This is one baby I have no prayer of picking up. Ewen McTeagle. Possibly my favorite sheep of all time (shhh), well besides Punkin of course.
Ewen was a funny little bottle lamb...with issues. He hated all the "nice" nipples and would only drink from one of the big, nasty, rubber smelling (and surely tasting) black ones. Shudder.
He didn't want any lamb food. In fact, he didn't want anything you told him to eat. He only wanted to eat food you specifically told him not to eat - cat food, dog food, bird seed... We'd put his food up on a table, almost out of reach...and he'd eat it.
Here he is with Clover Belly, while not our biggest Jacob, definitely not a small sheep. Ewen is a Hampshire/Suffolk cross and stands about waist high to me.
I have so many funny stories about McTeagle (click his name in the word cloud to the right if you'd like to see some more), but maybe my favorite is the first time I tried to trim his hooves.
If I'm working by myself, I put a halter on each sheep, tie them to the wall, pick up each foot... No problem. I got to Ewen. I put the halter on him. I tied him to the wall. He fell over like a big oak tree. No struggle, no fuss, just boom, down he went. And he wouldn't get back up.
At first I laughed at him (bad move apparently), then I started to get worried as he didn't get back up. What on earth?!? He continued to lay there. I couldn't get him up (and he was much smaller then), but he looked fine, so I went on and trimmed his feet. Still didn't want to get up. I sat down with him, he put his head in my lap, just crushed.
"Why did you do that? You could have just told me you wanted to trim my feet. I just don't understand why you did that..."
We sat there together for about 20 minutes and then finally he decided he was okay so he got up and we never spoke of it again.
It was cool(ish) this morning so I grabbed the camera and walked out back. Hank stayed by my side the entire time and lay at my feet while I took some sheep pictures. Crazy Esther had stayed back at the barn and after awhile got lonely and started hollering for everyone to come back. They were eating and not interested in doing any such thing, but Hank jumped up when he heard her and ran back about half way to make sure she was okay.
How can those sheep not love him???
Ewen was a funny little bottle lamb...with issues. He hated all the "nice" nipples and would only drink from one of the big, nasty, rubber smelling (and surely tasting) black ones. Shudder.
He didn't want any lamb food. In fact, he didn't want anything you told him to eat. He only wanted to eat food you specifically told him not to eat - cat food, dog food, bird seed... We'd put his food up on a table, almost out of reach...and he'd eat it.
Here he is with Clover Belly, while not our biggest Jacob, definitely not a small sheep. Ewen is a Hampshire/Suffolk cross and stands about waist high to me.
I have so many funny stories about McTeagle (click his name in the word cloud to the right if you'd like to see some more), but maybe my favorite is the first time I tried to trim his hooves.
If I'm working by myself, I put a halter on each sheep, tie them to the wall, pick up each foot... No problem. I got to Ewen. I put the halter on him. I tied him to the wall. He fell over like a big oak tree. No struggle, no fuss, just boom, down he went. And he wouldn't get back up.
At first I laughed at him (bad move apparently), then I started to get worried as he didn't get back up. What on earth?!? He continued to lay there. I couldn't get him up (and he was much smaller then), but he looked fine, so I went on and trimmed his feet. Still didn't want to get up. I sat down with him, he put his head in my lap, just crushed.
"Why did you do that? You could have just told me you wanted to trim my feet. I just don't understand why you did that..."
We sat there together for about 20 minutes and then finally he decided he was okay so he got up and we never spoke of it again.
It was cool(ish) this morning so I grabbed the camera and walked out back. Hank stayed by my side the entire time and lay at my feet while I took some sheep pictures. Crazy Esther had stayed back at the barn and after awhile got lonely and started hollering for everyone to come back. They were eating and not interested in doing any such thing, but Hank jumped up when he heard her and ran back about half way to make sure she was okay.
How can those sheep not love him???
8 comments:
Well, it looks like Ewen's special appetite didn't hurt his size any. He doesn't look like a failure-to- thrive sheep. Maybe he has more global culinary tastes than most ;-). I enjoyed the hooves trimming story. Perhaps he doesn't like surprises or transitioning?(like one of my own kids)
After a story like this how can ANYONE ever say animals are dumb?
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
Love this story. What characters (good and sometimes not so good!) they all have. Dumb sheep? I think not.
Tammy
I love that he can make shade for the other sheep! What a special boy.
I luv hearing about the close and special relationship you have with your sheep.
LOL...maybe he's a fainting sheep?!?
I love to take advantage any time I can get a sheep laying down and trim their hooves. It's so much easier than when they're standing!
Have a nice weekend!
The coolers temps the past two mornings help the mind remember -- loved your tender memories.
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