There’s a late arrival to the flock this Spring. On May 30, our first year ewe Pandora surprised me earlier this month by bagging up. It was three weeks past my official Ram exposure to the ewes, but I also realize I put him back in with them on pasture later, after I thought the gals had finished cycling. Well, I really don’t read the signs well when a ewe drops into heat. Apparently Pandora was late to the party, but still ready to dance. That’s ok, I really should just leave the ram in till late winter- but I don’t like feeding him alfalfa, or letting him bully the gals off their food so he gets his own digs in the winter, but I let them all go on pasture together because there is enough food and space for them all. When the ewes are heavily pregnant, the ram is removed until after all the lambs are born and stable. Oakie is a good ram in the flock most of the time, I don’t see him bully lambs unless it’s over food- until the rut. By then, all the lambs should be sold or slaughtered, so he does not have to fight with other rams for the ewes. But that might change this year, as I am looking at overwintering one of my ram lambs, who is turning out very well.
Quercus is a ewe lamb in my favorite line- her grandmother is Lickety-Split, who was the first lamb born at Leafhopper Farm, out of Ingrid, who was the lead ewe and my favorite friendly sheep. Not all sheep are friendly with people, many prefer distance and an occasional polite hand sniff when they do get close. I don’t mind if a sheep is shy, as long as I can handle them when I need to. If a sheep is prone to panic when I come into the barn, I tend to cull them because it’s not helpful to keeping a calm herd and handleable (domestic) animals. Quercus’ Mom, Pandora, is a little shy, but not panicky. She let’s me offer a hand sniff, and will stand when I catch her collar and look her over. It’s important to look over your animals often to make sure they don’t have any hidden injuries or other ailments that take some visual checking. When I came into the pen to check Pandora’s new lamb, she stood by, sniffed my hand, and stood while I looked at her new born to make sure everything was ok. That’s a sure sign of calmness in a ewe that I appreciate, and her little lamb shows the same temperament. This is a big reason I love this line in the flock. Lickety-Split comes right to me for head scratches- even in the field, and the rest of the herd usually follows her over for social time. Some might call her a Judas Sheep, but she’s my Bellweather. She even wears a bell. Her granddaughter might be a future lead ewe herself one day.
For now, Quercus enjoys her new life in the flock and gets a wander around the pasture, close to momma and grandmomma in the field. She’ll have a lot of catching up to do before running around with the rest of the lambs from this year. They are all growing very fast because they are all singles and getting exclusive rights to mom’s milk. It’s a first here at EEC, to have all singles, but that’s ok, everyone is healthy and happy, and we have a great sized flock. May the herd continue to show good development as this grand experiment in Katahdin Sheep continues.
EEC Forest Stewardship 