 With our new fencing done, and Holden (our Pyr) there for protection, I started letting the sheep out into the big pasture again about a month ago. However, it's a bit more involved than just "letting them out." Our big pasture with all that good grass is across the creek that runs through the middle of our farm. The sheep don't like to go out there too early in the morning or by themselves; after all, coyotes may be out there. (And we've been hearing them again the past few nights.) So letting them out means calling and calling the sheep until one of them takes the lead and starts heading out from their small, safe paddock next to the barn. They all then follow the leader. |
The bravest among them goes through the next gate, and they all start crowding behind to follow down the hill.
Usually, at the bottom of the hill, the lambs start running and soon cross the creek. The lambs haven't developed the caution of the ewes; the pull of all that grass is just too much for them to resist.
The ewes come more slowly, often in single file. All the sheep immediately start grazing, spreading out across the pasture. See short video clips of my morning walk with the sheep on Hidden Spring Farm's facebook page (click on the icon at the upper right of this page.)
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