Pleased to meet ewe
Published: 10:25, 08 March 2013
Nothing says spring has sprung like the sight of bouncing newborn lambs.
And you can get up close to this year’s tiny new arrivals – and see some of them enter the world – at Hadlow College’s annual lambing weekend.
There will be a host of family fun on offer at the agricultural college near Tonbridge, including sheep dog demonstrations, tractor and trailer rides and sports displays.
Visitors can also browse stalls selling local produce, arts and crafts and take the opportunity to tour the college’s animal management unit and more than 10 acres of gardens.
College spokesman Pat Crawford said: “Last year our lambing weekend attracted more than 10,000 visitors from all over the county and we hope for an equally good turnout this year. It is a great family day out.”
Get up close to the woolly wonders from 11am to 4pm on Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10.
Did you know?
Ewes usually give birth to one to three lambs each year.
After a lamb is born, the ewe begins to lick it. This is part of the bonding process and also helps to dry the lamb.
Most lambs will begin standing within an hour of birth and instinct tells them to immediately start looking for milk.
After lambs are several weeks old, lamb marking (the process of ear tagging) is carried out.
Lambs suckle frequently during their first few weeks of life, once or twice an hour, for as long as three minutes each time. But, by the end of their fifth week, they will only be sucking once every two hours.
Baby lambs are like other baby animals, they sleep a lot – about eight to 12 hours per day.
Hadlow College is just off the Tonbridge Road. Admission is £6, £4 for concessions and a family ticket is £15. Call Hadlow College on 0500 551 434 for more details or go towww.hadlow.ac.uk
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Ray Edwards