted it was 'quite hard' to put the 'big, heavy slates' on the precarious farmhouse, known as Anty John's and near the Owen family's Ravenseat Farm. Amanda and Owen split in 2022 after 22 years of marriage.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Yahoo
What it's like to be a sheep farmer in Greenland
Norse ruins shiver in the shadow of the ice sheet in Greenland's deep south. There, Ellen K. Frederiksen tends the nation's oldest working sheep farm, Illunnguujuk. This overlooks a turquoise fjord that explorer Erik the Red — founder of Greenland's first European settlement — once called home. Ellen upholds a hardy tradition that's both ancient and unexpectedly modern, fending off wild predators, climate change and rising costs while honouring local knowledge and natural rhythms. Her farm, which features an onsite B&B, is in Kujataa: a UNESCO World Heritage Site noted as the first known place of agriculture in the Arctic. We spoke to Ellen about life in this remote part of the world. I moved from the capital Nuuk, to be a schoolteacher, when I was 24. That was in the early 1980s. But I married a farmer, Carl. There's a lot of work being a farmer's wife: helping with lambing and other jobs, on top of being a teacher. But when you're in love, anything is possible. Yes, a good life — but also a hard life. Even though I'm now retired from teaching, we still work all the time. We don't have vacations like other people. We take care of the animals from November until the middle of June. Then we work on the fields and grow grass in summer so the sheep have something to eat. Autumn is exciting, seeing how many lambs have managed to grow. Spring, specifically May, is hectic: we work 24 hours a day at the stable when all the lambs are born. It's always a privilege to finish lambing season, and to know we have a good average of lamb per mother. We can give ourselves a pat on the back. But summer is best, when the fields are green and warm. On our farm we don't have mosquitos, unlike other places. Some say it is because of our sheep. Erik the Red – who was in exile after doing very bad things in Iceland – brought sheep and other livestock when he came here in the year 985. He gave Greenland its name, partly as a way of attracting other people to settle. His descendants stayed for about five centuries, until the Norse disappeared suddenly, around the year 1500. There are many theories. Perhaps it was disease. I think the most likely answer is the climate changed. Whatever happened, that was the end of sheep farming. My own ancestors, who came centuries ago from either modern-day Mongolia or Siberia, made a living through hunting and fishing whatever they could get from nature — a lot of seals. About a hundred years ago, seals became rare, so the government had to think of other ways to make a living. There was a pilot project: importing about a dozen sheep from the Faroe Islands, to see if they could live in the climate. They survived. My husband's grandfather, Otto Frederiksen, was a carpenter on that project, and was inspired to start his own farm in 1924, which we still run today. There was not much machinery, even when I arrived. Ewes would lamb up in the hills. Since the 1990s, we must do it in the barn: a regulation introduced after a very hard winter when many sheep died. Today we follow a strict programme to control which sheep mate. [This is] to avoid interbreeding and to maintain good quality meat. It's a lot of work — more data than you might think! Yes, it is beautiful. And we are lucky, farming on the edge of the ice. We have eagles in the area. But between the eagles, the ravens and the foxes, we lose maybe 2 to 3% of our lambs every year. The eagles are not our friends. Once, we sold our wool overseas, but that became uneconomical. For about ten years, we simply burned it. Local ladies made yarn and learned to felt and spin, but not on a commercial scale. Then I decided — because we also run a bed and breakfast — to create an opportunity for tourists to do wool work. With the help of equipment supplied by National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions, I set up workshops for visitors to spin and felt. We dye wool using local herbs and plants. Starting this summer, we'll make nice sweaters, socks, mittens and bags. Climate change makes the weather unpredictable: high winds, intense snowfall, periods of drought. The war in Ukraine makes the price of fertiliser, and equipment, very high. But we have to be optimistic. My son will take over the farm when my husband retires, and he will be the fourth generation. Greenland people are used to living with whatever our landscape can provide. Self-sufficiency, creativity and resource management — these are all in our nature. For wool: Iiju Yarn & Craft Shop, QaqortoqVisitors to this shop in Qaqortoq can peruse yarns and handcrafted items made from local sheep's wool, and purchase authentic Greenlandic textiles. For lunch: Cafe Thorhildur, QassiarsukLocated on the town harbour, this cosy, farmer-owned cafe is a community hub that serves local lamb and beers. Ideal for experiencing authentic Greenlandic flavours. For the farm experience: Sheep farm stays in IgalikuKnown for ravishing scenery and Norse ruins, Igaliku offers opportunities to learn about sheep farming, join in daily activities and relish the tranquillity. This paid content article was created for Visit South Greenland. It does not necessarily reflect the views of National Geographic, National Geographic Traveller (UK) or their editorial subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
