catchall for everything non-health related for keeping your animals secure
Believe it or not, one of the most common roadblocks to a new Soay owner getting off to a good start is the inability to get the new flock safely off the transport truck and into the pasture. Last weekend we encountered the closest thing to a perfect setup we have ever encountered when delivering […]
This is only my second eulogy in over a decade of blogging, thank goodness. Several years ago I wrote about my country veterinarian father. Doc Peterson was scary smart, hard-working, loyal, committed to safeguarding the livestock under his care, and definitely not the urban sort. Our first and only border collie, Molly, could be described […]
I leave my Soay flock to their own devices today in order to talk about an essential part of any heritage sheep operation – predator control. For today’s essay, livestock guardian dogs, or LGDs. In the last 14 years, we have acquired nine LGDs: two mixed Maremma/Anatolian/Great Pyrenees and then a wonderful succession of seven […]
Among the telltale sounds of Soay sheep breeding season, none is as distinctive and frankly distressing as the “crash” “boom” of a breeding ram trying to get through a fence to the ewes on the other side. No matter that the basher has his own ewes to service. Even if there is no “greener” grass […]
With both the World Series and the election almost over, it’s time to start thinking about that special Soay shepherd on your Christmas list. The last time I made gift suggestions here was several years ago, so I guess an update is overdue. Disclaimer: everything on this list is a personal favorite of mine. I […]
Our indispensable livestock guardian dogs are an endless source of delight and amazement, and never more so than in the late afternoon when they provide a brief recital that echoes across our Little Applegate River Valley. It is so lovely and so sweet we have dubbed it “Vespers.” Let me explain. We have six Anatolian […]