[Jacob-list] Still waters run deep??

[ranchrat at telusplanet.net]

Heel low Kathey & List:

There is nothing more humbling that watching a lamb born, get cleaned off and 
immediately rise up and nurse
in comparison, we humans are such fragile useless 
creatures, lucky to have opposable thumbs matched to a bit of brain I guess.  
We’d be extinct for sure without our guardians who are willing to raise us up 
for 20 odd years before we scout out on our own!

In regards to Kathey of Athens, GA <ACAMDA at aol.com>:

“will they cross the creek (get their feet wet), or use the bridge?” 

I asked my husband why my Jacobs were making huge leaps (SPROING!) over the 
spring run off
it was his observations that helped explained the why.

To understand sheep and why they behave as they do, sometimes it makes sense to 
put yourself in their hooves.  They are a prey animal.  You will find that prey 
have eyes on the side of their heads to give them wide angle vision so that 
they may see the wolves (a.k.a. ACDogs!) advancing upon them.  Dogs and humans 
have predator eyes which are located in the front of our heads.  We have better 
3-D (dimensional) vision (length, width, depth) basically because of where our 
eyes are located in our skull.  Sheep are not as well adept at perceiving 
depths, they are able to see length and width but do not know very well how 
deep something is.  Therefore “water” is a surface they may be unsure about and 
for good reason!  You can see them sniffing and looking down into the water and 
sometimes you can catch the expressions as they cross their faces.  ”Exactly 
how deep is this puddle?”  Sheep will also balk at shadows
ever see the flock 
running along over flat ground and suddenly one of the Jacobs leap up in the 
air
relook, bet there was a shadow they just leapt over—they are not always 
just being spunky or frisky.  

Sheep, for the most part, take good care of their body parts; feet and legs 
being an utmost concern of theirs.  For without the proper use of their legs, 
they cannot run from Wiley E.  Jacob sheep are incredibly well adapted for 
survival (even going so far as having a unique gait than other sheep!), but an 
injured sheep is easily picked off, even culled from the flock if kept by 
humans.  No legs/feet, no animal.  And we wonder why some of them are so 
concerned about their feet at toe trimming time!

Another item I have picked up is that most animals (cows, sheep, even dogs) do 
not like racing from a dark place into the light.  I volunteered couple 
weekends ago for a club exotic bird auction which happened to have a few goats 
for sale.  I helped load the goats and each lot had the same reaction.  Just 
before the loading chute, coming out of the dark buildings into the bright 
sunshine, every single animal would balk on the ramp
stand and survey the next 
move they made.  Now most people would have rushed them on through, slapped 
their butt and told them to get on with it.  I found it less mess if we just 
paused momentarily, allowed the critters to adjust their eyes, get their 
bearings, and then moved them forward.  Worked like a charm and we had no 
wrecks.  Even the fellow who loaded a half dozen goats and their kids into the 
canopied back of his pickup truck had an easy time of it!  

Now contrary to the above, every night this winter when I shut my Jacobs up in 
the barn, I’d walk in and switch on the lights first.  The sheep would gladly 
go in, from the dark place to the lighted area like moths drawn to a flame.  
Now that it is much lighter out for longer, I am glad for my shadow Fixins.  
For without my little red canine whirlwind, my Jacobs have a great time zigging 
and zagging in front of the barn door with me galloping back and forth trying 
to put them to bed.  A few times one of the more ornery girls has decided to 
deek me out (sans Fixins for some reason or other) and has been singled off and 
is alone outside the barn door
then the tables sure turn with her bawling about 
her oneness!  This experience was the first time when I ever heard my Jacobs’ 
voices
for the most part they have been silent, quite different from the 
commercial sheep farms I have been to—I guess that 8 percent more brain 
directly controls their voice box.  The silence has of course now changed with 
the addition of babies mouthing it up for mommy and vice versa!

As far as using bridges, I set up 12”by3” poplar planking across a particularly 
muddy area to my sheep corrals
yup, the sheep trip trop across it just like the 
troll story, “Who’s that trip tropping across MY bridge!”  They even politely 
wait for each other to get in the line up.  It brings a huge beaming smile to 
my face to see the moms and babes all walking along it single file.  Sheep are 
just as wary about water as they are about gummy mud.  Protect those legs!  

I think one just has to note the infatuation that little lambs seem to have 
over stepping on anything introduced into their area to know that Jacobs are 
adventurous and checking into everything around them.  I had the bale sled out 
today (yeh, another skiff of snow to wake up to!) and while I was loading up 
hay in the feed room, all five lambs where prancing in and out of the plastic 
sled.  Quite amused with the new texture and sound of their baby feets.  I am 
told the best way to train animals for obstacle courses is to put items like 
bridges or tires down in a lane way and have the food on one side of the 
obstacle, water on the other
they soon train themselves to accept the new 
challenge.  I would however make sure any item set up is good and solid
bridge, 
planks or otherwise.  With all the talk about West Nile, I think you may see 
more of us wishing we all had fast flowing water for our animals
hmmm I may yet 
consider expanding my Coi population and putting a few hardy fish souls in my 
stock tanks to eat the mosquito larva that seem to appear instantly, no matter 
how often you change the water!

Doggone,

Tara
-- 
     ____(\                Tara Lee Higgins                  /)____ 
    (_____~>        Rat Ranch - An ACD is for LIFE          <~_____) 
   ( ``  ``          ranchrat at telusplanet.net                ``  `` ) 
    \                       Alberta Canada                         / 
     )  http://www.telusplanet.net/public/ranchrat/index.html     (