Yeah, yeah, I know, in Spain it's the running of the bulls, but we do things differently here at Northview Dairy.
See, I used to keep a half dozen or so of assorted sheep to introduce border collie puppies to the wonders of herding. Sheep stay together better than cows, don't kick as hard and are much easier to herd. However, Nick, our youngest, is seven now, so there has been no need for sheep for years. Still, there are two elderly hangers on around the place, Freckles and BS, her ancient dam. (And, yes, BS stands for just what you think it does.)
They are rarely any bother at all and we are quite fond of them. They live, by choice in the cow barn yard and the tool shed. They could duck under the fences and go wherever they wish, but they seem to like their chosen domain. However, there is one cardinal rule on a dairy farm. No sheep (or pigs, or horses, or chickens) in the cow barn. It is not only sensible practice, it is the law, enforced by the dreaded milk inspector.
This morning those naughty old ladies, who heretofore seemed to know better, strutted right into the stable behind the cows, ran up into the manger and began to fight the cows for their food. It was plumb ugly.
The boss was NOT happy. Beck and I quickly haltered them and led them across the bridge to the heifer yard and locked the gate. (I am grateful that they are halter broken, as dragging a reluctant sheep is nearly impossible.)
They were so miserable. You have not seen forlorn until you have viewed an elderly sheep deprived of its chosen hunting ground. They paced back and forth and blatted sadly with drooping ears. However, sheep have been sent to the auction for getting in the habit of coming in the cow barn. (There are any number of other buildings where their presence is acceptable.) We let them stew all day until we were done putting cows in for night milking. Beck went over and opened the gate.
Then it happened, the running of the wools. It is a good thing Beck was quick to get out of the way. Those two old ewes raced across the bridge and up the hill to the yard in front of the tool shed. There they fluffed their wooly coats and settled down to chew their cuds as if they had been there all along. I wonder if they will try to come in the barn tomorrow.
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7 comments:
Back in the Stone Age, I showed sheep. I know quite a bit about sheep. In a slightly later era, I knew about cows, milking routines, and milk inspectors (ugh). So I found this post highly amusing!
What a cute story, animals are sometimes so funny. FYI In Tuesday's Schenectady Gazette, Carl Stock column, "The View From Here", he writes that an article written by a local reader, Dawn D" Arcangelo, was articulate and to the point, "Latest news on obesity best reason yet, to go vegetarian". He states it was very well written but the same letter ran in the Boston Globe, the St. Petersburg Times, and papers in Seattle, Houston, in Canada, in New Mexico; in all 22 papers carried this letter with a different person submitting it as original. Mr. Stock traced the orgin to "Vegetarian Command Center", who brag on their web site, "farmusa.org" they have had 650 newspapers print their falsely attributed letters. Wow. I know you like to keep up with the anti-farm movements and I think these people really take the cake with the deceptions to the public. Hope you see the article.
Make sure you update us on whether they learned their lesson! I can't wait to hear!
I am not a farmer so some things you said amused and puzzled me. You said, "Nick, our youngest, is seven now, so there has been no need for sheep for years." Now, how does that relate? Do you herd Nick now?
And why is it illegal for sheep to go into the cow barn? And would the feds raid your farm and bust your sheep? ;) Really, I am joking, but I honestly don't know!
I like ewer blog. Funny!!! :)
Now, NW, it wasn't quite the stone age. Bronze maybe, but we are'nt THAT old.
Are we?
lol, thanks for visiting and for the kind words.
Hello Karen, I did see Carl's column and I was delighted to see both that he finally noticed the Center for Consumer Freedom, which I have been using as a research resource for years, and also finally caught up with some of the tactics animal rights groups use. He has a heck of a lot more clout than I do and more people hear what he has to say. Animal rights activities are out of control.
In some areas, including around here, it has become quite the done thing to call someone an animal abuser, make them look bad in the press and then confiscate their animals, sell them, and pocket the money. We have seen some poor souls accused of starving horses that were knee deep in good quality hay when the TV cameras came. And they STILL took their horses and sold them. It makes me so mad. I thank you for the heads up.
Cubby, they stood in the yard staring at the barn door this morning and you could just see their little minds revolving, "Should we or shouldn't we?" Just in case, I closed the door as soon as all the cows were inside and the ewes went up on the hill to sleep. Hope they continue to do that.
Mrs. Mecomber, I am so sorry about getting too confusing. Nick is our youngest border collie. I used to use the sheep to train puppies to herd, simply because they are easier for puppies then cows are. Cows kick a LOT harder and they don't bunch together like sheep. Here on our dairy farm, once the puppies have learned on sheep they graduate to herding cows and the sheep have no purpose. Nick is now a cow dog.
I really don't know why other livestock are not allowed in dairy barns. The Amish get away with having horses in their barns and such, but we "English" farmers can be shut down and not allowed to ship milk if we do that. We get frequent visits from several different inspectors, including those from the federal government. Milk is said to be the most regulated food in existence. They even cite us if we leave a bucket sitting right side up in the milk house....really! Thanks for stopping BTW. I love to answer questions about farming as best I can.
Cute tale.
I never thought about sheep showing their feelings.
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