Farmer Focus Livestock: Charlie Armstrong has slaughtered over 2000 lambs
No sooner had we finished weighing and drawing fat lambs and its time to start again. We have killed more than 2000 with the majority still going as conventional. Cull ewes are also being pulled out and sold liveweight at Acklington Mart in readiness for Ramadan.
With less sheep on the farm and an abundance of rain grass is really growing, but not nearly as hard as the maggotts that are appearing everywhere, despite them having pour-on earlier in the season. It wouldn’t be so bad if it were dirty lambs being fly struck, but it always seems to be good clean lambs.
Halfway through what was going to be a pleasurable day dressing and drawing 1400 mule ewe lambs for sale I received a phone call for fat cattle – urgently! The price was the best we’ve been offered for months so a day of hell started, going through wild bulls weighing and sorting while working with lambs too. Both jobs finished just before dark but a little more warning would be good.
Silage is all made and we now have a small heap of high-quality wrapped bales that will feed sheep for a short period this winter and, with more than 100 acres of failed fodder crops, more grass will be sown.
Winter barley straw is baled, but we are going to try and sheet the stack. We’ve done this before but unsuccessfully. However, with small straw yields and the knowledge that the top hesston is always totally useless, we must try something.
Our thoughts are with a friend whose foot became trapped in a potato harvester. Hopefully, they will be able to save it. This brings back memories of when I lost two fingers – so when you are working alone especially when in a rush, just make sure it’s a safe harvest.