When we bought our flock of 70+ sheep back in early August, we also purchased one older ram and two three-month-old buck lambs. After all, we do intend to breed all 70 ewes.
 |
| Winky |
 |
| Blinky and Nod (Winky - never far behind) |
The bucks are kept totally separate from the ewes until our scheduled breeding season - November. SweetLips and Ember have been keeping them company in the barn paddocks. Yesterday, Little Red (our bull) and his buddy (a South Poll steer) joined the group. It is now Little Red's time to be separated from the cows. (All the cows should be bred. If not, they are considered culled and go to market.) I enjoy watching the five, now seven, graze peacefully together. Initially, SweetLips stayed to herself (she was supposed to be the aggressive guard for the flock) and as far from Ember as she could manage. Now, they are chums.
As I finished mowing the lawn; I looked up and noticed the two young bucks facing each other, then running at each other - purposely bumping heads. They are maturing. Soon, the older ram joined in the activity. Being quite the novice in sheep rearing, I can only assume that these guys were exerting their dominance. I am also assuming that they have hard skulls.
Winky, Blinky and Nod are inseparable. I see one, I see all three. One eats, they all eat. One rests, they all rest. One runs, they all run. You get the picture.... Oh, by the way, when the young bucks run their long tails twirl about like pinwheels boosting them forward. It is so cute to see them running, toward me, followed by their fuzzy propellers.
Winky, the elder, is a Katahdin breed (white) while Blinky and Nod, the youngers, are Dorpers (usually exhibit some black).
Feeding them a scoop of barley daily or a few corn stalks from the garden maintain their utmost friendliness.
If they notice me watching them, from the other side of the fence, they come running to see if is time for another handout.
 |
| Any food for me? |
If not, they wander off, together. Cute, as always.
No comments:
Post a Comment