Getting sheep ready to head out on grass for the summer is not as easy as it may seem. When you have four stomachs, getting a tummy ache can be deadly. When eating new foods, such as most of us don’t know how we will react. Will we get indigestion. Will we have an allergic reaction? Will we get bloated?
Sheep, all ruminants really, can get bloat when introduced to new foods, particularly legume (alfalfa and clover) pasture to quickly. This can be very painful and sometimes lethal for the poor sheep. Most lawns are a mixture of many things, so we really like to be careful, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
Today was a “training” day. This is where we are slowly introducing our sheep to fresh greens again after a long winter on hay. All morning they have been eating mixed hay. By around noon they tend to be fairly full and are all ready to lie down and chew their cud or ruminate. When they are taken out onto the pasture when full they tend to eat less (a.k.a. not pig out) slowly getting used to the new green stuff.
Harry and Blackie didn’t do a lot of eating today, but the whole experience of getting out, being lead, and seeing new environments in small increments of time helps to acclimatize the sheep to the whole process. Our sheep are pretty used to loud noises, dogs, machinery, cars, and kids screaming, but after a winter off, they need their spring training camp again. This means less stress – fewer health issues – happier sheep!
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- Blackie acknowledging the camera.
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- What’s down there? Harry is curious about his surroundings.
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- Nice and cool in the shade.
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- Looking at themselves in the basement window – more sheep!
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- Harry checking out a new plant.
