Photo of the Week: Ewe got this bottle-fed lamb

This week’s photo was sent to us by veterinary nurse Maria Hibbert, who also works on the family beef and sheep farm in Greater Manchester.

This little ewe was nine days old when the photo was taken and had to be bottle-fed by Maria.

© Maria Hibbert

The ewe was a triplet and was very small and weak when she was born. Her mum had her hands full with two strong tup lambs and was not interested in mothering the ewe, so Maria took over.

As you can see, the ewe is now a picture of health. She is part of a small starter flock of five ewes – Suffolk-cross, Texel-cross and Mules, all bred to Texel tups.

Maria says: “I have had a brilliant lambing season and we had nine healthy lambs delivered. Five ewes and four tups all are doing very well! I am hoping to increase my flock size at the end of summer.”

Sheep farming is a new enterprise for Maria and her husband Lee at Lane Farm in Wigan, which is predominantly a beef farm.

Maria is the fourth generation on the farm. The family all have other jobs alongside running the farm business.

Maria says: “We have had some struggles, so we are all working hard to get our business back on track”.

We certainly wish them all well, they’re doing a great job. 

You can head over to Instagram to see Maria’s account @ewe_got_this where she shares her lambing experience. 

You can upload your farm photos to our Farmlife Framed gallery and our Lambing 2025 gallery you can also take part in our Farm Pet Photo Gallery Competition.