Sugargum Farm

06/09/2026

Whenever I go for a wander to check the Babydoll ewes, I have the pleasure of the company of this little mob.😍 The Romney girls and their lambs all come with me. 🩷 Romneys are such personable sheep, even Rhonda Stomper, who doesn’t stomp at me anymore.😊
She does stomp at Teddy though and it works, as he is frightened of her.😂 It’s nice to have their woolly company.❤️🥰❤️

06/09/2026

Well, the first Babydoll lamb didn’t quite go the way we hoped. Small Mum, good sized lamb but both legs locked at the elbow, so she took a bit of time and manual persuasion to extract her.

Mum. A maiden, took one look and said, “No thanks. She’s yours now.” And nothing could convince her otherwise. 🙄 I thought for a minute we may have been winning until she tried to headbutt her. 😬 I suspect it was the difficult birth as both her Mum and Grandma were excellent Mums. 😢

So we have our first poddy lamb for the season. She is doing well, with an exceptional pair of lungs😳and a passion for her bottle. 🩷 She seems wise beyond her hours, as if she has been here and done all this before. 😊😍

03/09/2026

As we have two new Elliottdale breeders, two prospective new breeders and a few people who have asked about how we “create some new Elliottdales”, I have just explained the process on our website, for those who are interested.

It is a grading up process but is a little different to the usual grading up, as we have to be quite specific about the ewes and rams used. We follow the original breed development program used by Ron Sides, the “father of the Elliottdale breed”, so the ewes must be Romney ewes and the rams must be pure, registered, homozygous Elliottdales, which our rams are.

The details are on the linked page and the process has been accepted by the Australian Stud Sheep Breeders Association, as they will be required to inspect the progeny.

We will be starting this journey next year and we’re excited to document the progress of going from the Romney to the Elliottdale and bring some new blood into the lines. ❤️🐑

We hope you’ll follow the journey. 😊

https://share.google/STjzyIHrJzT2wGQi0

02/09/2026

A huge “Thank you” to Dr Kate and Dr Joe (in two months time 🥳👏) for the fabulous job they did yesterday with our Ovine Brucellosis testing. Taking blood from rams is not an easy task, but they made it look like a walk in the park, with a bit of fun as well. I think we’ll have to give Dr Kate the nickname, “Bullseye” as she rarely missed the target! 👏 A couple of times she had a vial of blood before I even realised the needle was in! 😳
Thanks, Ballarat Pet and Farm Vet!
Thanks Kate and Joe. Awesome job! ❤️🐑
Wishing you all the best in your chosen career, Joe. 👨🏻‍🎓

31/08/2026

The Ruminant Recovery Position. The latest to help a struggling newborn lamb or calf.

🐑🐄 THE RUMINANT RECOVERY POSITION — Time to change our old habits?

If you've been around lambing or calving for a while, you've probably seen it — or done it yourself.
A lamb swung around by its back legs.
A newborn calf hung over a gate after a difficult birth.

The idea was that we were helping drain fluid from the lungs and clear the airway.
But… the advice has changed.

That fluid you see coming out when a newborn is hung or swung is now thought to be more likely coming from the stomach rather than the lungs.
And swinging or hanging a newborn can actually increase the risk of stomach contents being inhaled into the lungs.

So what's the better option?
👉 Get the newborn onto its chest.

Sit the lamb or calf upright on its sternum, with all four legs pointing forwards.
This position allows the chest to expand properly and gives the newborn the best chance of breathing effectively.

You can also gently stimulate the calf or lamb by tickling inside the nostril with a piece of clean grass 🌱 to encourage it to take a breath.
And of course, make sure the airway is clear and get veterinary help if the newborn isn't breathing normally or isn't responding to stimulation.

So, if you've spent years swinging lambs or hanging calves over the gate…

Don't feel bad — we're always learning more.

Farming is full of things we've done because that's how Dad did it, and Dad did it because that's how Grandad did it! 😂
Sometimes the best thing we can do for our stock is be prepared to change the way we've always done things when better evidence comes along.

🐑 Chest down. Legs forward. Let them breathe.

On Farm. On Call. On Your Side!

30/08/2026

Look at those smiles on that first photo! 😁 They are very happy Babydolls.🩷

You know how much we love to see our sheep in their new homes. 🩷 Well, the lovely Tegan just sent me these photos of Blitzy, Button, Mitsu and Melody in their new home, with their new, little Future Farmer. How adorable are they? 🥰😍🥰
Thank you for sharing them with us, Tegan. 🩷

29/08/2026

I love it when you can look at two sheep and see they are related. Two of my favourites, Callie and Sherbet are half brother and sister. 🩵🩷
Can you see the resemblance?

They are equally related in their love of scritches too! 🥰😍

28/08/2026

He’s ba-ack! Look who arrived today.💛🤍
I was in the sheep-yard when I felt the wings buzz the top of my head. 🤣 It had to be Cocky.

I don’t know where he goes when he leaves, but he always turns up again. He was a little nervous at first, but then I realised he doesn’t know Teddy. 🐶 I put some sunflower seeds out for him and he soon relaxed.😍

Soon after his friend arrived. It’s good to see he’s okay and obviously managing well as a wild bird. Just as it should be. 💛🤍

28/08/2026

The Hair Bears are in the yard today, as we are getting the young boys in with Sherbet and Kush. So a little bit of get-to-know you time first, in a confined space.
They were all very calm about the whole introduction thing, with Sherbet preferring some cuddle time with the Shepherdess. 🥰🤗 He was happier still when I put the phone in my pocket and had two hands for scratches! 😍
Love these boys. 🩵