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100% Australian Grown & Processed

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Did you know that the Australian Fibre Collective has been set up by Australian Fibre processors and growers to give consumers confidence that what they are buying is 100% Australian Grown & Processed.
To be a licencee and use the logo a rigorous application process has been undergone to prove all claims are accurate.
Many fibre products available to consumers have varying (or no) Australian processing.
To be certain of supporting Australian manufacturing look for the Australian Fibre Collective logo.
Details of current licencees and the Collective are on the AFC website:
 
PS. Beersheba Farm is Licencee #0011 ! 🥰🥰

Floss Update – 13th September 2020

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Floss is home! 🙂 🙂

It will be a long recuperation and the vet is still cautious due to the “foreign body” still most likely being present where it shouldn’t be. So, lots of antibiotics and close monitoring for weeks.

And 2 months off work. (At the moment that’s easy… as she gains weight and energy again that’s going to be a challenge. LOL)

Thank you for all the well wishes and prayers. Am so glad I have a great vet too. 🙂 🙂

Floss update – September 12th 2020

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Floss (August 1st, 2020)

For those who had been following LambMetrics you’d have known that the youngest member of the (aging) sheepdog pack, Floss, hasn’t been too well lately and had had a couple of trips to the vet.

Yesterday I was really not happy with the way her temperature was stubbornly staying high despite the antibiotics and so Floss went back to the vet clinic for further investigation.

Long story short – septic pericarditis (icky infection around the heart) most likely caused by an inhaled grass seed months ago. Apparently it’s quite rare in dogs. Great. At least we got it before she collapsed….

Pretty serious stuff indeed.

So, I left her with my awesome vet while I went and checked out Merino rams and then later in the afternoon learnt they had successfully sucked out about 100ml of ‘gross icky stuff’ (not the technical term but essentially it was pus) from the outer lining of the heart and that she was going to stay at the vet clinic over the weekend hooked up to an IV of different antibiotics (designed for anaerobic bacteria, rather than the more regular aerobic ones she’d been initially treated for.)

As of this evening she has improved – her temperature has come down below 40C – and eating well.

The vet is still pretty guarded with his prognoses for her but temperature down and eating are all good things so I’m determined to be hopeful.

If you can spare a little prayer for her that would be amazing.

LambMetrics – 8th September 2020

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#LAMBMETRICS for the day

Drysdale & English Leicester Flocks

Born today: 0
Total Lambs Born: 115
Drysdale lambs (live total): 52
English Leicester lambs (live total): 40
English Leicester X lambs (live total): 14
Total Sets of Twins born: 37
Total Sets of Triplets born: 1
Total ewe lambs: 59
Total ram lambs: 56
Ewes lambed /77: 77  (100 %)
Lamb % : 137 % [live]
Assisted/Dystocias: 11
Losses: 9 [lamb]; 0 [ewe]

Extra Stats!

A few extra stats below – includes a bit of a tidy up and re-jig so some may not exactly line up with the above ones.

 

English Leicester – stud

English Leicester – coloured flock

Drysdale

Ewe lambs

19

9

25

Ram lambs

7

16

27

Sets of Twins

9

10

16

Ewes lambed

15

17

37

Ewes empty

1

4

2

Total Lambing (born live) %

162%

119%

133%

Assisted/Dystocia

3

5

3

Losses (Stillborn/Predation/Illness)

2

1

5

Lambs needing bottle feeding

1

0

0

Lambs requiring treatment for infection

0

1

4

Notable Midwifery tales:

That’s basically it with the LambMetrics for 2020! Thank you for coming along for the ride. 🙂

I will be trying to maintain some sort of blog (maybe once a week?) from now on.

Here are a couple of pics that cannot possibly convey the absolute Cuteness of Flopsy’s little ram lamb. He’s so Stinking Cute. I will attempt to get some video … (he was playing with a white EL lamb today and it was hysterical with this bouncy, small bundle of fluff next to a leggy white one… LOL)

LambMetrics – 7th September 2020

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#LAMBMETRICS for the day

Drysdale & English Leicester Flocks

Born today: 2
Total Lambs Born: 115
Drysdale lambs (live total): 52
English Leicester lambs (live total): 40
English Leicester X lambs (live total): 14
Total Sets of Twins born: 37
Total Sets of Triplets born: 1
Total ewe lambs: 59
Total ram lambs: 56
Ewes lambed /77: 77  (100 %)
Lamb % : 137 % [live]
Assisted/Dystocias: 11
Losses: 9 [lamb]; 0 [ewe]

Notable Midwifery tales:

TA DA!

Sheep – deflated

How many times have I been warning this ewe that if she held on to them for too long she’d end up needing help?! Humph. They never listen! 😛

She decided she was going to lamb under the Favourite Tree (aka “The Tree That Wendy Hates”) because it’s lovely and DRY. It’s also got sticks and limbs down and Wendy has to crawl in on hands and knees to get under there. Ugh.

Just one problem – it’s oops if they need help under there. *facepalm*

I stared at this ewe and thought, she’s in labour, she may be okay but I’m not sure and I have to go out for several hours*. Hmmmm

Tiny whimper bleat.

Righto. Gloves on!

First lamb seemed a bit of a chunk but wasn’t convinced she wasn’t just being a little bit “posh to push”. Hmmm But when I saw the little (black) foot I also saw meconium stain and ding ding it’s stressed so heave that lump out for her.

I’d better fish around for #2 while I’m here….. 2 toes… good… head? Nope. Hmmm. Maybe it’s back legs? Hmm nope, that’s an elbow not a hock.

Meanwhile, the ewe won’t stand still for me now. Time to Call a(n Assistant) Midwife!

With the wonderful calming skills of the Assistant Midwife it is then possible for the Midwife to make full use of the whole arm obstetric gloves. Uh huh.

Thankfully the ewe is quite “roomy in there” so that’s easier on the hands and I’m able to find the neck of the lamb and maneuver the head/neck into the correct position. Then it’s a simple task. Another black ram lamb.

So that’s it! Cassie should lamb early-mid October but the main lot are all DONE.

Tomorrow I’ll try have some more fun stats to mull over. But now I have to go feed lambs.

 

 * this included having to take Floss to the vet again. Poor darling. Very sad puppy. Blood work showing a raging infection of something so more antibiotics and hopefully that will make an impact overnight.

 

LambMetrics – 6th September 2020

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#LAMBMETRICS for the day

Drysdale & English Leicester Flocks

Born today: 0
Total Lambs Born: 113
Drysdale lambs (live total): 52
English Leicester lambs (live total): 38
English Leicester X lambs (live total): 14
Total Sets of Twins born: 36
Total Sets of Triplets born: 1
Total ewe lambs: 59
Total ram lambs: 54
Ewes lambed /77: 76  (98.7 %)
Lamb % : 137 % [live]
Assisted/Dystocias: 10
Losses: 9 [lamb]; 0 [ewe]

Notable Midwifery tales:

Still nothing.

Waaaaiitttting

With “no action at the station” there were a few more lambs tagged and tailed this morning.

Sun was shining.

Oh well, there’s always tomorrow.

PS. Thanks for the kind enquiries about Floss. Still having some issues with a high temperature but working on that. Off to the vet again in the morning.