I always forget this but, after the sheep are sheared, they go a little odd.
Yesterday evening, I found Lambie asking to go into my shed.
It was very still and the midges were out.
Of course, I let him in and proceeded to make a sheep while we watched another American medical drama.
Lambie had an initial mooch ….
And then settled beside me in a state of misery. I stroked him and told him it would all be alright, once the wind started blowing again. Once I had finished my sheep, I nipped to the big shed to get a new fly collar, and fitted two for good measure.
I also gave him a painkiller (because I managed to shut his leg in the door and he started to wave it about and then limp). So I was now feeling awful, on Lambie’s behalf.
I went around each sheep with a big bowl of TurmerAid which they all ate very enthusiastically – it is good for itching and just calming a situation down. Lambie perked up a bit after that.
I found Harrel in the shed and we had words about bullying.
“Tomorrow is another day” and this morning I was minus one sheep, Edna and everyone else was still in a funny mood.
But I got them to follow me to the big field and we went to find Edna.
I had a vivid imagination of all the awful things I would find (remember Puzzah?), but Edna soon appeared. She’d probably had enough of the fighting.
Anyway, they are all together again, the wind is blowing (no midges now) and hopefully they will all settle down again. I hate the histrionics.
Spanish Water Dogs also go a bit bonkers after a shave down. Could be the lack of a weighted coat/fleece. Could be the midges have free access to their skin. Sorry Lambie is having a hard time. Happy to know Edna is back home.
We used to keep angora goats and I hated the argy bargy that happened after shearing. I hit upon the idea of cutting up thin cotton sheets to make them coats and with a bit of elastic to secure at legs the fighting stopped. Everyone was pleased with their new coats and nobody could be sure who had been sheared. Midgies didn’t bite through . I used the same approach with warmer fabric when my old ladies felt the chill of winter.
That’s very interesting. Something to consider, certainly.
They didn’t need to wear them more than a few days perhaps a week and I used pinking shears to cut them out so didn’t have to sew hems . Eventually I wrote their names and washed after use until mext time around . Charity shops were a useful source of old bedding !
What an excellent idea. Worth having a go, especially not too much sewing. Never thought of pinking shears. Brilliant !
Sheepies think their friends have dissappeared and new weird scary sheep have desended from a space ship! after a few days they will decide ‘oh shit is my friends with different coat on’ 🙂
Poor Lambie! Bullied by Harrel the Barrel and then midges biting him and then getting his leg shut in the door. He’s had a couple of rough days.! It’s good the collars help with insects. He and the others certainly look very slim and different after shearing. Thank you to Edith Thom who made me laugh when I read her reply!
I’m so glad you found Edna soon and she was alright. I was imagining the worst.