So You Think You Want Sheep

Maybe the idea of a grazing flock on your lawns has struck your fancy; a bucolic scene in which there are no lawn mowers spewing fumes or consuming costly gas. Or maybe you just want to raise some lambs for meat. I won't dissuade you from either of those goals, but you should know what you're getting into. And so, for purposes of education, let's review our flock's grazing session yesterday.

A. let them out of their pasture because the high temperatures and lack of rain has pretty much killed the grass in there. He blocked off a section in the back of the house behind the forsythia so they could eat the weeds and grass that has been growing mostly unchecked back there. Because there was a lot to eat there, he thought if he just blocked the major openings in the forsythia hedge and up the lane, they would stay put.

He should really know better by now.

The sheep did not want to stay where all that good grazing was. They forced their way through the forsythia hedge (some of them getting quite comically entangled for several minutes before breaking free) and made their way purposefully towards the flower bed to eat the MiL's day lilies.

A. herded them away from the day lilies and then ran to get in front of them to cover up the rose bush before they ate that. They made their way around the house, eating the forsythia hedge as they went. After a few minutes they were near the gate to the paddock by the house, so A. let them in there and shut the gate behind them, thinking they would eat the weeds in there and he could relax for a little while.

A few minutes later I saw a couple of the big Cotswolds climbing (with their front legs only--obviously, sheep can't really climb trees) the small pear tree in the paddock and eating the pears on the lower branches. Wretched things.

A call to the shepherd resulted in much cursing and the locking of the flock back into the pasture. The whole excursion lasted maybe 15 minutes and involved no less than four incidents of damaging grazing.

But that's what sheep do. They wander around and they eat. Anything. Usually the things you most want them to stay away from. Also, they shit everywhere they go. And sheep poop is fascinating to toddlers. They will pick it up. And it is gross.

Just something to keep in mind when you get all starry-eyed about a sheep flock.