We finished our "Spring" Roundup today, taking care of annual hoof trims and shots and stuff. I have discovered that most of the sheep like cranberry juice cocktail. I mix it with .5cc 1% Ivomec in a plastic syringe for each sheep, and most of them drink it right down.

 

We've had a busy roundup this year. We wethered five young rams, replaced ear tags in five ewes (to comply with federal guidelines), vaccinated, wormed, and hoof-trimmed a total of 13 Soay.

 

Gretta, (pictured above) is due to lamb on or about March 15, if we've estimated correctly. She should be bearing one (or two, judging by how heavy she is) of Cobra's offspring; his first and his last. Cobra was one of the unlucky rams to get the burdizzo treatment last week. Before you feel TOO sorry for Cobra, please understand that he's become too spoiled by my niece, and for safety reasons we had a choice between making him a wether and keeping him around as a pet, or bringing him home from my mom's house cut & wrapped for the freezer. Cobra is nearly two years old, and rapidly approaching full maturity. A spoiled full-grown ram is a dangerous ram... even if he is only knee-high.

 

We'll be trimming down our flock this summer, and which ewes will have to find new homes will depend on how many ewe lambs we get in the next few months. I'm very sad because my current favorite ewe, Brenda, is probably going to have to be the first to go. She's very sweet, easy to work with, relatively tame (for a Soay), is quick to eat out of your hand, and has a  bold and fearless temperament. Why would I want to sell her? Her only "fault" is that she's very petite. I hope she surprises me and has a nice big lamb for me this spring. Otherwise she'll have to find a home on a farm where she doesn't have to earn her keep by providing lambs for the freezer.