BAYMULE FINALLY HAS SHEEP!! BABIES!

[Baymule]

Trip wants to maul the pigs and the sheep too. He is in that adolescent "attack of stupid" phase right now. Boing! Boing! Boing! Bounce off the walls, pine trees, fence , everything. We have a looooong way to go!

 

[Southern by choice]

uh oh

 

[Latestarter]

Just remember... the destination is the goal, and great, but it's the journey to get there which lends itself to the best memories.

 

[Baymule]

Yesterday and today we got a sheep hut built. It is small, 8x8, but temporary. We are going to build a lean to off the side of our portable building, but we are weeks away from even starting on that project. Two of the ewes udders are bagging up, don't know when they are due, but it could be close and we wanted some sort of shelter for them now. Progress is being made, we have a small enclosure to put them up at night and now a small shelter to keep the rain off them. we wrapped it in tar paper. The shelter is right up against the portable building, but is small enough that when we build the lean to, we can go over the top of it and dismantle it after we build the lean to.

Paris is still being an idiot. I spent two hours with her in the pen with the ewes yesterday morning. She was on a leash. Yesterday evening i took her off the leash and she laid down next to me and wouldn't move. I stepped out of the pen and the white ewe, Lady Baa Baa approached Paris and Paris jumped all over her. Ewes were racing around the pen with Paris in hot pursuit. I ran back in and grabbed her, rolled her over, shook her and scolded a lot. Paris wasn't biting to draw blood, but a mauling that could get serious quickly. Out of the pen and back on the chain. Coyotes were howling at 4 yesterday afternoon and last night they were on the property next to us howling. When we get the lean to built, it will be secure and tight. Coyote proof, I hope.

Yesterday we had to pick our grand daughter up from school and take her to ballet lessons. I put Paris in the old chicken coop. Paris met us at the gate when we got back home. She dug a hole under the coop, there was a sheet of OSB plywood in front of the door and it looked like a shark took a large bite out of it. This morning we had to run to town, I left the ewes in the small pen and Paris on the chain. When we got back, Paris had dug a hole under the gate, (the same hole i filled back in and placed a sheet of plywood over to discourage her). She dug under the gate, then under the pen, climbed over the wire and was looking at us like she knew she was in trouble. Gheesh. I unchained her, unwrapped the chain, and moved her while we filled in the holes. What could we do? We just loved on her. We let the ewes out and worked on their shelter. Tonight the ewes are in their enclosure and Paris is chained outside the pen, but in the pasture. Two sides of the pasture are on the fence line, meaning that if she dug out, she would be running down the road. I am thinking about cutting the 4' horse wire in half and hog ringing it to the bottom of the fence wire to keep her from digging under. That would be over 400' of scooting on my bottom, hog ringing as I went.

Lady Baa Baa seems to be the perfect name for her as she is the spokesheep for the group. When we rattle a coffee can of feed, she is the one that talks to us. Hearing that first Baa was music to my ears! They have settled down, come to us when we have feed and hay. At least something is going right.

 

[Latestarter]

Sorry you're having such a difficult time with Paris (and Trip)... I hope she (they both) catches on to what her job is sooner rather than later. All you can do is keep at it, right?

 

[Southern by choice]

Do you have hot wire at the bottom of the fence?
You must have been mortified coming home seeing her... thankfully she didn't get wrapped in the chain or strangle.

The sheep are beautiful!

 

[Ferguson K]

This morning, i had to fill the hole, ever notice that you NEVER find all that dirt? Does it vaporize? Do Aliens suck it up into the stratosphere?

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Isn't this the truth?!!!

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My best friend just lost her dog to a similar situation. Thank God Paris is okay! Silly pup. She will figure it out.

 

[goatgurl]

my mama always said that patience was a virtue but there have been times in my life when i was anything but virtuous. paris must make you feel that way. I'm guessing it will take time for her to know that those dang sheep aren't trespassing killers. hope she figures it out soon for your sake.
on a lighter note I'm loving those dorper colors! i hope that Raymond the ram puts some color on my next years babies. i have found out over the last few years that ewes are a lot like goats in that they will tease you and make you wait for those babies. and their shed looks cozy and warm. if it gets as cold at your house this weekend as it is suppose to at mine they are gonna need warm and snuggly.

 

[Baymule]

Paris is back in "her" backyard. Saturday morning i was standing in a hole big enough to sink my tractor, in my pajamas, filling it in. Before coffee, even. I was livid. She did the crawl under the enclosure fence thing again, dug holes,and crawled back under the enclosure fence again. But the kicker was the Volkswagon bug sized hole under/in front of the gate. Clearly she wanted away from the sheep. Ya' think? Not only was I not getting anywhere, it was just getting worse and worse. I put Paris back in her happy place. This is the most neurotic, physco dog I have ever had. I just had to stop and back off for awhile. What I was doing was obviously not working, so time to stop before I did her damage.

We had our grand daughters all weekend, so all I did was a 9 month old, crawling, delightful little love. I got outside to care for animals only on her naps-which weren't very long. They went home Sunday afternoon.

Saturday, our hay guy and his friend cleared their way through the wilderness, briars and brush, down the property line in preparation for the last stretch of fence. 1,186 feet from front to back, then about 250 feet across the back to join the fence that is already up. Our hay guy brought his cutting torch and cut my drill stem pipe to length so I can start on the lean to for the sheep. Progress comes in small steps.

We have workmen here building a screen in porch across the front of the house. Trip barks at them, so I am not going to try him with the sheep until they are gone. He would be split between playing with the workmen or playing with the sheep. I am going to wait until I have their new shelter up and put in a place for Trip where he will be next to them, but can't get to them.

The sheep are getting friendlier to me. I look real good to them wearing red--a red coffee can, that is. A red coffee can with feed in it, just rattle it and suddenly I am not a ewe eating ogre any more. Today I sat on the hay wagon, next to the feed trough and talked softly to them. Lady Baa Baa and Sheepalicious wanted feed more than they were worried about me. Miranda Lambert and Ewe-nique were too scared to do more than grab a few bites and run. Sheepalicious stared at me then sniffed my hair. I was delighted. Sheepalicious has a huge belly, her udder is getting bigger, I hope she has her lamb soon!

 

[Ferguson K]

I love love love their names!

I'm saddened that Paris isn't working out like you hoped.