Sheep - Out on Good Behavior

Sheep – Out on Good Behavior
The latest installment in the Sheep
Tales Category
What happens when the sheep come out and they actually behave
like well mannered ruminants? Photos, of course!
The sheep had not been out of their fenced area by the barn
for a few days. The weather doesn’t always cooperate. While
I am a dedicated shepherdess, I am not willing to stand out in
the cold and rain, chasing the sheep from one area to the
next. A beautiful day arrived recently, and I set aside time
to let the grazers out to chomp on what green could be found.
Since the winter has been mild so far, there is a fair amount
of green grass to be found.
We started out heading over the hill on an adventure hike
We raise a small flock of wool producing sheep on our small
farm.
We feed both hay and let them graze.
However our
fenced grazing area needs work, and since there are still 24
hours in a day, that has yet to be accomplished. So when they
are out grazing, I need to be watching to make sure they don’t
wander towards the road.
It is possible to raise small ruminants in a paddock
situation. We use a paddock/fenced area off of the barn and
have been successful with this system for many years of goats
and sheep.
Millie and Ike spent some quality time discussing sheep issues
of the day. Millie “mothers” Ike
The best part of this day was the photos I took! Sometimes it
just works.
This was a good day for photos, as the
temperature was warm and the sun was partially hiding behind a
cloud cover. Since I am always learning how to use all the
settings on my camera, and lighting is still a bit of a
challenge for me, not having the bright mid day sun was
actually good for me.
the flock did go into the woods behind the pigs but they came
right back out.
When I am photographing our animals, I like
to get up close
and personal. Sometimes that leads to the animals feeling a
bit uncomfortable and like I am overstepping my boundaries! I
surely don’t want them to not want me and my camera around, so
I try to respect their space. With my new 85mm fixed lens, I
can get some closeups without being really close.
I am
working on the blurred background that the lens provides.
That blurred background can be enlarged or not by using
different f-stops. I think. Learning the camera, when not
using the auto settings, is a huge challenge for me. (please
feel free to correct my understanding in the comments section.
)
So anyway, my photography sessions last a good while because I
take the time to let the animals and birds get used to me
following them around. I also take about a million shots and
end up with maybe ten or twenty decent ones. The wonder and
beauty of digital. It’s free! Take as many as you want! Edit
the good ones and forget the rest.
The downside of the fixed lens is that I can’t get away from
some eager models fast enough and end up with extreme
closeups!
On this particular day, a lot was going on at the farm
property. Logging trucks were exiting and entering to carry
off the logs being harvested. We had a well pump issue in the
farm house and the repairman was working on that. I thought
it might cause the sheep to freak out and scatter all over but
it actually helped them decide to go into the large fenced
area and STAY THERE! They stayed for a long time, munching on
grass and weeds.
I wandered around taking pictures. And when we had enough,
(actually, probably just me, I was getting hungry), I grabbed
some grain and led them back to the barn with NO PROBLEMS!
Yes, I know. It’s hard to believe. I wish I had a funny
anecdote or an amusing story to relay about me falling down or
the sheep escaping but they were actually really well
behaved.
Take heart! Miracles do happen even with
Sheep!
The End
Need another amusing animal post? Check out this one from
104Homestead.com. What happens when the doorbell rings and
you’re holding a sick chicken?