Home Again

I was away for the weekend, visiting Lisa on location. Valerie and her boyfriend Kevin took care of the sheep over the weekend. All went well except she reports that Sue is coughing. Lisa also mentions that she’s heard it. I’ve heard him cough twice, a couple weeks apart. Again today he didn’t cough at all while I spent twenty minutes or so doing hay, treats and water. So we have a problem: coughing is apparently very bad thing in sheep, and I’m extra worried because our poor Icelandics were shorn a month later than they should have been. I’ll search on the net. Unfortunately the nearest sheep vets are 30 miles away, one in Vermont, one up near Hanover.

I also find it interesting that Sue coughs in front of other people, but not me. I wonder if he’s faking healthy because I’m another male and seeing him sick would make me even more likely to steal his ewes.

I hurried home today, and arrived about 4 after I-91 was somewhat more adventurous than was really fun. There wasn’t much snow here, nor does much seem to be accumulating. When I got out of the car nobody greeted me, but when I came back out the door to get hay, both breeds started calling. I grabbed the hay and headed down so the critters could eat before dark. Everybody, including the Shetlands, made it plain to me that treats come before afternoon hay. I gave them some apples that Lisa had said were awful. The Shetlands agreed, the Icelandics didn’t care. No surprises here.

125_2589_JFR.jpg I didn’t get the camera till it was getting dark, but the flash did pick up the ice on the Shetland’s fleece. All the more reason I’m worried about Sue: The Icelandics don’t have a quarter the fleece the Shetlands do.

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