Tidying up and getting buildings ready for March lambing continues and at last Kevin is able to find time to relax a little.

Towards the end of the week Ian returned home after his trip to visit Charlotte , now a vet in New Zealand, which means Kevin is no longer having to take care of our Aberdeen Angus x cattle.

During the week the March flock were vaccinated to protect them against foot rot and were also given a bolus containing some trace elements. These included iodine, cobalt and selenium, which can often be lacking. A balance of trace elements is required in order for normal cellular and metabolic function in the body.

When the ewes due to lamb in March give birth they will be transported to fields with their offspring. Hopefully as spring will have arrived the weather will be warmer. At this point I would just put out a plea to dog owners to keep their dogs on a lead when there are sheep and lambs close by. We had a distressing incident on the farm near Wootton Bassett, on Christmas Day. Several hundred of Kevin's sheep were grazing here and on Christmas morning a dog walker decided to walk a right of way next to the field,without putting their two dogs on leads. This proved to be disastrous as the dogs went through the electric fence and proceeded to chase the pregnant ewes, which broke through the electric fence on the other side of the field. Fortunately my partner Ian saw what was happening and joined the chase with his farm vehicle. Once the dogs realised they were being pursued they returned to their owner, who secured them with leads (just a little late!). Then the work began, persuading the distressed sheep to go back into their field, which proved to be very difficult. Ian asked me to call Kevin, who with Melissa came here from Manor Farm, a 30 mile round trip, with the collies. The journey proved to be unnecessary, as Ian and his employee Kurt managed to get the ewes back into the field before they arrived. Once Kevin arrived he repaired the fence, making sure both upper and lower strands were live. Having interrupted their work on Manor Farm my family managed to get back here for a turkey lunch. It was a shame that the routine work on two farms was lengthened sorting out a problem that could have been avoided. At least the attack was spotted before any potential injuries were caused.

Continuing with jobs last week, the elite flock was brought back to Manor Farm on Monday and will now be housed following their time spent on tack (grazing on a neighbouring farm). The sheep fencing then had to be picked up and stored ready for use later this year. The flock of ewe lambs, due to be part of the main flock at the end of the year, were also moved, but that was to a fresh field, which had to be fenced.

Kevin's flock are Llyens, a breed of sheep which originated from the Llyen Peninsula Gwynedd, N Wales. These sheep are now very popular with farmers throughout the UK as they are versatile, being suited for both uplands and lowlands. They have a quiet nature and make good mothers, producing plenty of nutritious milk for their lambs. They are a medium sized compact breed with pretty feminine heads, with white wool covering the whole of their bodies. Occasionally a black lamb will be born or some may have an odd patch of black wool, but this is far from usual and cannot be registered with The Llyen Society.

The Llyen Sheep Society is always looking to promote and improve production. Kevin's Llyens are farmed for meat although they have to be shorn once a year for welfare reasons, as their wool keeps growing. The wool is dealt with by the Wool Marketing Board, which is responsible for collecting, grading and selling the wool on behalf of all sheep farmers. British Wool has had little value in the past, not always covering the cost of shearing, but recently the price has lifted a little. However British Wool prices remain low. Returning to the production of lamb, the carcasses should be suitable for UK retail and export markets. Therefore they must be sold when ready, as overweight or over fat lambs will not reach the required specifications so penalties will be applied.