:00:00. > :00:11.Since the show last night, 90 lambs have been born. There are many more
:00:12. > :00:15.on the way. Imminently on the way. We have some lambing in the back
:00:16. > :00:19.corner as we speak. Things have been hotting up here today, so much so we
:00:20. > :01:00.are running out of space. This is Lambing Live.
:01:01. > :01:06.Welcome back to the main lambing shed here at the Dykes' family farm
:01:07. > :01:11.on the borders of Scotland. Lovely to be here again. Thank you. Lovely
:01:12. > :01:16.to have you, Kate. It feels even fuller in here today. It has been
:01:17. > :01:20.incredibly busy over the last 24 hours? As we saw last night, we
:01:21. > :01:24.kicked off with a live birth and then it was busy through the night
:01:25. > :01:30.and it's been busy through the day, too. We could potentially have
:01:31. > :01:35.another live birth. We have a couple in what looks like sort of fairly
:01:36. > :01:44.advanced stages of labour. How long can labour last? It's really - it
:01:45. > :01:49.varies. Others could take half an hour, some spit them out! It depends
:01:50. > :01:54.when you call labour starting. If they have been going for an hour or
:01:55. > :01:57.so, you need to have a look and see what the problem is. We will talk
:01:58. > :02:04.about when you might intervene in lambing later on in the programme.
:02:05. > :02:10.Let's just remind you of our first Lambing Live lamb that popped out
:02:11. > :02:17.beautifully all by itself. Yeah. Textbook. Textbook, as you say. She
:02:18. > :02:21.was expecting twins and Adam just helped ease out the second twin. We
:02:22. > :02:27.then had another birth. They came thick and fast. Yeah, it was
:02:28. > :02:32.excellent. A good night. This one, though, was born literally in the
:02:33. > :02:38.last seconds of the show. You did have to intervene there. Why? That's
:02:39. > :02:43.one we had been watching through the show and towards the end of the show
:02:44. > :02:48.she was - she had gone off the boil a bit. I thought she must have
:02:49. > :02:52.needed assistance. We put her in the pen and I found that the lamb was
:02:53. > :02:57.coming head only and the feet weren't there. It wasn't correctly
:02:58. > :03:02.presented. A lot of our viewers after the show were concerned that
:03:03. > :03:08.the lamb wasn't in great shape. But our cameras are here 24 hours a day
:03:09. > :03:13.and so they kept their eye on the little lamb and here it is, about 20
:03:14. > :03:18.minutes later and, as you can see, dry, it's been well licked, the
:03:19. > :03:27.bonding process has started. Up on its feet, looking for the teats.
:03:28. > :03:31.None the worse for its abrupt entry into life. No different from a
:03:32. > :03:36.normal birth. The lamb was fine and the mother was fine, too. The mother
:03:37. > :03:40.was expecting twins. How did we know that? Hamish marks all his sheep
:03:41. > :03:44.once they have been scanned. We might be able to get a shot of the
:03:45. > :03:49.ewes in the shed here. You see the one in the picture there has a
:03:50. > :03:54.distinct blue dot, that means she is only expecting how many? Single for
:03:55. > :04:02.blue in the middle of the BOC. A red? Triplets. Some have no dots on
:04:03. > :04:09.at all. It means they are going to have twins? That's correct. The ewe
:04:10. > :04:13.that gave birth with Hamish's help at the end of last night's show had
:04:14. > :04:17.no dots on her back. Did it mean that her second lamb was also going
:04:18. > :04:25.to be problematic? Look what happened half an hour after we came
:04:26. > :04:32.off air. Amazing. Yeah. The first lamb had paved the way and opened
:04:33. > :04:37.the passage, as it were. A quick cough and a sneeze the second lamb
:04:38. > :04:42.came out. Both those lambs doing well, bonded with mum? Yeah.
:04:43. > :04:48.Everything is fine? Yes. We can go and check on them. Adam is in the
:04:49. > :04:53.nursery with Hamish's wife, Susie. There it is. That lovely lamb. It is
:04:54. > :05:01.fit and healthy now. This is Rocky. He is doing fine. He is alright now.
:05:02. > :05:07.Let's give him back to his mum. There's Rocky's sister. The mule ewe
:05:08. > :05:12.that I was just giving a bit of a hand to, is just over there, number
:05:13. > :05:18.31. She has twins as well. Things are getting busy? They are. The
:05:19. > :05:23.lambing pens down the bottom are full to bursting. There's been a big
:05:24. > :05:27.shipment from there up to this pen. We call this the nursery. What
:05:28. > :05:34.happens if the weather turns nasty and things fill up? Well, ideally we
:05:35. > :05:39.would keep everything inside as long as possible. If we have too many
:05:40. > :05:44.sheep, we have no option to start finding different homes for them and
:05:45. > :05:52.finding sheltered fields for them. Tell me about the crook? This is my
:05:53. > :05:59.piece of equipment for lamb-catching. A good little hook
:06:00. > :06:03.for getting around a lamb's leg. Some shepherds make them out of
:06:04. > :06:09.ram's horn? That is what would happen. They would get a horn from a
:06:10. > :06:15.Blacky and make it into a nice crook. Cheap-and-cheerful option! It
:06:16. > :06:18.is nice to see the lambs that were born last night and they are all
:06:19. > :06:23.happy and content. Let's see what is happening back at the main barn.
:06:24. > :06:29.Thank you, Adam. We are just keeping an eye on this ewe. What do you
:06:30. > :06:33.think? How far off might she be? We have been watching this one for a
:06:34. > :06:37.wee while. I'm still confident that there is no need to intervene just
:06:38. > :06:42.yet because she is still making all the right signs. She is still lying
:06:43. > :06:46.down and pressing. I can see feet just coming out there. What would
:06:47. > :06:50.tell you that you did need to intervene? You said with the lamb
:06:51. > :06:54.that was born last night, the mother had gone off the boil and she had
:06:55. > :06:58.stopped lambing. What other signs would indicate that you would need
:06:59. > :07:01.to help? Sometimes you can see the head coming without the feet. The
:07:02. > :07:06.first thing you should be able to see is two feet. How - the perfect
:07:07. > :07:15.presentation, if that is the right word, should be what? Do you want me
:07:16. > :07:19.to demonstrate? I am! You want two front feet and a nose, the front
:07:20. > :07:22.feet will be first, then the nose and it should be... Is that because,
:07:23. > :07:28.basically, when it is positioned like that - I can make myself look
:07:29. > :07:33.like an idiot, too! The shoulders are narrow, it is easier for it to
:07:34. > :07:37.get through the pelvis? That is the narrowest position. The legs are in
:07:38. > :07:42.like this and that makes the most torpedo shape for the ewe to get the
:07:43. > :07:47.lamb out. Unfortunately, lambs don't always present themselves in that
:07:48. > :07:51.way. Hamish has a night lamber who comes in after the show to keep an
:07:52. > :07:54.eye on all these ladies throughout the night. He was presented by quite
:07:55. > :08:09.a challenge last night. Just a head. Oh, no - the head is
:08:10. > :08:14.coming first, but the feet are back. So, you need to get in there and
:08:15. > :08:24.flick both the feet forward. There's one leg. Reach up to get the other
:08:25. > :08:36.one. As you do so, she contracts in your hands. It is quite sore. Worst
:08:37. > :08:50.for her, I would imagine. Come on! There we go.
:08:51. > :08:56.Her tongue is so large because her head has been stuck in the passage
:08:57. > :09:00.of the sheep for so long and it took a while to get her out. It will go
:09:01. > :09:11.down once she gets going. Go see mum.
:09:12. > :09:18.Good work, that really was. The swinging, just remind us what that
:09:19. > :09:22.is for? That helps to get the fluid out of the lungs, which is what
:09:23. > :09:27.would happen when the lamb makes its first cough. That lamb had been a
:09:28. > :09:34.bit stressed so it needed all the help it could get. Alastair said the
:09:35. > :09:39.lamb is - the legs are back, so would you mind, can you demonstrate
:09:40. > :09:47.again what that would be like? Maybe like that. Maybe like that. Coming
:09:48. > :09:51.head first. He had to get the head back so that he could hook the legs
:09:52. > :09:55.forward and get into that perfect position? You can't bring the lamb
:09:56. > :09:59.out head first because (a) you have nothing to pull with apart from the
:10:00. > :10:03.neck and the shoulders coming out together would be too tight and it
:10:04. > :10:08.would end up with crushed ribs. So you need to get the head back in and
:10:09. > :10:12.feel back to find the feet and flip them forward and then it comes out
:10:13. > :10:19.fairly easily. Sounds easy. It really isn't. Let's cut quickly to
:10:20. > :10:24.our lamb-cam. And see what is going on. All still looking quite quiet.
:10:25. > :10:29.There are three there showing advanced signs. We will keep an eye
:10:30. > :10:33.on them. As lambing time gets closer, sheep farmers all over the
:10:34. > :10:38.country get more and more concerned about the weather. You may remember
:10:39. > :10:43.last year that terrible late and very heavy snowfall really took its
:10:44. > :10:47.toll for many farmers. So back in February, Hamish and Susie were
:10:48. > :10:51.doing everything they could to make sure that their ewes were in the
:10:52. > :10:52.best possible condition as well as keeping their fingers crossed that
:10:53. > :11:10.the weather was going to be kind. Our pregnant ewes need a bit of
:11:11. > :11:14.nourish ment. This is their first breakfast round. It might take them
:11:15. > :11:27.a whee while to understand what we are doing. Feeding sheep in large
:11:28. > :11:32.groups can churn up the ground. All those eager hooves getting in on the
:11:33. > :11:37.action so we use a machine to spread the feed around. If we damage the
:11:38. > :11:40.ground now, there will be less grass come springtime. It is the grass
:11:41. > :11:44.that makes the milk and that is what they want. As soon as they have
:11:45. > :11:53.lambed, they want grass, so we have to keep it for them. The months of
:11:54. > :12:00.rain have taken their toll and our lamb now buckles under the strain.
:12:01. > :12:03.-- land now buckles under the strain. This is the run-off from the
:12:04. > :12:11.hill. When we get a lot of water like we did last night, it makes its
:12:12. > :12:18.way this way, a little river. It's been one of the wettest winters ever
:12:19. > :12:21.recorded. While I toil outside in all weathers, Hamish is preparing
:12:22. > :12:27.the shed so we can bring our soggy sheep in. He's got his toolbox out
:12:28. > :12:31.to fix up the water supply. It helps to know as many trades as you can
:12:32. > :12:35.when you are in the farming job. I'm not saying we could do everything
:12:36. > :12:40.that a plumber could do, or everything a sparky could do, but if
:12:41. > :12:49.you can have a wee stab at the simple jobs yourself, it's - it
:12:50. > :12:53.saves you a lot of time. Rather than having a plumber coming here for a
:12:54. > :12:59.couple of hours and charging you ?100, you get the bits and pieces
:13:00. > :13:04.and do it yourself. Today he is working on building some special
:13:05. > :13:08.feeding troughs for the sheep. When I was younger, I always liked to be
:13:09. > :13:14.making something, particularly out of timber. I liked doing woodwork
:13:15. > :13:17.and stuff. As I got older, I started doing welding stuff and making
:13:18. > :13:19.things out of steel as well. The more things you break, the better
:13:20. > :13:45.you become with a welder as well. After weeks of rain, there is a
:13:46. > :13:50.chill in the air. Today is lovely. It is cold, dryish and the ground is
:13:51. > :13:55.a bit harder than it's been. There's a bit of bone in the ground as my
:13:56. > :14:02.dad would call it! Much better for breeding sheep. I should think
:14:03. > :14:14.before I speak! The weather here can change in the blink of an eye. I'm
:14:15. > :14:21.frozen! Absolutely frozen. My fingers are numb and I can't feel my
:14:22. > :14:45.toes. It is time that they came in. At least someone is enjoying the
:14:46. > :14:51.snow. No! You missed! Oh! Come on. This is the first time the ferrets
:14:52. > :15:00.have seen snow. They like burrowing in the snow. I don't think they are
:15:01. > :15:05.fazed by it, are you? Over the road, John and Kate have gone to check-up
:15:06. > :15:14.on two of their high land ponies. They are up in the top corner. Come
:15:15. > :15:43.on, boys, come on! Highland ponies are built for these conditions. This
:15:44. > :15:47.is Glen Garrick of Mendick - four-year-old gelding. And this is
:15:48. > :15:49.Islesman of Mendick - a two-year-old colt. Without being fed they're in
:15:50. > :15:53.reasonable condition. Quite fat enough. They're not showing ribs
:15:54. > :15:56.anyway. Good boy. This is the ideal environment for Highland ponies.
:15:57. > :15:59.These hills allow them to develop their muscles running up and down
:16:00. > :16:03.the hills and it's a natural environment for them. No rugs and no
:16:04. > :16:07.extra shelter but they seem to thrive on it. In the back of our
:16:08. > :16:11.minds we all have the same worry about the change in the weather. If
:16:12. > :16:14.it carries on like this, for lambing it'll be very difficult. The snow
:16:15. > :16:18.usually comes at the right time of year. Before the end of February
:16:19. > :16:22.it's fine but once it starts falling in March and April it gives you big
:16:23. > :16:25.problems. With less than a month to go before the start of lambing,
:16:26. > :16:28.there's little more we can do but wait and hope. The British weather
:16:29. > :16:31.is something we all like to talk about. For farmers, it is crucial?
:16:32. > :16:35.Absolutely. Livestock farming in particular at this time of year, it
:16:36. > :16:40.can make a huge difference. Down in the south, in Somerset, it has been
:16:41. > :16:43.flooded, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire have been really
:16:44. > :16:47.troubled. How wet has it been up here? It is one of the wettest
:16:48. > :16:51.winters we have had. Every time we switch the television on, we felt
:16:52. > :16:55.our problems were really small compared to the people down there.
:16:56. > :17:00.When you are out in the field, you can make up quite a mess? You make a
:17:01. > :17:04.huge mess. Everything is done mechanically now. Every time you go
:17:05. > :17:07.in there with a vehicle, even quad-bikes were getting stuck! When
:17:08. > :17:12.it comes to the weather and farming, it can make-or-break a year
:17:13. > :17:17.financially? Very much so. Our feed costs for not this winter but the
:17:18. > :17:23.previous winter were 40% higher than the year before. Goodness me. Now,
:17:24. > :17:27.then, your wife, Kate, is keen on the highland ponies, how did you get
:17:28. > :17:32.into them? We were both brought up amongst horses and we saw a sale in
:17:33. > :17:36.the early 1970s so we went to that and finished up buying three. That
:17:37. > :17:41.was the start of the ponies. And now, she is a very well-known judge?
:17:42. > :17:48.Yes, we have been fairly successful with them. Kate has done quite a lot
:17:49. > :17:55.of judging and last year, she judged the Royal Highland Show. That is
:17:56. > :18:00.absolutely the pinnacle. Was she terrified? No, she's done a bit of
:18:01. > :18:05.judging before, so she didn't bother. She didn't appear to. I was
:18:06. > :18:11.really keen to catch up with Kate and find out more about these
:18:12. > :18:19.Highland ponies, so I popped out to see these amazing animals this
:18:20. > :18:23.morning. My word, aren't they lovely? You like them? They are
:18:24. > :18:30.beautiful. We think so. This is your passion? Absolutely. Very nice
:18:31. > :18:34.hobby. Why Highland ponies? It is they suit the type of ground we have
:18:35. > :18:39.here, they are easy to show and ride and do anything with. You don't have
:18:40. > :18:48.to rug them up. We wash them with a pressure washer. Do you? Absolutely.
:18:49. > :18:54.Yeah. What was their main use then? Their main use was for carrying
:18:55. > :18:58.deer, lay them across the back. They are sure-footed. They can find their
:18:59. > :19:02.way down a mountain without slipping over? Absolutely. That is one good
:19:03. > :19:08.thing about the ground we have here. What makes a good Highland pony?
:19:09. > :19:13.They have to have good bone and not sloping over the tail head. They
:19:14. > :19:17.must have a nice round bum, a good second thigh and a good head. They
:19:18. > :19:23.should be nice and broad between the eyes and no white, a nice broad
:19:24. > :19:29.muzzle. No white? No. If it is this white, it is to be above the eyes. A
:19:30. > :19:34.wonderful mane. That is also very important. Good feather. Good
:19:35. > :19:37.feather on the legs as well. Feather being the hair down the back of the
:19:38. > :19:43.leg? Yes. How long have you been looking after them for? We started
:19:44. > :19:48.1970. Did you? A long time. We bought two at a sale and it's gone
:19:49. > :19:55.on from there. They are a beautiful breed. I'm sold on them! Would you
:19:56. > :19:56.like to come back to the Cotswolds with me? The grass would be too good
:19:57. > :20:07.for them down there, I think. Gorgeous ponies, but they have been
:20:08. > :20:10.upstaged by this ewe. She's been in labour for a while. You thought it
:20:11. > :20:17.would be a good idea to check everything was OK? Yeah. Well, I'm
:20:18. > :20:20.having a feel and both feet are there and the nose. Should I try and
:20:21. > :20:36.deliver it? Yeah. OK. Oh. They are quite... Very slippery.
:20:37. > :20:42.It is very slippery. OK, girl. Come on, let's get that foot out. It is
:20:43. > :20:49.amazing how much force you have to use - that is the first leg out.
:20:50. > :20:57.Well done. Head out. Here we go. Come on. Come on. Oh. That is quite
:20:58. > :21:02.a big lamb. That is quite a big lamb. Quite a big lamb. It was
:21:03. > :21:08.needing it as well. Yeah. There we go. Oh. I can tell you, it is quite
:21:09. > :21:12.nerve-wracking having to deliver a lamb live on telly. Thank goodness
:21:13. > :21:20.you were here. Let's take you to your mum. While we talk about
:21:21. > :21:25.offspring, Hamish and Susie have two wonderful kids called Rosie and
:21:26. > :21:52.Murdo. They are lucky enough to grow up on this farm. Let's meet them.
:21:53. > :21:55.Being part of a farming family is in our blood. Well done. That's an
:21:56. > :21:58.interesting technique. Murdo and Rosie have started young. Well,
:21:59. > :22:05.we're going to stop the sheep coming up here. Here they come now. Shh.
:22:06. > :22:09.Brr. Last year, I came to work on the farm full time so I could spend
:22:10. > :22:13.more time with the children. I think that one nearest is a Beltex and all
:22:14. > :22:16.the ones with horns are Blackies. That's a Blue-faced Leicester. It's
:22:17. > :22:20.got a nose like Daddy's, that's how you can tell, can't you? A big Roman
:22:21. > :22:23.nose like Daddy's. I grew up on a farm and so did Hamish. He started
:22:24. > :22:27.with ferrets... A tradition he's passed onto Rosie and Murdo. Come
:22:28. > :22:31.on, wee ferrets, come on. He's a bit wriggly. They do like playing with
:22:32. > :22:34.each other. Oh! Growing up on a farm means that everything can be an
:22:35. > :22:44.adventure. Even hunting for your Christmas tree. How about that one?
:22:45. > :22:48.It's a bit dumpy. That one there is quite thin and tall, if you know
:22:49. > :22:55.what I mean? Yes, this one's quite good. You have to shout timber when
:22:56. > :23:00.it's falling over. TIMBER! Crash. Right, Murdo, you have to carry it
:23:01. > :23:09.home now. And everything can be a game. I'm getting eaten by the
:23:10. > :23:19.hedge. Sometimes I watch the clouds from up here, count the birds.
:23:20. > :23:23.Usually it makes me sleepy. Rosie's birthday comes the day after a storm
:23:24. > :23:29.blows through the farm and we find a great use for one of the fallen
:23:30. > :23:33.trees. What do you think, Murds - big bonfire for Rosie's birthday?
:23:34. > :23:45.How big can we make it? As big as it can get. OK. That'll work out just
:23:46. > :23:49.perfect, won't it? Living on a farm can be quite isolating - so a
:23:50. > :23:59.birthday is a great excuse for Rosie's friends to come over and
:24:00. > :24:09.play. It's a chance to test the zip-wire Hamish has built. Sometimes
:24:10. > :24:14.I think he's just a big kid himself - preparing a very special surprise
:24:15. > :24:27.for Rosie's birthday. Think when Rosie sees it she'll know I made it,
:24:28. > :24:32.not Susie. Make a wish. Make a wish. Oh! I'll never forget and I'll never
:24:33. > :24:39.forgive. Don't know if Rosie enjoyed it but I thought it was great fun.
:24:40. > :24:46.My birthday's really fun right now. I don't actually feel it, I don't
:24:47. > :24:48.actually feel being nine. I loved my childhood growing up on a farm, I
:24:49. > :24:59.hope my kids love it, too. I love that exploding birthday cake!
:25:00. > :25:05.Now, to let you know how the lamb is doing. You can see gorgeous scenes
:25:06. > :25:10.here of lamb and mum bonding. If you just look at the ewe's back, and
:25:11. > :25:15.remember Hamish's marking system, she has the green mark on her back,
:25:16. > :25:18.no spot so that means she is expecting twins. There will be
:25:19. > :25:25.another lamb along shortly. We will keep an eye on her. In the meantime,
:25:26. > :25:33.let's go and see some more lambs and their surrogate mum, hello, Susie.
:25:34. > :25:38.This is what we refer to as the orphanage and orphan lambs. That is
:25:39. > :25:44.not strictly correct at all, is it? No, we call them pet lambs. Their
:25:45. > :25:48.mothers are alive and well, they couldn't cope with three lambs, so
:25:49. > :25:54.we have removed one of them and put it in here until we find a new mum
:25:55. > :25:59.for it. These could be candidates for adoption? Yes. If that ewe for
:26:00. > :26:03.example had been only having a single lamb, you might have taken
:26:04. > :26:08.one of these out of here and adopted it on while she was giving birth?
:26:09. > :26:12.Absolutely. In the meantime, while they are in here, they haven't got a
:26:13. > :26:18.mum to feed from so you are their surrogate mum? This big machine over
:26:19. > :26:23.here is fantastic in that it automatically delivers warm milk
:26:24. > :26:27.ready-mixed to the correct consistency to these teats. Will the
:26:28. > :26:33.lambs automatically - will they smell it and latch on to those
:26:34. > :26:38.teats? No, their suckling instinct is there, but they don't smell their
:26:39. > :26:41.mother. They haven't got that connection to a rubber teat. We have
:26:42. > :26:45.to let them know that a rubber teat is now what they want and convince
:26:46. > :26:56.them to suck from that. This little one here looks like - oh yes, he is
:26:57. > :26:59.doing quite well. You generally have to point them in the right
:27:00. > :27:02.direction. The spot system means that they have don it all by
:27:03. > :27:06.themselves and we don't need to worry about it anymore. This one is
:27:07. > :27:11.spotless so it will need a bit of teaching. If we are not going to
:27:12. > :27:16.make these lambs hungry, can you show us how you do teach a lamb to
:27:17. > :27:20.suckle? OK. I will have a go with this one. They generally want to
:27:21. > :27:26.push backwards, so I tend to stick them in between my feet and it is
:27:27. > :27:30.literally a case of opening their mouth and sticking them on. And
:27:31. > :27:35.holding them until they get the idea. This one with a spot is going,
:27:36. > :27:41."Hang on, I will have some of that!" This guy is not hungry at this point
:27:42. > :27:47.in time. Right. That is, I suppose, the key thing with looking after -
:27:48. > :27:53.look - listen to that. It's got the message. Slightly. So once you - do
:27:54. > :27:56.you spend quite a lot of time basically observing these lambs?
:27:57. > :28:01.Yeah, if you are walking past, you would tend to pop in all the time
:28:02. > :28:04.and if you see somebody suckling all by itself that you haven't put there
:28:05. > :28:09.and it doesn't have a spot on, you get a spot on it quick. Yeah. If
:28:10. > :28:12.there is somebody making a heck of a noise, it is hungry. What happens to
:28:13. > :28:17.them next? Presumably, they will have to be weaned at some stage like
:28:18. > :28:22.lambs that are with their mothers? Yes. They are on milk for five weeks
:28:23. > :28:27.and we introduce different feeding in that time as well. We get them
:28:28. > :28:31.out to grass and they will grow on from there. They will end up being
:28:32. > :28:34.exactly like normal sheep? Not exactly the same, they never do
:28:35. > :28:39.quite as well as if they are been on their mother. It's an expensive way
:28:40. > :28:44.of doing it and they are never as good. They never do as well. They
:28:45. > :28:50.don't thrive as well. It is the next best thing. You are worth it! Yeah.
:28:51. > :28:55.Farmers like Hamish have been selectively breeding sheep for
:28:56. > :28:59.generations using years and years of experience to pick out the
:29:00. > :29:04.attributes that they want. Now, technology is making this sort of
:29:05. > :29:11.genetic choice even easier as Adam discovered.
:29:12. > :29:18.I've come to Mid Wales to meet a very special flock of sheep. They
:29:19. > :29:25.may look pretty ordinary, but everyone is like a top athlete. Dewi
:29:26. > :29:29.Jones is head of this pioneering sheep-breeding operation. So what
:29:30. > :29:32.are your team doing here? We're taking tissue samples from some of
:29:33. > :29:36.these ewes. That entails taking a tissue sample from the ear, that DNA
:29:37. > :29:38.then tells us really for that individual animal its
:29:39. > :29:42.identification, so then we can work out who its Mother is and who its
:29:43. > :29:46.father is. For Dewi - creating the perfect sheep starts with the right
:29:47. > :29:51.genetics. His team will monitor every aspect of these sheep's lives
:29:52. > :29:56.against their DNA profiles. So you're judging the animals all the
:29:57. > :30:00.time, there's winners and losers. We are, altogether we have about 40
:30:01. > :30:03.traits that are being recorded. We start through from lambing time and
:30:04. > :30:06.right through to 8 week weights, weaning weights and 16 week weights,
:30:07. > :30:13.there's a whole host of information that we use. Only the very best will
:30:14. > :30:18.be bred from. So ewes have to be high achievers if they're to justify
:30:19. > :30:22.their place in the flock. And so these ewes here are the sort of top
:30:23. > :30:25.of your tree, they're the sort of ultimate girls, are they? Yes, it's
:30:26. > :30:29.work in progress, so every year some of these sheep will be dropping off,
:30:30. > :30:31.there'll be health issues, they'll be maternal issues, behavioural
:30:32. > :30:35.issues that actually removes them from the flock, but the ones that
:30:36. > :30:44.keep their place here, yeah, they're becoming very elite ewes. Dewi has
:30:45. > :30:48.selected two of his top ewes - and wants to see if I can identify the
:30:49. > :30:52.one that produces the best lambs, just by using my traditional
:30:53. > :30:56.shepherding skills. Oh crikey. Right - I'll just check her teeth. And
:30:57. > :31:00.they're perfect on the pad. Just check her udder, feels OK. I'll just
:31:01. > :31:03.have a quick look at her feet, they look alright, she feels in good
:31:04. > :31:14.order, she's a nice ewe. She's got nice, fine fleece. Right, I'll just
:31:15. > :31:18.grab the other one. Good teeth, she's got a bit more meat covering
:31:19. > :31:22.than this ewe, I mean they're both very, very good, I'd have either of
:31:23. > :31:26.them in my flock, but if I had to chose now, I'd go for that one.
:31:27. > :31:29.117TG. Well, remember that number and let's go and speak to Janet our
:31:30. > :31:33.geneticist and she can tell you what's inside these sheep. It's
:31:34. > :31:37.impossible to tell just from looking, how a ewe - and its lambs -
:31:38. > :31:43.might perform in the future. And for Janet Roden, that's what really
:31:44. > :31:46.matters. All these records you've got on all the animals, absolutely
:31:47. > :31:49.incredible. Oh yes, you've got thousands. Well, there's 16,000
:31:50. > :31:52.records here that we're just looking at now, that we're scrolling
:31:53. > :31:56.through. That was the one I chose, so how's she looking? Here you can
:31:57. > :32:00.see her information as a lamb, born as a twin. She was 4.1 kilos when
:32:01. > :32:04.she was born. So she's grown well. Yeah, she's grown well. You can see
:32:05. > :32:07.that she's really, really good for lambing ease so she's obviously
:32:08. > :32:11.lambed easy and her family have so we're pretty sure there's good genes
:32:12. > :32:15.there for it ?she's really good for lamb vigour so her lambs are going
:32:16. > :32:19.to get up and suck and not need much shepherding. Above average in muscle
:32:20. > :32:24.and then if we look at litter size she's one of our best ewes. And also
:32:25. > :32:29.you're looking at the growth of the meat and muscle as well? Yes, we
:32:30. > :32:32.are. So for example, here we use computerised tomography, a whole
:32:33. > :32:35.body scanning and you can see the muscle here and this one's got nice
:32:36. > :32:39.plump leg muscle. So by choosing the genetics, you can then really
:32:40. > :32:42.pre-empt how good the chop on the plate is going to be from the lamb
:32:43. > :32:46.that hasn't even been born yet? Yeah, and even better, we're now
:32:47. > :32:50.beginning to find things that we can select on from these CT scans that
:32:51. > :33:01.actually make the lamb juicier and tender. Really? So how can you tell
:33:02. > :33:04.how well she's performed overall? We combine all these things into one
:33:05. > :33:08.score of the index. So you're looking at low, average, high and
:33:09. > :33:14.she's very high so she's a good one! Yeah, very good choice! And you
:33:15. > :33:19.chose the right one. Did I? Out of the two. And Dewi said that I could
:33:20. > :33:22.have her if I chose the right one! Oh, did he? Ha-ha-ha. Well, we'll
:33:23. > :33:25.have to argue about that one, Adam! I've got the trailer. HA-HA. Dewi's
:33:26. > :33:29.top girls are mated with equally high performing rams. And as soon as
:33:30. > :33:32.they're pregnant, the developing embryos are removed. These "test
:33:33. > :33:36.tube" sheep are then sold on to farmers like John Scott, near
:33:37. > :33:41.Inverness. What a wonderful place to farm, fantastic scenery. Not a bad
:33:42. > :33:44.spot on a day like this. John's chosen the best genetics available
:33:45. > :33:52.to create a tailor-made flock that suits his needs. We're looking for
:33:53. > :33:56.the ewe that will go and find the one bush in the field and hide
:33:57. > :34:01.behind it and have her lambs and the next thing you know she's come out
:34:02. > :34:04.with a pair of lambs that are up and sucked and ready to roll. We've got
:34:05. > :34:07.to breed sheep that require less involvement from us because it's
:34:08. > :34:09.expensive, labour's expensive. Back in December, 450 of the Welsh
:34:10. > :34:14.embryos were surgically implanted into some of John's ewes. And today
:34:15. > :34:22.he's scanning to see how many lambs they're carrying. Two embryos were
:34:23. > :34:29.put in each of the surrogate mums. So, John's hoping for a lot of
:34:30. > :34:35.twins. OK, ready for the first one? Embryo 2. Embryo 2, twins - that's a
:34:36. > :34:38.good start. Yes, that's a goodun, just what we're after, ideal. Once
:34:39. > :34:42.the sheep are scanned, they're marked up - blue for singles and
:34:43. > :34:50.orange for twins. Embryo 1. Embryo 2. Embryo 1. Embryo 2. Embryo 2,
:34:51. > :34:58.good girl. Oh this is going pretty well, isn't it? Yeah, you can come
:34:59. > :35:02.more often! That's a big sheep. A real podgy one. Yeah, that's the
:35:03. > :35:06.sort of ewe I like, she's just going to hold her condition well over
:35:07. > :35:11.winter, I'm not going to have to feed her a lot. Empty. Oh no! Twins,
:35:12. > :35:15.twins. Ah, John! From what we're getting so far, quite successful.
:35:16. > :35:21.Yeah, but don't get too excited too early. The final count is what we're
:35:22. > :35:26.after. Go on, good luck, missus. It's the moment of truth. Embryo
:35:27. > :35:29.transfer is not always successful. But John hopes that from 450
:35:30. > :35:39.embryos, he'll get at least 225 lambs. As he counts up the orange
:35:40. > :35:43.marks, I tally the blues. I think I've got just 75, quite crucial but
:35:44. > :35:49.I'm pretty sure. So you have 75 embryos held and you had 62. 62, so
:35:50. > :35:53.we double yours because yours were all twins. So I have 124 and you
:35:54. > :35:57.have 75, that's 199. Good maths. And we wanted... Ah, so that isn't very
:35:58. > :36:02.good then, is it? No. Not ideal. Not brilliant. So that's less than 50%.
:36:03. > :36:10.Ideally, we would have been looking for a few more, yes. This may not be
:36:11. > :36:13.the result John hoped for - but it's just the beginning. For this year at
:36:14. > :36:17.least, it's about quality not quantity. So you've still got the
:36:18. > :36:22.best part of 200 supersheep being born on the farm. If we get 100 odd
:36:23. > :36:26.ewe lambs, 90 odd tup lambs on the ground, that'll be a nice split for
:36:27. > :36:29.us. That's a good start to the flock. Embryo transfer may seem like
:36:30. > :36:33.a leap from tradition. But it does guarantee the very best lambs for
:36:34. > :36:36.the job. And in a few years' time, John hopes to be reaping the
:36:37. > :36:51.benefits from his flock of supersheep. It is all happening in
:36:52. > :36:56.the lambing shed. Kate is looking at a ewe that is close to birth over
:36:57. > :37:00.there.: : This one here, the water bag has started to appear. She is
:37:01. > :37:04.very interested in the lambs in the nursery, so classic signs that she
:37:05. > :37:10.is very much thinking about lambing. I will keep an eye on her. Wow!
:37:11. > :37:14.Exciting stuff. That technology in farming, I was amazed by some of
:37:15. > :37:19.that. Is that the sort of thing you do here? It is not something we have
:37:20. > :37:24.adopted here. We are a bit old-fashioned. We work away without
:37:25. > :37:30.technology, but it is not to say we don't use the figures when we go to
:37:31. > :37:36.choose our rams when buying them. More in pedigree breeding, John,
:37:37. > :37:43.those sorts of farmers are using it more often? A lot of people are
:37:44. > :37:49.using artificial insemination, implanting embryos into surrogate
:37:50. > :37:54.mothers and so on. A lot are recording as well. Recorded rams are
:37:55. > :37:59.making a premium. But we haven't got round to doing that yet. Do you
:38:00. > :38:04.think that that replaces shepherding skills? It certainly compliments it.
:38:05. > :38:09.It doesn't replace it. You can have all the figures in the world, if you
:38:10. > :38:13.don't look after the sheep properly, you are not going to get the
:38:14. > :38:17.results. With all these ewes lambing, these pens will be full
:38:18. > :38:22.soon. There is going to be a lot of sheep moving through here. That can
:38:23. > :38:29.be a nightmare. Let's see how it all works.
:38:30. > :38:34.Hamish and his team bring the ewes into the lambing shed so they can
:38:35. > :38:37.give birth in the warm overnight. The following morning, any ewes that
:38:38. > :38:41.haven't given birth are sent back out into the fields. The new mums
:38:42. > :38:48.and their offspring stay in the shed. With more than 30 lambs born
:38:49. > :38:55.every day, there is a constant demand for space. As soon as he is
:38:56. > :38:59.happy they are doing OK, Hamish moves the lambs and their mothers
:39:00. > :39:05.out of the lambing shed and into the nursery. The nursery gives them a
:39:06. > :39:10.bit of time to cement the maternal bond, crucial for the lambs'
:39:11. > :39:24.survival in the big wide world. Then, a couple of days later, they
:39:25. > :39:28.are released into the fields. Come the evening, the still expectant
:39:29. > :39:40.ewes return to the lambing shed and it starts all over again.
:39:41. > :39:44.It is like army manoeuvres? It is. You are moving stuff around all the
:39:45. > :39:49.time. We are having a quick check-up on the ewe that lambed earlier. She
:39:50. > :39:54.is expecting another lamb, no signs of that yet? No, she is
:39:55. > :39:57.concentrating on her first lamb at the moment. She will do that for a
:39:58. > :40:02.wee while longer and then she will lie down and start pressing for the
:40:03. > :40:07.second one. Let's go over to the nursery now because obviously these
:40:08. > :40:12.ewes and lambs are at the next stage of the sheep conveyer belt. The
:40:13. > :40:17.thing that is really interesting - I have been spending every morning
:40:18. > :40:23.with you trying to learn this system. Yeah. You seem very familiar
:40:24. > :40:26.with all your sheep, things like ages or whether they have lambed
:40:27. > :40:31.before. You are not going around with a clipboard and making notes.
:40:32. > :40:34.What is it that helps you remember what sheep is what, when it was
:40:35. > :40:38.born, whether it's lambed before, whether it is an experienced mum,
:40:39. > :40:42.all those things? It is not really that complicated a system. I
:40:43. > :40:45.certainly don't claim to be one of these people that can recognise
:40:46. > :40:51.every sheep as an individual. But now all the sheep are tagged, we use
:40:52. > :40:54.a different colour tag each year that we... This ewe that is standing
:40:55. > :40:59.in front of us here, that has the plu tag on one side -- blue tag on
:41:00. > :41:07.one side - both blue tags - what does that tell you? That tells me
:41:08. > :41:17.she is two-years-old. These all had the chance of the tup as e-year-old
:41:18. > :41:21.hogs. We were able to keep a hold of them. Some of these lambed last year
:41:22. > :41:25.and some didn't. The green tags? These are old sheep. They have had
:41:26. > :41:31.five crops of lambs now. You know they are experienced mums? Yes. The
:41:32. > :41:36.other thing that happens is, once the ewes have lambed, Hamish comes
:41:37. > :41:42.and does a ward round in the morning to check-up on all the rams, all the
:41:43. > :41:46.lambs, and do various jobs that need to be done before they can move on
:41:47. > :42:00.to the next stage. I came along yesterday morning to sort of help.
:42:01. > :42:07.There's your mum. I enjoy this part of the job, going around all the
:42:08. > :42:10.ewes and the lambs in the morning and seeing the lambs that have been
:42:11. > :42:15.born through the night. It gives you a good idea of the quality and the
:42:16. > :42:21.size of ones that are being born. Hamish's first job is to dock his
:42:22. > :42:26.newborn lambs' tails. Put it on to the tail and it squeezes the blood
:42:27. > :42:33.supply off and within a week, the whole thing drops off.
:42:34. > :42:37.My Welsh sheeps, we leave the tails long.
:42:38. > :42:43.I think in hill breeds, they would leave the tails long for sure. These
:42:44. > :42:47.sheep are low-ground sheep, keeping the tails short prevents fly strike,
:42:48. > :42:51.that is when if the tails get dirty, the flies are attracted to the muck
:42:52. > :42:56.and lay their eggs and you get the maggots going into the sheep. It is
:42:57. > :43:02.a the devastating thing... Can they kill a sheep? Oh yes. Reducing the
:43:03. > :43:08.amount of muck on the sheep helps. The same rubber band technique is
:43:09. > :43:13.used to castrate Hamish's young ram lambs. It gives them half an hour of
:43:14. > :43:17.discomfort. You are castrating all your male lambs? All the male lambs
:43:18. > :43:21.are getting castrated. You tend to find, if these lambs are around for
:43:22. > :43:24.a long time through the late autumn and into the winter, they start to
:43:25. > :43:30.become a nuisance because that is when the females on the farm are all
:43:31. > :43:34.getting in season. The final job is to give these newborn lambs a number
:43:35. > :43:39.to help keep track of them. We number the pairs, the brother and
:43:40. > :43:43.sister and they get the same number. It identifies them as being with
:43:44. > :43:48.each other. Would you like to have a go at doing the marking? Go on then.
:43:49. > :43:58.I'm warning you, I'm very bad at spray painting. I'm no Banksy! What
:43:59. > :44:04.do you think of that? I did warn you! As long as you get two the
:44:05. > :44:11.same! And no more like it! LAUGHTER
:44:12. > :44:19.Rude and ungrateful! I tried my best. She is getting better at that?
:44:20. > :44:27.I wouldn't be so sure! Quiet. I will talk about castration now, so watch
:44:28. > :44:32.it! Regulations on castration. Presumably, there are some? What do
:44:33. > :44:36.you have to do? It seems to me that you are doing them incredibly young?
:44:37. > :44:41.They have to be done before they are seven-days-old. So, really this is
:44:42. > :44:47.the only time to do them. If they are done when the lambs are up and
:44:48. > :44:53.it's dry, then it is fine. Presumably, that means - apart from
:44:54. > :44:57.breaking the law if you do it later than seven days, once those things
:44:58. > :45:02.that you have done, the tails, the castration, the marking, they can
:45:03. > :45:05.just then get on with growing up. That's right. Once these sheep have
:45:06. > :45:12.gone out of the shed, and out to grass, we don't need to see them
:45:13. > :45:16.again for six weeks. Right. You must get the castration done before they
:45:17. > :45:20.leave the shed. Do you castrate your male rams? We do. We leave the early
:45:21. > :45:24.born ones because we know they are going to reach the market in 16
:45:25. > :45:28.weeks' time. The lambs that are born later in the lambing season, we do
:45:29. > :45:31.castrate because they will reach sexual maturity in the autumn and be
:45:32. > :45:37.running around chasing the ewe lambs and not putting on any wait. Yes. We
:45:38. > :45:40.will talk about ear tags. You were saying how useful they are apart
:45:41. > :45:44.from anything else for being able to tell the age of ewes later and that
:45:45. > :45:50.kind of thing. You haven't been tagging the lambs, why not? Well,
:45:51. > :45:54.the lambs - there's different tags for lambs that you are going to keep
:45:55. > :45:57.as replacements that are going to go to the breeding flock and different
:45:58. > :46:01.tags for lambs that are going to go to slaughter. At this stage, it is
:46:02. > :46:07.quite impossible to tell which ones will stay on as replacements. And
:46:08. > :46:11.tags in the ears, at this early stage, I think can open the door to
:46:12. > :46:19.other infections and get caught in things: If they have had a ring
:46:20. > :46:25.around their tail, the last thing they are thinking about is having
:46:26. > :46:28.their ears pierced? Exactly. For people who are thinking about
:46:29. > :46:35.keeping sheep, there are lots of rules and regulations. Yes.
:46:36. > :46:47.Absolutely. Let's find out what the next stage is for these little
:46:48. > :46:51.lambs. They start out life in these pens and then we let them out into
:46:52. > :46:58.the big shed. Is it important for them to have this interim period
:46:59. > :47:03.where they go out into a busier shed with other ewes and lambs? Yeah, it
:47:04. > :47:08.is quite important to let them out here. They are out in this big pen
:47:09. > :47:13.and they will have an hour or two to get used to finding each other. And
:47:14. > :47:17.then they will go up to the nursery for a couple of nights. The lambs
:47:18. > :47:22.will be bigger, stronger, wiser so in two days, they will be able to
:47:23. > :47:27.run out in a big field with 50 or 60, 80 ewes and still find their
:47:28. > :47:33.mother quite happily. Yes. You see the lambs starting to use their
:47:34. > :47:40.voices. And that is when the mothers will get used to the lambs' voices.
:47:41. > :47:45.It is really interesting watching them, isn't it? You see the ewes
:47:46. > :47:53.sniffing a lamb. You are not mine, and nudging it away. They can be
:47:54. > :47:59.quite brutal? That's right. That is not very motherly. I suppose it is
:48:00. > :48:04.not her lamb? It is not her lamb. I don't think it will get a suckle off
:48:05. > :48:07.her in a hurry. It is important they learn these lessons? It is. Once
:48:08. > :48:11.they go out into the field, if they get lost on a wet, cold night and
:48:12. > :48:15.they have an empty belly, they will die. They have to get it right now.
:48:16. > :48:19.That is one of the great shepherding skills that they have here. They are
:48:20. > :48:23.looking after them so well so they rarely get lost. Well, out in the
:48:24. > :48:28.field is of course the next stage, so they go from this big shed into
:48:29. > :48:33.the nursery and then I went with Susie to help load some of the lambs
:48:34. > :48:38.and their mothers from the nursery and we brought them out into the
:48:39. > :48:42.field. They come out in a muddle, don't they? Yes, it is a mess. You
:48:43. > :48:45.would think how are they going to find och other? Having had two or
:48:46. > :48:50.three nights in the shed, it is amazing how quickly, you give them a
:48:51. > :48:57.few minutes and they start bleating and they soon find each other. It is
:48:58. > :49:00.- it is the epitome of spring, that sight, the happy ewes and lambs
:49:01. > :49:05.altogether? It is a farmer's dream. You walk out in the field on a
:49:06. > :49:09.spring day and you see your lambs all settled up and the grass is
:49:10. > :49:15.growing, your job is done. Yeah. You can put your feet up. Pretty much.
:49:16. > :49:21.No feet up tonight. Let's have a quick scan around the shed. We have
:49:22. > :49:31.got at least three or four, you can see a water bag hanging out of the
:49:32. > :49:36.back of that mule there. There are several in - one is laying down
:49:37. > :49:41.there. So, yes, it is a busy night in our sheep maternity ward. While
:49:42. > :49:45.we are looking at those ewes, you will see that many of them are what
:49:46. > :49:50.are known as mules, or cross-bred sheep. They are a mixture of
:49:51. > :49:55.blue-faced Leicesters and what's called the Scottish black-face. Now,
:49:56. > :50:00.Hamish and Susie do have a herd of Scottish black-face, they live out
:50:01. > :50:07.on the hills and I went to meet them earlier in the year.
:50:08. > :50:14.Come February, most of the Dykes' sheep are grazing contentedly in the
:50:15. > :50:18.fields close to the farm. Today, we are heading out to round up a very
:50:19. > :50:25.special flock that live high in the hills. Shut this in case the horses
:50:26. > :50:34.come through. Rising 1,500 feet above sea-level is Mendick Hill. It
:50:35. > :50:43.is home to the Dykes' flock of Scottish black-face sheep. Hardy and
:50:44. > :50:47.wild, these ewes are only rounded up a few times a year. And they kind of
:50:48. > :50:51.know the route? The sheep do know the route but they also get quite
:50:52. > :50:55.wise and they know the escape routes as well if they think you're gonna
:50:56. > :50:59.try and slip by you. Bringing the sheep in is known as "gathering the
:51:00. > :51:01.hill" and it's here that Hamish's faithful Huntaways come into their
:51:02. > :51:05.own. Absolutely trembling with excitement. Is this a highlight day
:51:06. > :51:09.for them? In these two cases Jess is quite old and wise, she's good at
:51:10. > :51:12.knowing where the sheep are meant to be going, but we've just learnt
:51:13. > :51:16.recently that she's a bit arthritic in the front right shoulder. Will
:51:17. > :51:19.she be able to cope, do you think? Oh yeah, she never overexerts
:51:20. > :51:23.herself. Very sensible. Doug has a bit of power and noise and he can
:51:24. > :51:27.woof them up from behind. Do you want to hear a Huntaway bark? Doug,
:51:28. > :51:30.speak up. Now look at the sheep. That's amazing. So as a team they
:51:31. > :51:35.work quite well, do they? If you could get something, a balance of
:51:36. > :51:43.the two would be spot on. Don't listen to him, Jess!
:51:44. > :51:50.As we begin our climb, the sheep predictably disappear, and I realise
:51:51. > :51:57.how much ground there is to cover. Wow. Amazing, isn't it? So how far
:51:58. > :52:00.does the farm extend? Just on the backside of the hill, and down to
:52:01. > :52:06.those dry stone dykes in the green fields. Is the hill yours? It's
:52:07. > :52:13.Hamish's. "Hamish's Hill". It's ours. So what's the plan? I'll get
:52:14. > :52:19.you and Susie to just walk along the face, and we'll get them all forced
:52:20. > :52:26.down onto the flat. And we'll drive them back down towards the farm.
:52:27. > :52:29.How's your barking? Woof woof. Hamish takes a precarious route,
:52:30. > :52:32.circling round Mendick to gather the scattered flock - whilst Susie and I
:52:33. > :52:44.prevent them from giving him the slip. I have to stop and look at the
:52:45. > :52:47.view frequently. How does it feel standing here looking down on your
:52:48. > :52:51.farm? I've always appreciated it, I've always loved it. I don't
:52:52. > :52:55.actually want to go down the farm, drive and leave. If I don't ever
:52:56. > :53:10.have to get in the car and drive, that's fine. There he is.
:53:11. > :53:17.Once in position, Hamish lets the dogs go to work. They're in their
:53:18. > :53:20.element, using their bark to show the sheep who's boss. Doug, speak
:53:21. > :53:33.up. Doug's away. It's the best sight in the world,
:53:34. > :53:38.isn't it? Shepherd, dog, sheep, landscape. Life doesn't really get
:53:39. > :53:40.better than this. No, it's pretty good. I wouldn't swap a massive
:53:41. > :53:52.salary for this. No. The Blackies spend most of their
:53:53. > :53:59.lives on this hill. The last time Hamish brought them in was back in
:54:00. > :54:03.Autumn. Are you pleased with the way they've overwintered? I think
:54:04. > :54:07.they're OK, yep, I think fine, it is nice to catch up with them and get
:54:08. > :54:11.them in and gathered up and then you know, it gives you a better idea of
:54:12. > :54:15.just how they are doing. We leave them up here for quite a few weeks
:54:16. > :54:22.at a time and you don't really have an idea until you start gathering
:54:23. > :54:26.them what kind of fettle they're in. I've heard so much about them, but
:54:27. > :54:31.I've only ever seen them as dots on the hillside, so to actually get
:54:32. > :54:35.into close proximity with them. I sort of imagined them to be much
:54:36. > :54:44.more wiry somehow but they're such good-looking sheep. They are feisty,
:54:45. > :54:47.aren't they? Good catch. These expectant mums are more skittish and
:54:48. > :54:51.less used to being handled - but it's important for Hamish to check
:54:52. > :54:55.they're in good condition. The legs and everything have got to be in the
:54:56. > :54:58.right place, mouth's got to be in the right shape. Yeah, this one,
:54:59. > :55:02.she's in pretty good fettle, actually. For me it's a good chance
:55:03. > :55:05.to see why this breed is such a favourite amongst farmers across the
:55:06. > :55:08.UK. They're quite solid barrel-like sheep, aren't they? Broad muzzled as
:55:09. > :55:12.well, aren't they? Everything about them is quite kind of chunky and
:55:13. > :55:19.built to withstand bad Scottish weather. Yes, that's right. It's
:55:20. > :55:24.quite a symbolic sheep, and there's quite a lot of respect for them as
:55:25. > :55:28.well being so hardy. Come on, let me have a look at your bottom. Not you,
:55:29. > :55:32.Hamish! I noticed that you keep the tails, you don't dock them. You're
:55:33. > :55:47.lovely, aren't you? And I wonder how many lambs you've got in you. Not as
:55:48. > :55:51.nice as the Badger-faced Welsh Mountain obviously... No, clearly.
:55:52. > :55:54.Job done. These sheep will be checked and scanned tomorrow before
:55:55. > :55:57.heading back to their wild home to weather the last few months of
:55:58. > :56:01.winter before lambing in Spring. They are wonderful sheep. There is
:56:02. > :56:07.something about - they do fit so well on a Scottish hillside? They
:56:08. > :56:12.look the part. They do. As for these two, they have completely stolen
:56:13. > :56:21.everybody's hearts. We have had so many e-mails about them. Jess, you
:56:22. > :56:28.are just too soppy. As for you, Doug - it has been a long day! Lots of
:56:29. > :56:31.you have been e-mailing in to lambinglive@bbc.co.uk and Adam, we
:56:32. > :56:36.have had a couple of questions. One person wanted to know whether lambs
:56:37. > :56:40.are born with teeth. Can you show us? I can. Here we have a little
:56:41. > :56:46.lamb. I will open its mouth for you and show you it isn't born with
:56:47. > :56:55.teeth. They grow as it gets older. OK. Then, while you are there, how
:56:56. > :57:00.can you tell how old a sheep is? Right. An adult sheep, they only
:57:01. > :57:04.have teeth on their bottom jaw and you can see this ewe has grown two
:57:05. > :57:09.teeth in her first year and then she will grow two more and then another
:57:10. > :57:13.two, so they grow two teeth every year. So two teeth is one year, four
:57:14. > :57:19.is two years, six is three years and so on. They get eight teeth and then
:57:20. > :57:25.they are full-mouthed. Brilliant. Now, tomorrow, very sadly, is our
:57:26. > :57:31.last show. It's terrifying to think about that. But Adam is going to be
:57:32. > :57:36.showing you just how hi-tech it can be to grow grass. And Susie and
:57:37. > :57:44.Hamish are finding out whether their lambs will make the grade. And for
:57:45. > :57:50.all those fans of these beautiful dogs, yes we have been listening to
:57:51. > :57:54.you, yes, we have seen your e-mails and we have answered your call. We
:57:55. > :57:59.have made a special film, none of us need to turn up tomorrow night, we
:58:00. > :58:04.can do an hour-long programme on these two dogs. Now, we should have
:58:05. > :58:09.a final scan around the shed. I don't think anything is absolutely
:58:10. > :58:13.imminent. What do you think, Hamish? I don't think we will get anything
:58:14. > :58:18.in the next two minutes. You don't? Our cameras will be here so you will
:58:19. > :58:24.miss nothing. Join us tomorrow night at 8.00pm for our final night in the
:58:25. > :58:28.lambing shed. Good night. Good night. Good night. Good night.