I’m slowly starting to be able to tell my sheep apart. One of the problems is that we only have names for three out of eight of them.
Here’s the breakdown.
This is Kaytla and her baby. I can tell Kaytla because of her horns and her very dark face. She is trouble, and so is her baby, as yet unnamed. She is a leadersheep, and it really shows. I actually think she is bossier than Sue. Everyone clears away when Kaytla wants a spot, and she knows exactly where the fence is weak.
This is Fiona and her four lambs, two from this year, and two from last. The yearlings are almost identical and very friendly, except one has a very white face and the other is more tannish colored. The little lambs are easy to identify. One has a cast on her leg, poor thing, and the other is a little black sheep. I’m still not sure there is anything more pitiful looking than a lame little lamb.
And last but certainly not least, This is Sue. He’s such a studly boy. He gets very upset if he can’t see the girls, and starts ramming the deck to make a fuss. He also likes to be fed first, and we sometimes indulge him. Mostly, though, he likes to be pet, and he really really likes treats. When I stand next to him, he leans his whole body against me, almost like a dog does, to be pet better. Such a cutie he is. We’re smitten.
I’m working with them, trying to get them used to me. They love the pellets, so I take out the scoop with pellets in it, get into the fence with them, and lead them all around a bit. I really want them to learn to follow me really well so that I can take them to new pastures in the spring. Icelandic sheep don’t herd well, so supposedly a sheep dog isn’t the answer. They love me and my red scoop, though, so hopefully this will work.