When we first brought our lambs home, our plan was to pasture them with the cows. Cows and sheep have different foraging appetites, making their co-habitation in the pasture more efficient. Cattle are also great predator protection for sheep, aggressively attacking coyote and bonding with sheep within a two week period of time. Together they are considered a “flerd” —a conflation of herd and flock that is so silly it’s irresistible. Truth is we figured they would look like a real life Far Side cartoon in our pastures, with thought balloons fueled by coffee and written on the blank canvas supplied by winter.
But our lambs are still young and we want to keep a watchful eye on them for the winter, while they adjust to their new home. So we created a winter paddock, closer to the farmhouse and enclosed on all sides for warmth and protection from deep snow.
This week a small crew of farm camp kids (Ben, Zach and Sam) added finishing touches by painting the fence for the paddock, so a chicken wire apron could be installed.
Our handyman/carpenter Keith built a wonderful sheep door to the paddock, just their size. Or perhaps like Alice in Wonderland, it’s the world outside that has grown.
Just ask Juliette, as she ventures outside here at Jo-Erl Farm for the first time.
At first Juniper and Juliette were curious about the sheep door when I opened it. But it wasn’t until I crawled through the door myself that they followed me outside to the new paddock.
Later as I walked around the area checking for hardware in the grass with a magnet roller, they strolled beside me, at one point Juliette making two full circles around me as she scanned the perimeter and I hummed a joyful version of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” And I thought I was imagining the bleated answer to my “Good Morning” today as “MAAAAA.”
Come spring, we hope both Juniper and Juliette and their newborn lambs will join the cows on pasture.
What a great story to get a glimpse into your rich life — thanks for sharing!
Thanks for checking in, Rich!
If the entire world was a farm, life would be so much better.
Such a beautiful sentiment, Betty!