Since returning from my trip on the mainland of Australia, I have had a lot of farm work to catch up on, some truck driving for a mate who lost his license and have had to put up with some cold windy days.

To day it is raining  (of sorts) or trying to rain and it has been a good chance to catch up with emails and posts from so many of you talented people. Has been enlightening to have a good read of the poems, keep them coming.

Yesterday was quite warm so it was a good day to do some lamb marking and drenching of the ewes.

It is a very noisy time when lamb marking, with the moms baa-ing and the little lambs maa-ing you have a hell of a job just concentrating on the job at hand. The job got done and every body was glad of a rest and a cuppa, the ewes and lambs to a fresh lush green paddock of grass.

I put pen to paper and jotted down a bit of a ramble, hope you enjoy.

Marking Day on the Farm

by

Kevin L Fairbrother

 

On a warm and sunny day in November

the yard-ing of the ewes and lambs began

A slow and noisy task as there was lot’s of Baa-ing going on

for the little lambs were lost in the mix of the mob

…

The Border-Collie dogs barked and pushed as one

and soon the mob was yarded, ready to do the job

The lambs were caught and separated from their moms

and once again the Baa-ing and Maa-ing begun

…

With the gear already we started on the job

individual lambs were caught and sat upon their bums

with legs spread wide, a ring placed on their nuts and tails

then came an injection in the skin of 5 in 1

…

A tag clamped on their ears, then placed in the race

they squirmed and jumped and Maa, maaa-ed as one

then laid down in the race and cried and cried

Maaaa what have these farmers done

…

200 lambs were drenched, marked and inoculated

now came the turn of the ewes to drench and trim their feet

The Baa-ing and Maa-ing was loud and forlorn

for the mom’s needed their babies and the babies their mom’s

…

Back together now the lambs scrambled to find their mom’s

the lambs were still maa-ing as the latched upon the teat

Whilst the dogs barked and yelped to get them moving

As the farmers stepped in to help and push them along

…

Now safely in the new paddock of fresh and lush grass

The ewes heads went down to munch the green grass

The lambs still Maa-ing, asking mom’s what is going on

As the farmers looked on at the mob, their job well done