Busy, Busy, Busy

A lot has been going on around here.  All the sheep born here have new ear tags.   Sheep missing ear tags also have new ones.  (Tricot is still waiting on hers.  We'll have to punch a hole in her ear, something we don't want to do until the weather has cooled off a bit more and there are less flies.)

Hopefully, Beryl won't lose this one!

Feldspar getting a new tag--they weren't all this easy!

 Most--but not all--of the girls have been coated.

Elsie wonders where her coat is.

Coating is not easy, especially when Galena is involved.

Cashew and Hazel know what's coming....

Once again, Elvira cannot find her baby.  (This year, the coats had been thoroughly washed.)

"Where's my baby, and what's that green thing following me?"

This year's rams have moved to the back field.  It wasn't what we initially set out to do, but it's working well.  Almond and Snowball have moved in with them.  That, of course, means that Barack O'Llama and Snowball are separated.  They both seem to be enjoying it--especially Snowball who can now eat in peace!

Yum.

Elsie's Transformation

Something happened to Elsie when we put on her sheep coat.

Elsie, a fluffy gal,...

She has become less shy.

...modeling a size 31 sheep coat, with some positive ease.

Not only is she approaching for pictures and treats, but she also is one of the first in the barn instead of one of the last (sometimes).

Elsie and the gang

I have no idea what bit of sheep psychology is behind this change.  Our other (somewhat) wild sheep have stayed (somewhat) wild, and some of the tamer lambs seem a little worried as to what we might do to them next.

Elsie still recognizes her Pistachio.

Poor Elvira

Poor Elvira.  She can't find her baby.

"Where's my wee little lamb?"

 The really sad part is that her baby is following her around, baaing, and looking like this:

"So...what's this all about?"

We didn't wash the coats since the last time they were used.  It seemed sort of pointless.  The last time this coat was worn, it was worn for about a week.  But apparently Elvira thinks that Peanut is Henrietta (the coat's former owner) and that she is chasing her.   All of the other ewe/lamb pairs have figured out the mystery of who belongs to whom.

We took the coat off Peanut and brought it inside to wash.  Elvira still is a bit confused.

(Interestingly, this particular coat--which was too big for Henrietta when she was pregnant and in full fleece--is a little on the snug side for Peanut.)

Elsie has figured out what this all means: everyone is getting coated.

"Please, don't let it be true!"

She's right.  We've coated the ones we could and measured the rest.  They'll be getting their snazzy new coats sometime soon.

Coats Off, Coats On

 I've been meaning to do a "meet the flock" post, but certain ladies do not like their pictures taken.  (Ahem, Hazel.  You don't look fat.  Okay, you do, but it's okay for a sheep.  Especially a woolly, pregnant sheep.)

While I wait for the others to stand (somewhat) still and look pretty, here's Elvira:

Elvira.

She's a black gulmoget (it's a Shetland thing, describing her markings) and she's gorgeous.  She's pretty friendly, too.  She has mixed feelings about people singing Oak Ridge Boys songs to her.

Elvira eating a peanut from Henry's hand.

Here's the whole flock without their coats:

Calico, Theresa, Elvira, Elsie, Hazel, Henrietta, & Sandy

We took off their coats to help the llamas bond to the sheep.  Barack O'Llama is doing good with the bonding thing, so we decided to put their coats back on today.  We managed to coat three sheep before feeling bad for them and giving up.  (And none of the sheep fell on her face and then was trampled by six sheep.  That was me.  Hazel even got stuck on my back, and Scott had to help her off.  I'm really glad that we chose a small breed of sheep!)

Barack O'Llama watching over his sheepy friends.

While I'm at it, I might as well explain why we put the coats on the sheep in the first place.  It's not to keep them warm.  (They have several pounds of wool on them, so a tiny layer of nylon is not going to make much of a difference.)  It's to keep their wool clean.  Otherwise, it will look like this:

Henrietta is trying out a hay bale costume for Halloween.

...and cleaning it before spinning and knitting it will not be fun.

It snowed here today (gasp!).  Barack O'Llama and the sheep seemed to enjoy it.  Perhaps it reminded them of their ancestral homelands?

The whole gang running to greet me.