"Well, Hello Ewe"
30.11.09 | Sheep action
This week I put Jake, my fine brown Shetland ram, in with the girls (he's pictured here with Ingrid, one of my stalwart older ewes and producer of fine lambs).
Jake, (also known as a tup) can't believe his luck! He's been pacing the bachelor field perimeter for weeks, wrinkling his nose to sniff the wind just in case there's a member of the opposite sex within escaping distance. Fortunately no temptation and no escaping.
His reward is a field of his own with 51 ewes to tup. 'Tupping' is the verb for mating sheep. Sheep pregnancy is 5 months, give or take. Which means lambing from mid-April.
Can't be that romantic at the moment -- rain for days. He doesn't look put off though. Sheep have different standards.