Friday, January 12, 2007

Ah, togetherness!

Well, it sounded good anyway. Since Valentine's quarantine is over, for all practical purposes, I decided to put all the girls together in the pasture this sunny, cold afternoon. Rechel and Dinah had been out since first thing this morning; after lunch, I added Valentine and Bella. (Note to the uninitiated: they really aren't all off-white!)
At first, the situation looked good. (I didn't realize sheep sniff, well, THERE, to get acquainted, just like dogs!) Everyone was calm, and Valentine was clearly happy to be with a "flock" and exploring more of Boulderneigh.
Then, without warning, Rechel rammed Valentine from behind - twice! I was close enough, when she hit her a third time, in the side, to clobber Rechel, and she seemed to get the message. But then I left the pasture to get something, and when I returned, Dinah and Rechel were both after her, ramming her at every chance. That was it; I put Valentine and Bella back in their quarters to protect "the expectant one." (Although Bella has been acting like a lap sheep while in the quarantine pen with Valentine, I had left her halter on "just in case," and it was a good thing. Once back with her mother, Bella acted like a wild thing again.)

We'll have to work on introductions carefully. In the meantime, here's a parting shot of Valentine's lustrous fleece, followed by a shot of Dinah's for comparison. I have really enjoyed working with Dinah's fleece (my first); but look at the shine in Valentine's! Yum!


That's it for now at . . .

3 comments:

Kathy said...

Silly sheep! You'd think they would be nicer to each other wouldn't you? :)

I'll bet you're like me...I can hardly wait for shearing to begin to play with my own fleece!

Tina T-P said...

Oh, that getting together thing is just brutal! The first time we put a new ewe in with the girls I don't know who was most upset - her or us! Good luck with re-introducing her to your flock. T.

Tammy said...

Hi Michelle,
Just a really quick note, as I'm at work and don't plan to stay long. We have experienced a devastating ice storm here---but thank God everyone and livestock are doing okay. No electricity at home since Friday night, but we do have it here at work. ANYway, you might try some really strong perfume, or vicks vapo rub, smeared on all their butts and noses (sometimes works with rams when reintroducing) and if the girls continue to be harsh, you might consider some 'ram shields' or a homemade version to block their front view so they can't ram so hard. It truly is ugly when you try to introduce new sheep sometimes! Take care, Tammy