The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Fleecewife on April 07, 2019, 11:08:04 pm
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After all those years I've just discovered a big drawback with Hebs - they're black. So last night two of our bought-in ewes lambed then ran off, spooked by something. The ewes were yelling, lambs crying, the rest of the flock yelling out instructions to the new mums. The other ewes tried to take them back to their lambs but it was chaos. There was nothing for it but to round them up - black sheep, in dense fog and on the darkest night of the Lunar cycle, charging around madly. I had to haul Mr F out of bed while I fed the most lost lamb some colostrum. It took him ages to sort everyone out and get the right black creatures into the right places, with the right lambs. I finally fell into bed at 5am, covered in birthing fluid and smelling like a shepherd ;D :hugsheep:
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One word, Fleecewife: Zwartbles ;D
Still black, so don't show the dirt like a white sheep would. However, easy to see in light, dark (as long as they'll look at you), rain, snow and mud!
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One word, Fleecewife: Zwartbles ;D
Still black, so don't show the dirt like a white sheep would. However, easy to see in light, dark (as long as they'll look at you), rain, snow and mud!
Plus the white bit on the end of the tail shows if they are headed away from you but why would they if you are rattling a bucket?
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Aaaagh nooo, not Zwartbles. First off, no-one pronounces their name correctly and second they are HUGE (and we are small and old). Also they are still black. No, we'll stick to our little so rare Ancient Type Hebbies and just never again buy in crazy ewes which go berserk at the sight of lambs. Our homebred Hebs are quiet and calm and so confident. It was just most unfortunate that the new girls lambed on such a horrid night, two at once. One more new first timer to go.