The Sheep Have Arrived

Yep, 'Ewes' got it - we bought our sheep.

I thought ten would be a good starting number for complete shepherd novices like us, after all; we never raised sheep.  But no, why start with ten when your can purchase an entire flock of 72, plus three bucks. Oh, I must not forget the llama that was included in the mix.  The llama is for protection; not mine, the sheep's.  Sheep need protection from dogs, coyotes and perhaps our neighborhood mama bear. (We have not seen her yet, but our neighbor saw her hanging out with her two cubs in the woods between the two farms.)  The llama will be the point guard against such predators - she might be successful, she might not be. We will find out in time.

Glenn and Becky unloading our sheep

So, last night the first load of sheep were unloaded just after 8:00 P.M.   When the first ewe exited, Buddy's instinct as a herding dog kicked into high gear. Since Buddy is not formally trained as a sheep dog, he had to be subdued. The sheep unloaded without incident. Ember and two steers were in the adjacent pasture. At first, they ran to the far side of the pasture when they saw the sheep. But, within minutes,  they crept back with interest, almost inquiring,  'What are those odd creatures?'  The last ewe, from the second load, walked off the trailer at 11:30 P.M.  A little late, even for me, but why do such chores during the light of day when they can be done during the darkness of night?  Simple. It is cooler at night and sheep dislike heat about as much as I do.

'Hey you guys, say CHEESE!'

So, how was our initiation?  Well, we were expecting a lot of 'baaing' through the night since the lambs had just been weaned from these ewes.  There was complete silence.  It was so quiet that I was beginning to worry.  When morning dawned, around 6:15, I wandered out to find the critters just standing around, inside the barn lot,  munching on a few weeds.  Some of them were smiling, yes, smiling.  Sheep have both upper and lower sets of teeth, unlike cows who only have bottom teeth.  So, when  sheep crack open their lips, their teeth show; making them look as if they are wearing dentures - how funny!  As I stood still, they inched towards me.  They also desired an up-close look.  Soon they were eating again; stretching their heads through the gate to get that grass on the other side. 

Luckily, I noticed a few holes in the fence that were large enough for a small animal, like a sheep to get through.  We never had to worry about the cattle and those small gaps.  So, before Glenn got to the task, I went about blocking up those breaches the best I could using green vinyl garden fencing, an old rug, a chaise lounge, fallen tree branches and a ladder  - whatever I had at hand to protect my gardens. The fence does not look pretty, but if it works, great. I do not want sheep grazing my perennials!

We are learning fast that we need to sheep proof our cattle proof fences.  All of our fences will need to be modified for these shorter and more agile animals, sooner than later.

Our first real sheep task was to separate the three males out from the flock.  Sheep are small.  This will be easy, we thought.  Yeah right, think again.  Every time we got the bucks to the other side of the fence, they would just crawl back under and join the females.  OK...fence boards, nails, woven wire fencing...the wide opening at the bottom of the barn lot's fencing was immediately narrowed,  holes in the fence repaired.  We are secure, and I use the term lightly, for the very current moment.

'This IS my best side!'

These sheep are going to join the cattle herd in a few days.  They will become a significant part our farm's pasture management plan.  The sheep's job is to eat the woody vegetation and weeds that cattle find too unpalatable; thus, improving the overall quality of the forages for both.  We are committed to improving both plants and animals on our farm; utilizing less mechanics and fuels along the way.  The goal is providing healthy feed to produce healthy animals and healthy meats, which results in an overall healthy environment.

Our first lambing will occur early March through April of 2012.  Lamb meat will be available October 2012. 

Now is the time to officially announce, we have a 'flerd'!