the little lambs

Lambing started here at Brindabella in the first week of June. To start with the lambs are pretty scrawny looking, all white and wrinkly. They try and find their feet stumbling along very close to mum, who can get a bit miffed if you try and get too close to take some photos.

Now the lambs are a few weeks older and wiser, the ewes don't seem to mind too much if they wander off together and play. The lambs these days all hang out together in big groups which is pretty funny to watch as they run about, jumping and wriggling in the air. They get up to some pretty crazy antics and maneuvers, hard to capture in photos, perhaps I should take a video. 

I'm sure there is a clique-mentality going on in the mob that lives in the farmhouse paddock. There seems to be the toughies up on the hill by the tank and the losers down by the gate. 

Twins are very common, and this year we've had a fair few sets of triplets as well. Coming from farming cows and calves at Ythanbrae I'm still adjusting back to the mortality rate of farming sheep here now. In the blizzard like conditions we had a few weeks ago we lost a fair few lambs over on another farm, being born wet, cold and hungry in the wind is a tough gig. At least we don't have to deal with super-stroppy cows trying to steal another cows calf or nail Mr M between a fence post and the motorbike anymore with me trying to weigh and tag it's 50 kilo calf on the side of a cliff. Those were the days.  

These little lambies have made it through the toughest part, their first few weeks, and now get to run about and play in the sunshine with their mates, getting nice and fat and healthy.

Images by Emma Durkin for Cinderella at Brindabella