Soay sheep by birth, piglet by behavior: gorging on summer grass
I was out yesterday taking pictures of our adult ewes to send to people who have taken advantage of our half-price sale when a sweet 2013 ewe, Winfield, walked right up to me and began shamelessly chowing down everything in front of her nose. It was all I could do not to laugh out loud, but that would have sent her skeedaddling for the far end of the pasture. These pictures cover a time span of 51 seconds. No wonder we need to move the sheep every four days to get just the right amount of grass eaten in our pasture rotation!
Winfield getting a mouthful of summer grass
Is this stuff really dandelion greens?
Who said “spring greens” salads only show up on June menus?
What’s the salad mix at the table across the room?
We’ve always known our sheep prefer blackberry vine leaves to spendy grass, but now we know it’s also true they prefer soft green weeds. Sheep have an unerring instinct for the plant with the highest protein content.
I prefer blue cheese to ranch dressing
Rummaging deeper in the grass for more of those yummy weed greens
Um, didn’t I ask you to hold the capers?
Clearly Winfield’s mother forgot to tell her to chew with her mouth closed
Today’s task is to update pictures of the lambs we still have on our “for sale” list. My guess is they are putting Winfield and her adult colleagues to shame in the “piglet” department. If you need a ewe like Winfield to take down that unruly pasture you’ve been meaning to mow, give us a call and she’s yours!
For now …