A crofter's diary: Shorter days signal countdown to lambing

The days may be shortening and there’s a definite chill in the air but the steadfast turning of the seasons maintains a degree of continuity to farmers, crofters and rural communities in Shetland.

Shearing, silage and hay work through the summer are complemented, as ever, by an array of maintenance tasks prior to the arrival of the sale season. Well over 65,000 sheep will have been through the ring at the Shetland marts this year between August and November, a hugely significant increase in headage and turnover on past years as more crofters and farmers choose to sell locally rather than shipping to the mainland.

Fundamental to it all, and a crucial element at this time of year as daylight hours recede, is the introduction of rams to breeding sheep. Calendars are marked, dates calculated and, as such, the countdown begins to lambing 2022.

A significant event across the islands in advance of the big day is the undertaking of numerous hill caas, large gatherings of predominantly native Shetland sheep that belong to several shareholders in areas of scattald – hill or common grazings. These are often undertaken collectively, with large areas of ground covered with sheepdogs, all-terrain vehicles and most importantly patience as animals are moved on foot over substantial distances.

Interestingly, in Iceland, these events are referred to as réttir and indeed today the Shetland dialect word ‘rett’ references a holding pen or stock enclosure, often a historic post-medieval stone-built structure. Once again, evidence of the underlying influence of the Viking and Scandinavian world on Shetland, in language, place names, vernacular architecture and, indeed, sheep!

Once flocks are returned to their home holdings, welfare is crucial with sheep placed into a cru, traditionally a stone pen, and administered with medication and vitamin supplements for the winter months ahead. Thereafter, they are introduced to better grazing and perhaps a little supplementary feed or high energy forage blocks – these always smell too good, akin to black treacle!

Meantime, the rams wait in anticipation, generally in a placid fashion but some may begin to pace fence lines and turn their top lip to the air, an instinctive behaviour termed the flehmen response, to scent pheromones and the reproductive status of the ewes. Experience tells me that to stop expectant rams jumping into fields of ewes in advance of a desired date, keep an empty field between them as a barrier!

The precise date chosen to ‘slip the tups’ is done with the best intention but even the most clairvoyant of meteorologists cannot tend to predict five months into the future. As a broad rule, the commercial breeds of rams (Suffolks, Texels and Cheviots) are ‘introduced’ (there is no diplomatic word!) from the middle of November with the Shetland rams a few weeks later around the start of December.

Between 147 and 152 days is the gestation period for a lamb which means the cross-breed lambs will appear from the middle of April with Shetland lambs often a little later from the end of April or start of May. There’s always an element of gambling in terms of dates but the ideal situation is to have new-born lambs in fields with growing grass for the ewes to convert to milk. Enticing though it is to expect this at the start of April, it can often be into May before the ground warms up and the neutral colours of winter are replaced by green shoots and new growth across field and hill.

The Shetland rams do not tend to require additional sustenance through the approximately six weeks that they are with the ewes but the larger breeds are offered daily rations to maintain their strength through energetic undertakings.

It is also the time of year where traffic light colours of red, yellow and green appear almost inexplicably on the rumps of many ewes. This is the result of a raddle, a paste that is applied to the breast of the ram which leaves a visible mark when he has served the ewe. Changing the colour of the raddle every fortnight within larger flocks of sheep allows calculation of which group is to lamb first and consequently the ability to stagger which animals warrant greater attention and when.

A few years ago, I decided to use a raddle on an untested ram lamb. After a week, I was confident he knew what he was doing but will never forget the chiding I quite rightly received for using the last remaining olive oil from the kitchen to mix up the raddle paste. Perhaps the smell was appealing for the sheep but there were certainly no roast tatties that night!

At Garths Croft Bressay, the native colourful Shetland sheep will go to a katmogget marking ram this month, a beautiful gentleman with white sides, dark underbelly and a tested character and inclination to work. Given the existing variety in fleece colours and markings, there is an element of scientific genetic analysis in terms of which colours will be predominant in the lambs!

Breeding to retain and enhance the array of over 60 noted traditional markings of the Shetland sheep is important and consequently we hope for variety in the ewe lambs which will become the future of the flock.

Experience the activity and atmosphere of the busy sale ring at Shetland Marts via the Garths Croft Instagram account.