Published: Jun 23, 2017 by Tracy
Meet Sid, Nancy and Eleanor (Rigby). All three are Gulf Coast Native sheep, an endangered breed native to this area. They are sweet as can be. We were pretty sure we wanted sheep a long time ago, but when spring rolled around, we figured we’d better jump at the chance to get lambs this year. Sid, our lone male, was born this past January. The ladies were born last year. We are hoping Sid is into older chicks. The process wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. After locating a sheep farmer that we wanted to buy from (Laughing Frog Farm and the super awesome Kenan and Glen), we simply put down a deposit, readied our pasture and waited for Glen’s call that our sheep were born and weaned.
We did make a quick trip out to the farm to see the sheep beforehand, but on pickup day we got to wade through a large herd of gentle yet nervous-looking sheep to pick who we were bringing home. Chris’ dad was a sweetheart and helped us out with a large-bed truck and a wire cage around the bed. He even came with us to help us load them in. I can’t tell you how great it is to have wonderful in-laws!
Chris left the picking to me, as usual. He says he did it because I was more knowledgeable about what to look for. I think it’s just because he has someone to blame if I choose unwisely. Around lambing season, I’ll let you know which is true. I picked out Sid because he has cute black “socks” on. Nancy had true horns and a nice, straight back. Eleanor’s coat was the whitest and softest, plus she was a nice size.
Gulf Coast sheep are small enough, and they were young enough, that we could just pick the sheep up and place them in the back of the truck. Of course, you have to catch them first! Luckily, there were enough sheep in the confined area for selection that they couldn’t run far! After several jogs around the pen, we got our new family members loaded, paid the rest of our fee, finished up some paperwork (and acquired more paperwork to take home) and were on our way! Back toward the gate, past Kenan and Glen’s chickens, geese, dogs, humongous gardens overflowing with veggies, and back on the road home.
I’ve learned so much about these beautiful, gentle creatures in the last few months. And FF and I continue to be astonished by how much we enjoy having them here on our crazy plot of land. Maybe in the future I’ll do a post on some of what we’ve learned. Until then, I’m content just pulling up a chair next to them and knitting while watching them graze.
