Dear Curiosity Journal,
During the morning sheep chores, I noticed that Junebug (one of the Jacob’s) was headbutting Joy Jr (one of the Babydolls) pretty consistently. I tried to break them up a few times, but figured they would work it out. The Babydolls are still re-integrating after being bred on another farm and the Jacobs sheep are coming into their confidence after being the underdogs of the flock all summer. Also, when sheep get pregnant, their hormones change, which can cause ewes who normally get along to fight. Mid-morning Rufus came in to report that Joy Jr was cast (stuck on her back). He flipped her back over as soon as he noticed. I imagine that she got blindsided and rolled perfectly into the divet of the tractor tire, where she couldn’t right herself. Although the Babydolls slimmed down, they have a naturally roly poly stature, which becomes a predicament once upside down. This can be fatal if not caught in time, so I’m incredibly thankful that he happened to notice her in distress. After separating the Babydolls out, I decided to give them a trim around the eyes, as they were both getting a bit “wool blind”, reducing their visibility, which makes them more vulnerable to being blindsided and cast. I carefully snipped the wool around their eyes while they grumbled, but didn’t fight me. The older Babydolls are quite docile and once you have them caught, they surrender to being handled. Joy Jr gave me a totally dirty look, but somehow also looked adorable. I told her, “Hey, at least you can see what’s coming now”, but she walked off in a huff anyway. I also filled in the divet where she got stuck, so hopefully no one else goes belly up.
~Joy
