LAMBING is an intricate process… but a nine-year-old girl has mastered it.
Ellie Goff is an expert in delivering lambs, but when an injury left her out of action, her daughter Marli sprang into action.
The family lives at the Wellies-On therapeutic care farm, in Mersea Road, Abberton, which Ellie founded 18 years ago.
The mum-of-three said Marli, who loves getting involved with everything on the farm, had joined her on a Saturday morning when they discovered one of their ewes had started to give birth to a lamb, whose particularly large head had got stuck.
Ellie, who was getting over an injury to her finger caused by a vegetable chopper, didn’t have any gloves handy which led to her daughter’s swift action.
She said: “Marli has assisted with lambing before, but this was the first really difficult birth she’d done.
“She’s helped with a breech delivery before, but it was relatively straightforward, and this lamb was very stuck.”
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The lamb was delivered safely with the farm owner offering guidance and reassurance to her clever daughter, and the lamb and ewe are thriving.
“She was more than delighted she needed to be the one to do it instead of Mum and gladly stepped in and assisted,” said Ellie.
Marli, who loves looking after her pet sheep Mary, presented the newborn to its mum and named it Misty.
And there’s good news for Ellie, too, as her finger continues to heal well.
Wellies-On was opened by the proud mum, whose background is in teaching, 18 years ago to offer support to people who could benefit from being with animals and in nature. This includes people living with mental health conditions and learning disabilities.
The farm, which works with a team of occupational therapists and works closely with the University of Essex, also supports Colchester’s homeless shelter and women’s refuge. The team are looking forward to welcoming two occupational therapy students from the university for placements starting in the coming days.
The company also offers a mobile service in the form of a flat pack farm where the team bring the farmyard to you, complete with chickens, goats, sheep, and more.
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