It started today, well, yesterday I guess, with a pair of lovely twin ewe (female) lambs from one of my best ewes. I wasn't even expecting it - these are just a hair early - guess mama couldn't wait to make her love connection, lol. Fortunately for them, we went out at about 10:00 to make some preparations for a snow/ice event we are expecting tomorrow. We opened the gate to bring in a large bale of hay and the sheep made a break for freedom. No big deal, what we had to do was easier to do without them in the pasture anyway. [
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Patrick dumped a bag of feed into the feeder and suddenly there was a ewe coming up the field all by herself! I told Patrick to grab her (why hadn't I brought my crook? [sm=smack.gif]) to see if she was close to lambing. But while we were maneuvering to catch her, I heard . . ."A lamb! No, TWO lambs!" out in the field, in the dark.
So we went down, moved them to the "jug" - a small pen that allows mama to get her own feed and get to know her lambs in privacy, and mama followed her babies in.
We finished the chores, and then we needed to get the sheep back in that pasture. They were wandering all over the place. Unfortunately, Cord is lame and Ben doesn't see well in the dark. It was time for baby Rocky, who is "Patrick's puppy" to make his debut as a chore dog!! I coached Patrick a little - Patrick was very nervous as the last time he tried to use Rocky for something it was a complete disaster. I knew Rocky could do it though - the last couple times he'd seen sheep I could tell he'd crossed over into that serious attitude.
Rocky was wonderful. Patrick just had him push the sheep short distances and then do a couple quick gathers. Once all the sheep were together and Patrick really let him go, Rocky would get excited and go ALL the way around, pushing the sheep the wrong way, and once he did that and split them in two groups. They put up the one group and then went back and put the other group up with little trouble.
Finally, Patrick closed the gate and got ready to go in the house - but Rocky dashed off into the darkness, out the front gate towards the road! [
] Patrick opened his mouth to yell at him but a sheep came bolting into view with Rocky on her heels. What a good puppy! One of those Lassie moments, for sure.
I love when my babies grow up.[
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