Some people (like my DH) think sheep stink. Me, I've always liked their rich, lanolin-y scent. All the girls I've bought and lambs I've raised have smelled similarly sheepy -- until now.
This morning after doing chores and seeing with great gratification that the new lambies are eating and drinking well, I sat down to talk to the wild little things. Their quarantine quarters are quite small, the 8'x8' shed with an open doorway into a small "front yard." That means they can't get too far away from me, and are forced to listen to my voice and even, occasionally, tolerate a gentle scratch on a rear end when they stick their sweet heads in a corner. I was sitting on the threshold of the shed, and Brava decided she wanted in. It was easy to grab her as she tried to leap by, then settle her across my lap for some "cuddling." She actually stayed relatively quiet while I talked to her, stroked her head, felt her noggin, and looked over her fleece more closely. I was pleasantly surprised by the exquisite softness of her fleece. We had some light showers last night and this morning, and the moisture seems to have made a huge difference in her "handle," or how she feels. But what was that SMELL? It was bore an olfactory resemblance to, well, PIGS, and it was emanating from the lamb in my lap. Eeeew. I hadn't noticed this difference between the Arizona lambs and my Oregon sheep until dampness combined with the opportunity for sustained proximity. I do hope it goes away!
That's it for now at . . .
5 comments:
Whoa there, Kiddo! Not ALL Arizona sheep smell like that! (I know when I've been insulted!) ;-)
And it's about time we saw these two!
Maybe it's from the trailer they were brought north in. Hopefully they'll stand out in the rain a little and wash off?
That's the one thing I couldn't stand about the alpacas - they stink. I'm with you - I love the "lanolin'y" smell of the sheep. Enjoy your new babies :-) T.
My AZ sheep don't stink either! Maybe the acclimation and humidity is bringing out a change in their system. I'm sure they'll sweeten up eventually.
I love a good lanolin sheep smell, nothing like it!
Oh, and my alpacas don't stink either, unless they're spitting, of course. That smells like the bowels of Hell.
Nothing smells better than a wet ram. Except fresh ground coffee. ;)
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