It’s one of the best times of year and its just around the corner. Spring means daffodils, warmer weather (we hope) and best of all, new life!
Our pregnant ewes have now moved into the Silver Barn ready for the season to begin. They have lots of cosy straw, lots of hay to eat and our team have already begun the process of regular checks. The lambing pen has a beautiful collection of sheep. 19 ewes in total. Dorsets, a Kerry Hill, some Derbyshire Gritstones, Texels and Mules. (Mules are a breed of sheep that are built perfectly for motherhood, streamlined in shape for ease of birth and fantastic mothering instincts).
Now that the ewes are inside we can concentrate on getting everything ready for them to make sure each labour and the first few days for the new borns goes as smoothly as possible. We have set up the holding pens where the mums and babies are moved to just after a birth. This means the new family can bond and ensure mum is always close by for the babies to suckle. The first drink of nutrient rich colostrum is very important!
But it is not just lambs we are expecting, its goat kids too! We have 12 nanny pygmy goats who have also been moved into the Silver Barn. Just like with the sheep we have ensured they have lots of warm cosy straw for sleeping and nesting and lots of lovely hay to eat. As they are goats we have also made sure they have some fun ramps and blocks to climb on too! This lovely little herd has some familiar faces that you might know from around the farm. Kylie, Jessica and Gogo are very recognisable and we are very excited for them to have babies.
Pygmy goats are the smallest of the animals that we are expecting over spring and always a favourite. In 2021 a goat was born so small it fit in Farmer Anthony’s hat! It is worth visiting us in the spring just to see the little baby pygmy goats ‘popcorning’ around the Barn. (Popcorning is when the goats jump excitedly around with all four hooves off the ground. Its such a lovely sight!)
The last of the expectant mums in the Silver Barn are the Golden Guernsey goats. Just two, but two of our favourites. Flossie and Daffodil are expecting around the same time as the other mums in the Silver Barn. Golden Guernsey goats are a dairy breed so we are hoping to be able to do our popular goat milking demonstrations when the babies are born.
That means all in all we have 33 expectant mothers and on average they should have around 2 babies each. We really hope all the ewes and nanny goats give birth without any assistance from us. This is the best case scenario and the best thing for mum and for babies. However, here at the farm we are very lucky to have an experienced animal team that are always there to give a helping hand if required to make the births as easy and stress free as possible. All the girls are in very safe hands which is great to know.
By the middle of the Easter Holidays we could have over 70 little ones bouncing happily around the Silver Barn and when the weather is right, out in the paddocks too. It is such an exciting time and we’d love you to come to the Farm and witness the magic of spring and new life first hand. But we will of course be bringing you coverage of lambing and kidding season on all of our social media channels as well as here on our website. So make sure you follow us on Facebook: @WhitePostFarmNotts, Instagram: @WhitePostFarmOfficial, TikTok: @WhitePostFarmOfficial and Twitter: @WhitePostFarm
We can’t wait for you to join us on our 2023 lambing and kidding adventure!
The White Post Team
