Thursday, November 29, 2007

Escape!

First thing when I get up (really! the very first thing) I look out the window. This morning the first thing I saw was Buddy pacing the fenceline by the lane... and a sheep that looked like Elora the Shetland gulmoget (one of the bachelorette ewe lambs) "in" Kibbles pasture. What???? Looking longer and more focused, I see the ram-boys in the bachelor pen pacing and looking longingly at Buddy's group. A couple of black (black???) sheepie bodies were parading by the ram-boys. Hmmmmm, Buddy's harem is all brown ... ewe-lamb sheep break! (I could also see DG and Amy, the other members of the bachelorette group, in their proper place.)

Well, after taking care of business and ushering the dogs outside, out I went. Sure enough, four little ewe lambs had gathered and were fixing to enter the yard and close proximity to two more breeding groups!


Fortunately, they readily followed me with a couple flakes of hay for incentive (or were they following the hay with me being just a nuisance?). They were reluctant to traipse through the mud in front of the barn. Elora came first (trying to get back into my good graces?) and gave Midnight, Pepper and Cinnamon enough incentive to pick their various ways through the mud.


Thinking I must have left their gate ajar, I was surprised to find it closed. After ushering them through and giving them their delectable (?) hay reward, I found the opening. Amy (the llama) has been pushing over the hog panel lane fence, grazing the "greener" grass, and had finally wore through the baling twine ties at one of the fence posts. It was open just enough for enterprising little sheep to go exploring. Gotta replace that e-topline on the lane fence!

Amy, The Long Neck Enabler!

DG, the Innocent Bystander - isn't she cute... for a Mutt-Sheep (Finn/Scottish Blackface)
Elora, the Gang Leader, with Cinnamon, Guilty by Association. Don't they look Innocent?

More Innocence... Midnight and Cinnamon (again) with DG providing backdrop.

And Cinnamon (the camera hog!) with sister, Pepper, being coy.


All are safely back in their chastity pasture, though I'm checking more often! ...gotta get that hot wire up....

- Franna

3 comments:

Kathy said...

Voila! More Franna Posts! Isn't it amazing how fast you can move when something is "up" with the sheep? I woke up to coyotes in our pasture and yard at 2:30 a.m. from a sound sleep...had pants, jacket, and coat on, before I hit the end of the stairs to the basement and out the door. Although I was fast, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with the coyotes since my crook was in the barn and we aren't "supposed" to shoot a .22 where we are. I didn't think I could move that fast any more. ;-)

Kathy said...

BTW...the coyotes scattered as soon as I turned on the outside light and opened the basement door! And of course, the sheep just stood there looking at me as if I had lobsters coming out of my ears.

Franna said...

Coyotes are much scarier than a potential unplanned breeding or two! Wow. We get really nervous when we hear the big sings going on. Once last summer, there was a lone singer much closer than we'd heard in the past. Thank goodness for the llamas, the electric fence, and the BIG next door dogs (though they're a bit nervous making, too)
Amazing how adrenaline can put wings on your feet!
- Franna
(and just where did your sheep learn about lobsters??? ;-)