I'll start with my story of how clever Shetland Sheep can be even at a very young age. Or should I say instincts are strong in these little sheep. Late in the afternoon I bring the lambs and their Moms to the field behind the barn. There is a tall fence for protection from wild things and stray dogs, and the barn is right there for a warm, dry place to sleep at night.
Then all of a sudden lambs started baaing, jumping up from their resting spots and running full speed to the nearest ewe. About eight lambs formed a tight bunch around two of the ewe's as they all moved in unison like a school of fish in the ocean. What? Then I looked up and saw a big crow soaring over the top of us. I have never seen this happen before. With no brush to hide under the group made it's own safe place by sticking close together and moving in a large group to keep what could have been a bird of pry from picking out a single lamb for dinner. Shetland sheep never cease to amaze me!
Now the newbies on May 1st Pepper a two year old first time Mom had twins, a ram in the back and a ewe lamb. I call Pepper a gray Ag and she was bred to Watson my black ram and both of her lambs are brown! If you look at Peppers face and legs she does have brown in them. Her face is very black in the winter and it browns out in the summer. Michelle I need some color advise with this type of coloring. Is Pepper gray?
The little ram is tiny but not as much as this picture shows and he is just a crack up. Were ever he goes it's full speed ahead!
The next newbies are my new bees! We have had a bee hive for several years but all the bee's swarmed last summer and my new bee man had to restock the hive last month. We keep the hive for someone else because I do not want to open a hive of angry bees to steal their honey. This way we get to share the honey and Mark the bee man has a place to keep more hives.
5 comments:
smart little lambies!
I would certainly say your ewe is Ag grey, and her ewe lamb is musket from the looks of her "sugarlips" and white in her ears. It appears that both Pepper and Watson are BB/Bb, or black sheep who carry a recessive brown gene. They both contributed that Bb gene and wa-la! Brown lambs! Pretty cool if you ask me; congrats! :-)
Oh you raise bees too! We tried bees for two years, but one year we split the hive and then the next year one swarmed and the other got killed by wasps.
Your lambs are smart! they look like they are growing well for you too!
That's a honey of a story :)
Michelle is right: Pepper's brown based lamb is a fine outcome of this breeding...
Watson does carry brown (he is BB/Bb...his father was a brown based sheep and so only had brown to give Watson).
This brown based lamb is proof that Pepper has a brown gene too. Each parent put the brown allele (Bb) out for the lamb...she is Bb/Bb. And she looks like she carries spotting too! Pretty girl...
Post a Comment