Friday, October 30, 2015

The Collard Thief

I looked out of the window the other day, and what do I see, but the sheep on the back lawn.  When we had a few sheep she had a bit more of a name, either the fat ewe or the young ewe.  Well now she is the only ewe, so she is just 'the sheep' or 'the ewe'.  We have a little gate that goes into her field that is on a springy hinge, put in way back when so that when we were carrying an arm load of hay, we didn't have to struggle to open a gate.  Over the years, some of the sheep figured out how to open that gate by getting their top lip behind the edge and pulling it towards them and then barging through.  I think the hinges have got weaker/rustier over the years and don't spring the gate shut as fast or as strong.  Anyway, it is all fine, if the sheep doesn't think there is enough food in her field, she can let herself out, go along the back of the barn and around the corner, and depending which gates are open, has a choice of other spots to eat.  It's pretty darn handy for the most part.  The only negative part is that we MUST REMEMBER to make sure that the gate that would let her onto the back lawn from the alleyway, is closed.  And sometimes, we forget.  


Luna came out with me and virtually slithered down the steps from the deck and across the lawn to get to her.  It's so hard to capture her intensity with the camera, because generally she doesn't get down low, although she sure was going down the stairs.


The sheep came over to me, maybe I had an apple?


No I didn't.  
There is a patch of collards and kale at the top of the driveway near that open gate, that she would always help herself to when she got out.  It had a bit of a fence around it to keep the dogs out, but it certainly wasn't sheep proof.  A while back I finally beefed up the fencing, thinking that if the sheep got out again, at least she couldn't get at the greens, because she's helped herself a few times over the summer.  So I was feeling all smug when I walked over to check on it, and low and behold if the sheep hadn't pushed underneath my netting and got in there and eaten a few bunches of collards, and this time some of  the kale as well. Sorry veggie customers! Then she had crossed the driveway to where I had cleared out the garden where the salad greens had been growing, and there had been one volunteer chard plant that was looking really healthy that I had left.  She had eaten that off too, as well as an unusual looking lettuce growing next to it.  
Frustrating, although, yes, it is our own fault.

Luna, quit looking like a bird dog and give her a nip for me!


12 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, after eating all that, there she is, still eating grass. I don't think animals ever get full. She is so cute though. Luna looks very serious! Does the sheep ignore Luna?

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  2. Sheep are never full! Luna's very good with The Sheep. :)

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  3. Karen, I like your big ole sheep! She even looks like she's smiling in that first picture! Sorry she got into your greens, but I enjoyed your story! Luna seems like a good dog! She's a beauty too.

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  4. That's a smart sheep you've got there. Hungry one too by the sounds of it. Sorry she got the greens she was not supposed to eat. Good thing sheep are not prone to tummy upsets ( or are they?)

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    1. They certainly can get tummy upsets. We had one that was prone to bloat, baking soda in water took care of it though. Certain things can be poisonous to them, and sometimes too much kale can cause problems I think. I've read a few different things about that. Although I read just now that in New Zealand they use kale as a winter feed.

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  5. Awww! What a darling sheep and dog! Your sheep eating your veggies is like our dog eating ours! But we love them anyway! I don't have grapes or onions in my back yard anymore because the dog may eat them. I do have chives though. Nancy

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  6. Yep. Been there. Will probably be there again ;-).

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  7. LOL Loved the pics. Luna, the SHEEP dog :0)

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