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madcat
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madcat
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madcat
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Truffle
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VM
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gregotyn
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madcat
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 45472 Location: yes
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gil Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 08 Jun 2005 Posts: 18409
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Posted: Sat Oct 12, 13 8:41 pm Post subject: |
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I hope you and yours enjoy your new Hebs, and their fleeces.
Generally, sheep do not need an awful lot of looking after in between specific times of tupping/scanning/lambing/foot-trimming/clipping'n'dipping/more foot-trimming/dosing, drenching or whatever you decide you want to do to them.
On a normal day, you want to be 'looking' them twice a day, once first thing, and once at dusk. Make them move around, so you can see whether any are limping, unwell, etc. Count them. Check possible places sheep may be lying down being ill/dead. like behind stane dykes, in bushes, by the burn....
Some sheep - Texels, I'm looking at you - will limp for the hell of it because they are drama llamas.
Otherwise, enjoy them. In the field, on the plate, on the loom.
An elderly friend keeps a wee flock of elderly Hebs (other smallholders' cast-offs) as lawnmowers and suppliers of fleece for peg-looming, and she manages to catch them, as a) they are quite small, as sheep go; and b) she has them trained to come and eat Weetabix from her hand.
Sheep will run in the opposite direction from your direction of travel. If you want a group/line of them to go left, walk right along them.
Once you get one to go, most will follow. (hahahahaha)
If there are two of you and no dog, one of you can be the dog.
Building funnels / races as an approach to gates or pens is good.
Web resources : Temple Grandin has written useful info on handling and working with sheep, and working with their natural behaviours.
I really like sheep, though I find them infuriating and endearing in equal measure.
Last edited by gil on Sun Oct 27, 13 4:43 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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madcat
Joined: 24 May 2008 Posts: 1265 Location: worcester
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gregotyn
Joined: 24 Jun 2010 Posts: 2201 Location: Llanfyllin area
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