The Knitting Shepherdess

I truly am THE Livestock Guardian.  As described so nicely by Cousin, this is part and parcel of my responsibility.  Yet, I am frustrated with the animals obtained to take on the role of Livestock Guardian.  I am trying to be positive, reminding myself to be patient and allow time for some things to develop in these roles.  In the meantime I am knitting more than usual.

Recall from my last post that in response to the Canada Day visit by Wiley Coyote I fenced the sheep out of the Front Field.  I had planned to this anyway to allow the field to rest.  The sheep do not really like this new fence as they are now forced to eat around the house.  There is good grass to eat there, better types of grass, but it is longer and they prefer the short short grass in the Front Field.  Which is why that field needs a rest; they are overgrazing it by nibbling always at the shortest bits.  In addition to discouraging coyote access, and allowing the grass to grow, a rest of the field is part of managing internal parasites in livestock.


I used the electric sheep netting to set up this barricade.  It worked - as Millie discovered, getting zapped on the nose late one afternoon.  She went into hiding, again.  She stopped eating, again.  I saw her across the road in the neighbour's hay field, a large flash of white, the fluffy tail waving at me.  I drove around and ended up at the farm, finding no one home.  So, I went down the lane and found my big white fluffy dog.  Sheepishly, she was happy to see me.  I wondered how to get her home and in the end she agreed to follow my car home.  "Home" I said.  And I think she got it.  She galloped down the driveway after my car as I hollered out the window how good she was and how we were going home.  When I turned onto the road she ran in the field alongside the road.  She had to traverse a ditch and came up covered in black boggy muck. She kept coming.

Around the bend I could see her coming along on the road.  I scooted up the driveway and then ran back to the road.  Beau dog was with me now.  I couldn't see her.  She seemed to be gone again.  I called and called.  There was quite a wind.  Finally I turned back toward our driveway and there she was crossing the road to the entrance way to home.  She was home.

Millie, looking really lovely!

Now she refuses to go in the yard near the sheep.  Yet, she continues to slip under the electric fence to drink water at the barn.  And we hear her out in the Front Field at night.  It's been about a week now and she is finally eating again, twice daily, almost the amount desired.  She lives under the front veranda, snarling at Beau should he advance on that space she has designated as hers.  She works all night, woofing at anything intrusive in the area - the multitude of wandering coyotes.  She sleeps all day, coming out to greet household traffic only as needed. 

Millie and Beau get along extremely well.  They usually play together for a short time each morning and night.  Otherwise they do their own thing and don't pester each other.




So, I have been shepherding the sheep out to graze behind the barn, up to four times per day.  We have tons of pasture that needs eating.  Safety however is the issue and I do not want to lost anymore lambs.  Four are gone and Lucky continues well in his recovery.  Lucky is a delight to see in the field after our chapter of adventure together.  His mother Dot has become very friendly as has his sister Lucy. 

The sheep don't really last much more than an hour out in the field.  If it's hot there is no point taking them out as they are not very interested in eating.  A few days into this project we were down by the cabin.  It's not that exciting for a human, this watching sheep eat grass.  I usually have knitting in a pocket or wear a gardening apron in which to stuff the knit project, some gloves, my glasses, etc.  I hum and sing sometimes, and just as I finished signing a nursery rhyme, I saw it scooting up the path we had just come down.  It was the back of its head, just the ears and a bit of its head.  A softly furred reddish brown coyote head.  I hollered, "Hey!  Hey!  Hey! Hey!" and it ran faster and the sheep all huddled together.  And the sheep carefully and quickly headed up that same path and to the barn.

Oh, if only Millie would accompany me out with the sheep on our grazing expeditions!  I could knit more!  Instead I suppose I should continue signing while shepherding.  I am aware that making my presence known is very important to deterring the coyotes from getting close.  The grass is so very long that a coyote could attack easily.  However, the lambs are now of a size that they cannot be readily carried off.  The wise coyote then will hesitate knowing I am there.  They'd hesitate a lot more if Millie were with me.


Last night the sheep would not go into the barn.  The lambs were having a ball!  Like a school of fish they scooted around the barn, jumping this way and that, swishing here and there.  They were panting like dogs.  And not going into the open door.  All of their mothers were in there.  I sent some mothers out but they seemed to enjoy the fun too much.  Then I sent out more mothers and then I got nowhere.

I went back to the house.  I had a tall glass of water.  I poured a glass of wine.  I watched from the window.  It was amazing.  Henrietta seemed to join in the play.  She was prancing along with the lambs, swinging her head down and side to side.  Then there seemed to be fewer lambs.  A ewe had laid down under the overhang and Henrietta pranced over and got her up and herded her toward the barn door.  Henrietta was gathering up the sheep and getting them into the barn!

I quickly went out and closed the door behind them, thanking Henrietta.  Rounding up the sheep is something Livestock Guardian llamas have been known to do.  So, maybe Henrietta is coming into her own on this, beginning to apply some new skills she didn't know she had.

I stuff a small knitting project into the leg pocket of my daughter's old cadet combat pants.  These are perfect barn pants, especially in summer.  And off I go.  On the first outing in the morning Henrietta will lead the way out into the middle of the field.  Sheba will monitor the rear end of the flock.  I hover.  They move a lot on the first outing so not as much knitting gets done.  The sheep are staying with the llamas better than they were.  As the grass gets eaten down we can see each other better.  Some stalks are taller than my five and a half feet so there is LOTS to eat.  It needs to be cut if only to keep us all safe from the coyotes and I'm working on that.

I have a lawn chair too.  It moves with me.  Or I just stand.  You can knit while sitting or standing, even walking.  Lion Brand yarns is flaunting the fellow who recently set a record for the longest scarf made while running a marathon.  This inspires me neither to run a marathon, a half marathon, or to knit while running.  I wonder however if there is a record holding category for knitting while herding sheep.






I count sheep a lot.  Here I am counting sheep at their bedtime.  Currently we are at thirty.  And when I'm not counting sheep I could be counting knits and purls...