The old ones

Jewell had two ewe lambs last spring at eleven years old. They will be her last. She is very thin and has a hard time rising, but once up is fine. Why would you keep an old ewe that cost you to feed and care for her when she will not have any lambs to sell or wool good enough to spin? After weaning her two lambs she took them and Sunshine's two ewe lambs into her flock. She led them out to graze and back to the barn at night, brought them in to be wormed and fed, they slept close to her as her own, they never cried. Young lambs don't know the routine, Jewell made it easy. I moved them down to the far pasture this fall when the ram was in with the breeding ewes. Jewell followed me down the road about half a mile and walked through the gate to the new pasture, the lambs followed. I did not have to hook up to the trailer and drag them on and haul them down. They didn't try to run back to the upper pasture or cry, they followed Jewell. Today they returned to the pasture with the bred ewes. Jewell saw me come to the gate, she is always watching, she led the ewe lambs to the gate and she walked through without a hassle, they followed. They grazed all day on the pond pasture and just before dark I walked up the hill, Jewell saw me, and followed me to the gate in that pasture. She led them through the back yard and to the lambing barn. No leading with a halter, no feed bucket rattling, no yelling, no herding dog, no looking back. Now she has trained these young ewes to trust me. That makes my life easier.