Happy Sheep on Grass

Today is the first day that we turn the sheep out onto fresh green grass.  It is exciting for everyone involved.  During lambing season we keep the sheep and their babies close to the barn.  They have a pasture that is connected to the barn and they can go in and out freely for shelter. I like to keep a close eye on them when the babies are so small and I am still worried about predators.   As soon as a single blade of green shows up in this pasture it is gone. 

 
The sheep and their babies get lots of fresh water and hay and the ewes and babies are still getting a bit of grain with mineral and selenium.

We set up our pasture on the grass with portable electric fence.  It looks pretty tame but everyone learns to respect its electric shock quickly.  My dogs have been known to touch it and go running and moaning as far away as possible.  Cora runs down to the beach and out onto the farthest tip of the old dock.  There is no place further away from the fence on our property.  

As we set up the fence, the older more experienced girls get the idea fast.  They know the signs. They seem to recognize the fence and the action at hand.  They get excited and start talking about it to the others, and soon everyone is making noise. I wish I knew a way to stop the entrance from becoming a stampede but it never fails.  Everyone wants to be the first onto the fresh grass. 

Only the babies get a bit confused.  They hang back.  They do not understand that there is a better pasture out there.  They are leaving the only home they have known.  So we have a bit of sheep wrangling to do.  A few just have to be caught, picked up, and moved.  After the second move or so everyone gets the idea and no is left behind.  
Everyone catches on quickly,  and soon the only sound you hear is the munching of grass.  Now the routine is on its way.  Every two or three days they get a fresh pasture.  If you move the too early they don’t clean up the area.  If you move them too late, they take the grass down to the roots and weeds grow back.  It is a big change in diet and we watch carefully to make sure no one gets a stomach ache.
We move them often to keep the parasite load to a minimum, and to keep our pastures and the sheep healthy and happy.

It is summertime on the farm and the dictionary definition of pastoral.