by Today involved some hot and bloody work. Marking lambs with ear notches, ear tags, tail and testicle bands and plenty of vivid pink ‘Click’ anti-fly spray. N’s family farm runs meat sheep of a ‘Dorper’ variety, which do not have the skin folds characteristic of the wool sheep like ‘Merino’ and thus, thankfully do not need ‘mulesing’. Most of the lambs we worked with today will end up on plates over the next 6 months. Tail and testicle banding clearly hurts the lambs after a time, but the ear piercing and notch cutting is obviously immediately excruciating. I’m grateful that the farm’s notch only requires a single cut.
I eat meat and I am generally quite comfortable with being involved in its production from time to time. I wouldn’t be a farmer for quids though.
It occurred to me that the English onomatopoeia for sheep ‘Baaa’ is completely inaccurate. I think Arabic get’s it better according to the list here anyway (under subheading sheep bleating).
I spent what remained of the afternoon tidying, unpacking and beginning to create card template sheets in Illustrator which I will draw card roughs onto over the comming days and weeks.
Edit:
Found something wonderful care of a friend. John Malcovich being awesome.
I eat meat too as you know & I agree you must be prepared to put the work in – have skinned & cut-up roadkill deer.
Love the Malkovich. Well done your friend to find it. xxx