Spring  Most ewes are perfectly capable of producing their lambs without any help from man but there are some which get into difficulties and a timely hand can mean the difference between life and death. It is hoped that each ewe will have at least 2 lambs. The ewe is unable to tell its own lamb by sight and relies instead on its senses of smell and sound, which is why we hear them "talking" so much among themselves. After the lamb is born the ewe and lamb are placed in a small pen for a day or two so that they get properly acquainted. All lambs must then be injected with vaccine to protect them through these early stages of life and they should be tailed and castrated before being allowed outdoors (this is usually done in the first three days.) The long tails of the lambs are removed as soon as possible because the rich milk of the ewe can affect the lambs, and make them messy. The most popular method of achieving this is by applying a small rubber ring to the tail which cuts off the flow of blood, and after an initial minute or two of discomfort the tail becomes quite numb. In about a month the tail just drops off. The same procedure applies to castrating which must be carried out to keep the flock pure and to ease the task of the shepherd. Also many shepherds use a system of painted numbers on the sheep to speed up identification in the field. As spring turns to slowly into summer the shepherd starts to plan for shearing time. However, before this can happen the flock must be brought back to the collecting yards and each ewe must be "docked" of the dirty wool around its tail end and caused by the effects of the lush spring grass. Summer  The fleece comes off in one piece, just like a great big coat, and the shepherd rolls it up into a ball and places it in a wool sack. During these summer months sheep have to contend with yet another enemy, the bluebottle, which finds the lamb an ideal host for laying its eggs. After two or three days eggs hatch out into maggots which quickly feed on the lambs flesh. By the middle of July the next job is bath time or "dipping."The sheep dip is a large bath made of brick or concrete with a sloping side at the far end for the animal to scramble out. It contains a solution which kills the lice, fleas, ticks and maggots which are in the wool and will give protection against them, over the coming year.  Autumn Autumn is the time for the shepherd to prepare his flock for the next year. He examines each ewe to make sure that it is sound and healthy and especially to see that it still has all its teeth. An animal's life is largely dependant on the state of its teeth, if it loses too many it will be unable to eat properly and will lose its condition and therefore profitability. It is worth noting here that herbivores only have teeth on the bottom jaw and they bit against a hard pad of gum on the top jaw.  Meanwhile the lambs are being fed on kale, swedes or rape and will soon be sold off in the market. All the castrated ram lambs or 'wethers' will be sold and the shepherd will select the best of the ewe lambs to keep as replacements for the "culled" ewes. Many lambs will be sold off as "stores" and these will be bought by a lowland farmer who can fatten them on his lower pastures where the grass will be better. Winter  Gradually the days begin to lengthen as the new season begins to emerge from its winter coating. The approach of spring heralds the start of another year and the shepherd prepares for the invasion of new life which will soon flow on to the farm. He hopes this year will have a bigger and better lambing than the year before. A shepherd's year never ends.  The shepherd is a man of many parts, he must; -
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