Yesterday, the ewe group (the four ewes and two yearling wethers) were the picture of the 23rd Psalm, while the three big boys sorted things out. Today, "those boys," as Sara called them, are getting along fine and the girls are being jerks! Well, not all the girls. Annabelle is staying completely out of the fray, and Marta only joins in occasionally and halfheartedly. But Sarai has it in for Bramble, which in turn interests the boys – in a rather unwetherly way.
Yes (YAY!), I plan to breed my ewes this fall – but Bramble wasn't going to be in the breeding group because of how sure I am that she's sterile. No point in subjecting her to hassling by a hormone-driven male, right? Plus, she still has spells of apparent vaginal irritation, for no reason we can figure out other than hormonal and/or anatomical abnormalities because of freemartinism. Then Deb has to go and put that "What if?" in my mind....
*If sheep are "amnos" in Greek, then I figure "cultural amnosology" is like cultural anthropology, only in sheep. ;-)
That's it for the sheep soap opera today at . . .
11 comments:
Oh so lush and green and shady ...... can't wait to see some Boulderneigh lambs one of these days.
I'd love to take a road trip with some sheep for you Michelle, but the UK trip is sucking all my road trips into it's vortex this year! I had planned on attending the AGM, but can't do 2 big trips.
Your girls look great.
I'm good with them butting each other as long as they don't butt me.
I wish I could share some green and rain and cooler weather with you, Audrey!
I certainly understand – and am totally jealous of your UK trip!!!
Oh no, sheep are NOT allowed to butt the shepherd, not even the boys!
I hear you. It's been unreal here with the girl fights. I was actually working on a post about the flock that talked about this. No good pictures though like yours---I was too mad at the time!
Tammy
Even if you tried to use CIDR's to get her to settle, I'm not sure she could carry lambs to term because of her wonky hormones... She's basically a female wether (who still has all her parts, whatever they are)...
I find that girls, be it sheep girls or human girls, can be much bigger butt heads than men. I worked in a factory with a workforce of about 98% women and they were the nasty mouthed, back stabbing, drama driven and petty. I couldn't wait to work with guys again. lol
Most of the animal kingdom is ruled by the females, and even in wild horses, it's the alpha mare that decides the social order and who stays and who goes. Happy wife, happy life......it's not just a saying.
I'm sure having a couple sheep removed from the flock has changed the hiarchy.....and that order must be redetermined!
Well, I don't need you to share cool weather and rain with me here in NH as it is so cool I have a little space heater on so I can sit here on our enclosed porch and work on my computer. It is poring rain... good for the plants... I hope anyway. Looks like I am going to have to move both my new rose bush as well as one of my hydrangeas I planted this spring... they don't seem happy where they are so I might as well get it over with... :D
Hugs and looking forward to those lambs...
Beth P
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