And speaking of sheep and lambs! We're supposed to get a visit from the local (tiny) preschool today. They're coming to see the sheep. Yes, we have become a field trip destination. I only hope none of them end up in hysterics when Bonnie yells right in their faces for food.
And speaking of sheep and yelling! OH MY GOD, are those sheep loud. They're in the pasture right by the house, which means they can monitor the activity of the humans and start agitating for food as soon as they hear any signs of movement. Plus, since they're all nursing, they're really hungry. I can sympathize with that, but four ewes yelling for food (the Merinos don't actually yell, thank God--it's just the Cotswolds) is DEAFENING. And irritating. If only we could just leave a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter out in the field for them.
And speaking of sheep and that pasture by the house! That pasture also happens to be right next to the road, which means there are a lot of people slowing down or pulling right over to look at the lambs popping around the pasture. This makes the dogs quite angry and they spend much of the day barking futilely at the threatening vehicles.
And . . . that's all. Have a nice day.
On that info alone I would vote for the new sheep being Merinos.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Millie will drop while they are there....talk about yelling.
A field trip destination....how cool....will Cubby see any action then?
I guess at least the doggies feel needed that way...like they are earning their keep.
word verification- belypers
the noise your stomach makes when you are hungry
How cool. The kids will LOVE your place. All the animals. It's really nice of you to let them visit.
ReplyDeleteI greatly enjoy your use of "chop, chop" in referring to lambs. HARSH! :)
ReplyDeleteRemind me why you have the sheep again.
ReplyDeleteI mean, I know you eat them. And you use their hides. But as a woman who's moving to an acreage, I must know . . . if we start out small, would you recommend lambs for the amateur? Should we start with chickens? Consider goats? Calves?
So much to ponder!
running and tearing calves on our farm and lots of broad hints for invitations out to see them. City folks dont' realize our farm doesn't look like those pristine, beautiful farms seen on videos. Ours is hilly, muddy and smells like wet cows right now.
ReplyDeleteJ.T.: I'm glad you enjoyed that. i got significant amusement out of it myself.
ReplyDeleteD.D.: I have no idea what we have the sheep. Because A. wanted them, I suppose. It wasn't a really carefully reasoned decision. As for what you should get . . . well, I can discuss this at great length if you would like to e-mail me, but short answer: Chickens are probably your best bet. Small, so easy to transport and control if necessary--unlike, say, a cow--fairly cheap to keep once you have a coop in place, and a reliable source of continuous food that you can actually use as it comes. That would be eggs. An advantage over having huge carcasses after slaughter being your only food from an animal. You don't even need a rooster if all you want is eggs. Though they are very susceptible to predators, so that's a downside.
Kay: Ours doesn't look like that, either. Right next to the listing fence with droopy barbed wire on top that the kids were looking through was a piece of old wire fencing on the ground, the discarded plastic covering from the hay bale, and a tarp. I could have cleaned up before they came, but we wouldn't want them to have an idealized view of our life, now would we?