News & Info > School Farm – Spring Update School Farm – Spring Update An update from Milton Abbey's School Farm which for the past three years has been developed with a view to becoming a workable, financially self-sustaining small holding. For the past three years, the School Farm has been developed with a view to becoming a workable, financially self-sustaining small holding. The Farm has been producing saleable livestock to generate an income as well as hugely increasing the production of eggs which fund the bulk of the feed costs. Lambs and pigs, bought in as young stock (weaners), are looked after and fed until they are ready for the food chain. After initial investment from the School, in the first year the farm turned a small profit and the countryside management team decided to keep the better natured ewes for future breeding. Following the purchase of a Poll Dorset Ram from a local farm, two of our ewes started to show signs of being “in lamb” and just before the Easter holidays they were moved into the farm shelter so they could be closely monitored. After a week of waiting, on April 8th our senior ewe gave birth to four lambs. The last lamb delivered was small, weak and struggling for life. Rejected by her mother, it was apparent that she would need bottle feeding. The orphan lamb was taken home for three hourly feeds around the clock. Initially getting milk and volostrum (an artificial substitute for colostrum) into the lamb was an uphill struggle and it was two days before she could stand. Perseverance paid off however and after a week on the sofa with little sleep Kevin, who manages the farm on a day to day basis, returned the lamb now named “Bindy” to the farm. Bindy is doing well and lives in the farm shelter, self-feeding on a lambing bucket and creep (lamb pellet). Every time Kevin is at the farm she is allowed out where she follows him like a lap dog, skipping as she goes. Sadly one of the other lambs was lain on by her mother, perhaps deliberately, soon after the birth and did not survive. The second ewe was a little slower off the mark but two weeks later and with some assistance from Kevin, two rather large lambs emerged. Both ewes and lambs are now living out on grass, the ewes have a male and a female lamb at foot with them and these lambs will later go on to be sold as produce to support the farm accounts. Bindy on the other hand is a ‘keeper’, having shown the strength to survive against all odds her place as a future mother on the farm is guaranteed. Plus after the initial week of bonding with Kevin, it was never likely he would let her be taken away from the farm! Aside from the lambs, the farm also has 28 hen pheasants and 4 cock birds producing fertile eggs in preparation for the school shoot. The first of these eggs are due to hatch shortly with regular hatches over the next six weeks. These birds will be reared on the farm with the assistance of the Countryside Management pupils until the end of term when they will get “released to wood” under the close eye of the keeper and his working dogs for the summer break. Game bird rearing and the shoot form a large part of the curriculum on the BTEC course so this process has expanded significantly over the last two seasons. Life on the farm is currently busy but hugely rewarding. Financially the project continues to be a success and educationally things have moved on enormously with a big emphasis on conservation and sustainability. The central area of the farm has now been ploughed in preparation for a wild flower and meadow mix to be sown and a 10m x 12m pond has been created. This part of the farm will go ‘back to nature’ and enable pupils to create habitats for different species, all of which will of course be studied. The farm currently has 2 goats, 1 ram, 4 ewes, 5 young lambs, 6 older lambs (ready for June), 32 breeding pheasants and 19 chickens, all of whom you are more than welcome to visit!