Once the pet lambs are weaned, I like to move them from their "ewe and lamb" pens in the middle of the lambing shed to a bigger pen. Not only are they easier to feed, but they have so much more space to run and play. I usually put them in one of the pens that houses the pregnant ewes over winter in the lambing shed, but over recent years I've started having a huge crow problem. The shed is built in an old-fashioned style with plenty of tiny holes that birds can easily fly through, not to mention the door that leaves over a foot of space above it. Twenty to thirty crows wait until I have the lambs fed before swooping in and stealing the food. There are few things that make me very angry but crows stealing the lambs' food is one of them. The bird scarer I purchased worked a bit but crows aren't stupid, and the flapping kite that was last year's attempt has almost destroyed itself with the force of the wind around here.
All of this is a long way of saying that I came up with the perfect solution to my crow problem and it didn't include violence. I simply moved my big pen of pet lambs to the sheep house down below - the sheds in the lower yard are modern, and mostly bird proof. These days I feed my lambs and their food isn't stolen. My blood pressure is much more stable this year!
The lambs loved their new home.
The sheep house also is much brighter and less draughty than the old lambing shed. A few days later, after they'd settled in, I went to sit with the lambs, along with Fly and Susan.
Wendy and Ivy.
Ivy again. She's cheeky.
Enid giving Fly a once-over.
Sooty and Holly saying hello to Susan.
Susan and Fly started playing and some of the lambs were fascinated.
Wendy was especially fearless - she was having a great time.
Astrid getting involved.
Margie too.
Dasiy.
Space! No crows!
As much fun as sitting in the lambs was, I was getting a lot of abuse from certain ones who kept trying to jump up on me. Eventually I thought I'd been given plenty of fresh bruises and took some photos from outside the pen. Hazel, Sooty, Martha and Sweep.
Suicide Man (long story) and Sweep.
Violet, Sooty and Margie.
Sooty - what a face!
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