The Soay Sheep Chronicles

Yesterday one of our neighbors knocked on our door, distressed that a pregnant Suffolk ewe on his nearby farm had become lame about four days earlier and, instead of getting better, she has declined to the point of not eating.  The neighbor was hoping our experience with Soay sheep would carry over into helping him diagnose his sick ewe.  We did the best we could to help him narrow the possible causes and evaluate whether to send for the vet.  I share this with you because we would use the same thought process were the sheep a Soay ewe rather than a big hulking Suffolk.

Symptoms:  pregnant, lame in front right and back right legs, ate and drank adequately for the first three days of lameness but then stopped eating and drinking water.

Steve and the neighbor talked through all of the following:

1.  The ewe did not show signs of scours or other intestinal issues (no yucky stools dribbling down her back end, to be precise), so no need for ProBios.
2.  The neighbor vaccinates his ewes annually for tetanus so that’s not it.

3.  The fact that the two right-side legs were lame seemed to rule out a rock-in-hoof cause and also probably ruled out spinal injuries.  We have had two Soay sheep who bashed so hard into fences or gates in unavoidable fright that they apparently did injure their spinal cords, but the symptoms in both cases were a single dragging rear foot that eventually healed just fine.

4.  There has been no change in feed source (grass, hay, and grain) for the last several weeks.

5.  Probably not an internal infection because no sign of fever or generalized overheating, no panting, no flailing.

6.  But … our neighbor is not diligent about putting mineral out for the sheep, so the ewes are either getting no selenium, or they are pilfering mineral from the black angus who share the pasture.  If they are getting no selenium, that’s a good bet for a diagnosis, especially in pregnant ewes.  Our ewes gobble down their mineral in the weeks before lambing.  If the neighbor’s sheep are eating the cattle’s mineral, they almost certainly are getting copper, which is in virtually all cattle mineral and which is highly toxic to sheep.

This particular ewe regularly delivers two big healthy lambs destined for market, so we’re guessing the neighbor will spring for a visit to the vet for a professional diagnosis.  Given the dangers of selenium deficiency and copper poisoning, we sure are hoping the vet finds something else, less serious, that is causing the ewe to decline so alarmingly.

Reminder to Soay breeders, especially in the weeks before lambing:  be sure your animals have round-the-clock access to mineral specifically designed for sheep.

For now . . .

No sooner had I filed the post on how to make Christmas stockings for the shepherd on your Christmas list than a hue and cry arose from the pasture.  The Soay are outraged that our no-count guardian dogs (from the sheep’s perspective, not ours) get Christmas feed bags and the sheep don’t.  I tried to explain to them that they can eat merely by lowering their heads into the grass or the hay feeder, but to no avail.  They are not about to be upstaged by those smelly dogs.

So in the interests of pastoral serenity, I gave in and made the sheep their own stocking, and you can, too, very easily.  This is one Christmas stocking that does not require counted cross-stitch, a lifetime supply of knitting needles, or even a pattern.  And actually, it is quite a bit easier to make than the dogs’ feed bags.  All you need is the most rudimentary sewing skill, a penny’s worth of electricity, and a half hour of spare time.   Like the shepherd’s “stockings,” this new one is nothing more than a bag made from part of one leg of an old pair of jeans, with an attached loop to fit over your belt, perfect for carrying grain treats out to the flock, your year-long gift.  Steve models:

Find an old discarded pair of jeans.  This pair, which in my opinion still has a lot of wear left in it, was donated by our summer ranch hand, Shawn Olsen.  Cut off one leg about 16 inches up from the bottom hem, keeping the hem intact.  The bottom hem is going to become the opening of the bag.  Turn the jeans leg inside out and sew the open end shut.

Now cut off another piece of the leg about 4 inches wide and 10 inches long.  Hem each of the long sides.  You can leave them unhemmed but they will fray and you’ll never win the Martha Stewart prize for artistry.  Attach one end of the hemmed strip to the still-existing hem of the pant-leg-turned-bag.

Hook the strip under your belt and adjust its length so that when the loose end is sewn to the bag, you will be able to slip the bag on and off your belt easily.  Sew the other end of the flap to the same edge of the bag opening (what used to be the jeans hem) so that you can easily reach your hand into the bag of grain.

Finally, go out and enjoy walking among your flock, feeding them as much or as little as you like, with no fear of the grain bucket tipping over.

Oh yes, we do not recommend feeding coal to your Soay sheep, even if they misbehave.

Happy holidays!