Say Helloses to Moses

[Blue Sky]

It sounds like Moses is the pack leader. A strong personality, he is the top dog and it is his right to push the others around to establish dominance. You have to assert dominance over him.

Things changed this fall with pack order especially after Vala’s heat. Moses became more protective of her, the flock and me. I need to spend more time with him to get back to the top of the totem pole.

 

[Blue Sky]

Well here’s a change. Moses wants to be fed and bunked with Vala in the evening. Are my Maremmas bonding ? She is not pregnant although he well, did the deed, he is neutered. Hmm. I want them as a guard team but she was such a flibberty gibbet then in heat, so no full time sheep time. Plus the big Racka ram is swinging horns, and lambs are due to start dropping. Moses was not difficult today but that doesn’t mean I won’t discipline him. We also have coyote activity picking up with a cold front coming. Never a dull moment.

 

[Baymule]

They have chosen their team. It won't hurt to put them with others, but they may protest.

I only have Sheba and Buford. I have 2 sheep groups with a driveway between them. At night I put Sheba across the driveway. Buford pines for her, sleeping at the gate closest to her. Sorry Buford, but I need coverage at night on both sides. I tell Sheba it's time to go to work and she is proud to go across the driveway to guard. They are comical to watch.

 

[Blue Sky]

Well Damn. Moses killed and ate part of a day old healthy lamb. He couldn’t have been hungry, I suspect boredom as I’ve kept the ready to deliver ewes in a smaller pasture. No excuse. Monks of New Skeet Shake (a big ass grab by the neck, shouting and roll on the back) along other strong disapproval.
Tomorrow the bell of shame, a drag chain and stern supervision. Any advice welcome.

 

[Mini Horses]

Just sympathy from here. These things happen and are heartbreaking, frustrating and challenging.

I had a guard donkey once, who had been running with a group of Boer goats. All were white with brown head. Moms kidded, babes in field, all good. One day a young kid from adjacent field crawled thru the board & hot wired fence. All that field and this kid were traditionally colored. She killed that kid. Never bothered any from "her" herd. All look alikes.

Sometimes we can't win. Sorry for the lost lamb.

 

[Blue Sky]

More tomorrow I have human things to sort out.

 

[Blue Sky]

Just sympathy from here. These things happen and are heartbreaking, frustrating and challenging.

I had a guard donkey once, who had been running with a group of Boer goats. All were white with brown head. Moms kidded, babes in field, all good. One day a young kid from adjacent field crawled thru the board & hot wired fence. All that field and this kid were traditionally colored. She killed that kid. Never bothered any from "her" herd. All look alikes.

Sometimes we can't win. Sorry for the lost lamb.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Baymule]

Buford killed a lamb, played with it to death. I penned him up, beat him with the dead lamb, screamed, yelled, threw her on him again and again. He was screaming before I got done with him. Then I isolated him in a kennel for several days. He never did that again.

Moses eating the lamb is disturbing. Keep him penned up and only out with lambs under supervision. Praise the smallest good thing, lower the boom on the smallest bad thing. Staring fixedly at lambs, AAHHNNTT! This will take a lot of work to correct, but stay on top of him.

Buford was confused by the appearance of newborns. He stood outside their pen barking at them. I softly aahhnntt and he dropped his head grinning at me. I put him in a pen with a mean mom and newborn and let her plow into him. He hid behind me. Every. Lamb. It took until he was 2, to stop barking at newborns. One evening he refused to leave the ewes night pen, so I let him stay. 3 mornings later, he greeted me, watching over twin newborns. He dropped his head, grinning like he was in trouble, but I heaped praises on him.

 

[Blue Sky]

Moses released with the flock. The other ewe with twins charged him and connected. He ran and she chased. One of her twins started chasing him too, out distancing mom. Realizing its mistake twin ran back to mom while Moses whined at the gate wishing for invisibility. I wonder what happened to the other lamb? Edit. The one I found dead the other day.

 

[SageHill]

Great correction!! I like to call those - "Correction from God"