# BYH Member Interview - Sheepgirl



## Sumi (Aug 21, 2014)

McKayla, known to BYHers as SheepGirl, has been a BYH member since July 2011. She will most often be found helping out and advising members in the Sheep section and has also written a few very informative
articles on sheep for BYH.
*
1. McKayla, tell us a bit more about yourself, family etc.*
Well, I just recently turned 20 years old. I live at home with my parents and two brothers; all three of us are attending college. I am paying my way through with my job at McDonald's, which I've had since November 2012. (Prior to that I worked at a petting farm where I worked with and cleaned up after/fed exotic animals such as bison, zebras, kangaroo and a wallaby, and deer. They also had all of the usual farm critters, sheep, goats, cattle, horses, alpacas, llamas, poultry, etc.) I have received three raises and two employee of the month positions. I am currently in training to become a crew trainer.

*2. Why and when did you start keeping sheep?*
Back in 2004/2005, my old neighbor had gone on vacations and business trips and had asked my dad and I to watch the sheep while he was away. A year or two later, in 2006, he left a voicemail saying thank you for watching the sheep and he said that he would give me a lamb in return. On July 22, we went down and herded everyone in the barn and I did pick out one I wanted, but I ended up getting the first lamb we could catch  I'm glad I have this ewe, though. She's really only friendly with me (I can seriously do anything with her... lead her around, pick up all her feet, touch any part of her body, milk her, look in her mouth, clean her ears, etc and she will just stand there.) but that's okay. She has given me a single lamb 03/2008, twins 03/2009, twins 03/2010, twins 05/2012, triplets 03/2013, and triplets again 02/2014. And I dewormed her for the first time this year, after being 8 years without needing anything. Couldn't ask for a better sheep 

*3. Which aspect(s) of sheep raising do you enjoy the most?*
I really love lambing season. That's when I'm outside with the sheep the most. Just watching lambs be born (and this year assisting) and playing with them and watching how they explore their world. The only part I don't like is it being cold while the ewes are lambing, but for me, it's the best time to have them lamb.

*4. Which members of your herd, past and present, stand out for you and why? *
Ciqala - my first sheep, and dam/granddam/great granddam to all the others.
Lily - she passed away Sept 2, 2010, but she was my first lamb born. She was 2.5 years old. But she was so perfect, I loved every bit of her. She knew her name and she would come running from all the way across the field if she heard it (14 or 15 acres). She knew 'up' (jump up on me) and 'down' and 'no.' She would follow me around and I would even have to have a halter on her.
Katy Perry - such a goofy girl, she reminds me of Lily (she is Lily's niece). She is friendly with everybody, let's anybody pet her and scratch her. But I'm the only one who can catch her. 

*5. What was the funniest thing(s) that happened to you in your years as a sheep owner?*
Nothing funny per se, but I do catch a lot of funny faces on camera  Like this one is one of my favorites...





*6. Beside sheep, what other animals and birds do you keep?*
I have two indoor dogs, two indoor cats, around 12 to 15 outdoor cats, an inside bunny, and I have five partridge rock pullets.

*7. What animal do you think you would enjoy raising that you haven't tried yet?*
Hogs. I would love to have a couple of yorkshire sows to keep and breed to sell the babies but my mom said no because she's afraid I will eat one 

*8. Anything you'd like to add?*
Anybody interested in getting into sheep will love it. From breeding to lambing to just watching them grow is always fun and interesting. Learning behaviors of animals and being able to know what they will do next based on the signs they give you is always so cool. They are experiences you will always remember.
*
Thanks!*


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## promiseacres (Aug 21, 2014)

nice to  get to know you better


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## BettyBay (Sep 11, 2014)

Do you know how to sheer (sp) your sheep?   They do know your voice don't they, I love that too.


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## HoneyDreameMomma (Sep 11, 2014)

Fun to hear more about how you got started with sheep.  Although I'm a goat girl now, we had a few sheep when I was a kid, and I always loved lambing season - can see why you do.


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## SheepGirl (Sep 16, 2014)

BettyBay said:


> Do you know how to sheer (sp) your sheep?   They do know your voice don't they, I love that too.



I know how to shear (like the process), after watching my shearer do it hundreds of times over the years, but I have not done it personally.


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## BettyBay (Sep 16, 2014)

I had Jacob sheep. The hardest part was finding someone to shear and have a useable fleece at the end. Ag teachers definitely didn't know how to do it.

Changed my mind. The hardest part was to have cayotes kill some babies and the mothers calling and calling for them.


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