Barb: Great post. I have 2 bottle babies in the yard about 2 months apart in age. The oldest born in January. She was a triplet that was kicked off then later went back to mama and got a leg cracked somehow. She spent 7 weeks of life in a cage or in a diaper under my desk at work. The youngest one was abandoned at birth in early March and spent several nights in our bed wrapped in a Towel so she would sleep. She was in a diaper in the house and now is the fattest one of the bunch. We just take baby diapers and cut a hole for the tail... Setting around the house now, we miss the little girls as they would always lay between my feet on the end of my recliner, and jump off and follow me around the house.... Now they come to the gate like dogs when we go out or come in and beg for treats.....
Cecil in OKla Barb Lee wrote: > I recently acquired five beautiful robust young ewes that were raised in > Central Oregon's high desert. One of them is/was a bottle baby. Her > name is, of course, "Baby." I don't think there's a more charming pest > (that is not a mis-spelling) on the planet than a tame blackbelly! > > I'm pretty sure they've never seen running water before. This time of > year we have a little seasonal stream that bisects our property and it > is up and running quite nicely at the moment. Generally, it's no more > than a foot wide and about ankle deep to a blackbelly. The homebreds > figured out how to cross it long ago and up until today there was no > problem for the new ewes. The stream fans out before it gets to the > fencline and much of it infiltrates, just leaving a somewhat marshy, > grassy flat. > > But today they had a pasture shift, so we can spread lime on the > occupied paddock tomorrow. The flock found their way across the crik to > nice new grazing. All except for Baby. Babys don't do water. She > gazed longingly at the rest of the ewes, went hither and yon, but could > not fathom how to cross the crik. I was doing a pasture walk with my > big dog, and I saw Baby's dilemma. I wasn't quite sure what to do, but > I headed in that direction. Well! She marched right up to me and said, > "Where have you been! I need you to help me get across this darn water > thing!" I went toward the stream, trying to figure out how I was going > to shoo her across. I turned around and there she was right behind me, > looking up very expectantly! She stepped toward the water. "No! This > is too wide!" (Like a foot wide.) I walked upstream a bit and found > another narrow spot. She is right on my heels, big dog be darned. "No! > This is too wide!" So I walked up stream to the last likely > possibility...the channel is quite narrow with a large flat rock > providing a nice landing on the far side. Baby walks up to the stream, > takes a contemplative sip of the clear cold water, and decides, "Why > yes! This will do quite nicely thank you!" She hopped over the wee > stream and happily grazed her way over to her family. > > Now for me, having a tame blackbelly is about the most novel thing on > the planet! Actually being able to pat a blackbelly butt every evening > when they come in for feeding (and watching to make sure she doesn't > squeak through the stall door when I'm not looking!) has added a whole > new layer of enjoyment! > > The rags of a sleety storm were drifting by late this afternoon, and I > dragged my hubby away from the warm wood stove to come sit with me on > the roof of the new sheep barn (specially designed for sheep watching) > to enjoy the view of the beautiful flock exploring their fresh paddock. > The cold finally chased us indoors. I've had a number of reasons to > just relish the day because of the sheep. I hope everyone has had a > similarly wonderful day! > > Regards, > Barb Lee > > > _______________________________________________ > This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list > Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info > > _______________________________________________ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
