5.24.2010

Sheepshagger Country


Yup, this is a post about sheep. I can only get away with this 'cause I'm living in Scotland...

There's nothing cuter than baby sheep. They are so adorable, tottering around on their little wee legs and their stumpy tails start waggin' ninety to nothing when they're feeding from their fat mamas. It seemed that sheep bearing season occurred a few months ago, tons and tons of little lambies started appearing in all the fields we drove by out in the country. You can be outside of the city limits for not even five minutes before you spot hundreds of sheep. They are absolutely everywhere, unlike in Texas where you're lucky to see a couple cows!




I finally uploaded these pictures from my friend's camera, taken a few weeks ago during a drive to Stonehaven. My goal was to touch a wee sheepie because they just look sooo soft and fluffy. And they are! I lucked out and found a friendly little guy craning his head outside the gate bars trying to get the bits of grass that were definitely way greener on the other side. See the cuteness for yourself...



The sheep here aren't raised as much for the wool, we've been told, as they are for the meat. I think the wool industry has taken a hit in modern times, though it certainly still exists. And there's quite a science to keeping sheep; it's not just a bunch of wooly haired baa-ing animals eating up your grass. They are marked and herded and fed and sheared and tended carefully during birth. The average "sheep mom" bears one to two babies each season - judging by the sheep population boom we noticed in early spring. Every once in awhile though a sheep might have three lambs, so the farmers will take the third little one and introduce it to a momma sheep with only one baby. That way they can better feed and care for two versus three. The process is normally very successful and the sheep take to it with little problems. It's like the too-many-sheep adoption program!



And just for good measure, here's some nice scenic shots from our drive back into Aberdeen. When the sun's out, it really does make for some pretty Scottish views that are, uh, baaaa none.



1 comment:

  1. Very clever!!! I love the parting sentence! Glad you have more scenic scenes with the good weather there now!

    ReplyDelete

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