The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: SallyintNorth on December 11, 2018, 10:34:50 am
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... is what it can eat and what it can die of. “ - Exmoor saying
So, you know how we always say that these sayings derive from farmers’ frustrations at sheep, being prey animals, being so danged good at masking any problems? That in the wild, a predator would be quick to spot a weakness, and pick that animal off, so survival lay in being able to look normal?
Well, I was thinking. Surely by now, after centuries of domestication, there should be an evolutionary pressure on sheep that tell you they’re sick, so you can treat them, and they can recover and breed again!
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Not in anyway wishing to knock anyone’s shepherding skills. But maybe they do tell us in the small subtle ways as do horses and dogs but because we tend to have more than one or two and they don’t live with us in the same way, maybe because we haven’t had so much close domestic contact sheep haven’t learnt how to respond to us. Also how much research has been done into individual sheep behaviour. Only a thought ????
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Its a phrase that irritates me.. In 12yrs of sheep keeping I've only had two unexplained (post lambing) deaths both happened in the first 4 yrs. I have a flock of between 20-20 ewes which I check every day and usually can tell one is feeling unwell.
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You only have to look on youtube to see instances of various animals which come to humans for help, including wild ones.
However, the messages sheep get from us re health are mixed, which would reduce any chance of evolving a fixed response. If the sheep is only a little bit unwell, then yes, it might get some help, but if it's bad then as often as not it gets the chop. I think they have taken the sensible option to keep on being wary and NEVER TRUST A HUMAN. It's a bit like us asking a lion for help.......
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Twice now, I've had a ewe actively seek out my help during lambing. Each time, I didn't step in immediately, thinking "I'll just sit here and watch for a bit first", but the ewe has walked up to me, before turning round to stick her bum in my face. I'm pretty sure that means "would you mind giving this a pull? I think it's stuck".
Zwartbles are renowned for being friendly though, and certainly most of ours have no fear of us whatsoever. I think this is something to do with them being a dairy breed. Would you want to milk a stroppy ewe every day? No, neither would I. This then means that over the generations there must have been considerable selection pressure for breeding friendly sheep.
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Yes, we’ve noticed the same similarity in personality between our Zwartbles sheep and our dairy cows, and I agree, I think we select for those traits in breeding for that purpose.
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I’ve had a number of sheep come to me over the years, and I’ve been happy to help with whatever problem they’ve been having. And it’s not always the extra specially tame ones either. But then my sheep get to know me over a period of years, never see me hurt or abuse any of them, and see me help any in trouble, so maybe they’re just showing some brains. And maybe I do select, in part, for this characteristic!