This is Copper, a little ewe born here in 2006 out of Twin Brooks Nugget and Bluff Country Bravo. She was afraid of me for a full year-- just her nature. Her mom always kept herself just beyond my fingertips, but wasn't really fearful-- Copper stayed well away-- until last summer. Well, when she was pregnant for the first time, last Spring, actually-- she let me pet her over the wire gate one night, a long, long time-- and that was it. A singular bout of affectionate contact. She had her little twins in April, and all three stayed away all of May and June. Then I promised to sell them all to new shepherds. I'd even sold Copper's mother. Is that what did it? Copper suddenly adopted me. I mean, yearned for me, ran over to the fence for petting. I couldn't sell her after that. I talked the buyer into accepting a little, perfect ewe lamb in Copper's place, at a bargain price.
Now I have a(nother) best friend who I like very much.
The ewes are getting grain at night, now-- not a lot, but it's a concentrated source of food in these last few weeks of their pregnancy, when there's not much room in the belly for food that is bulky-- the usual hay.
All the sheep are ROUND and WIDE with wool and babies inside.
We shear next Sunday morning, the 6th, and expect a few helpers to come out-- if you are free, you are invited!
I'll try to put some pictures in here. In another 3 weeks, the babies start to come!
Happy Spring, even if the snow still stands where you are!
