2024 September 28
Sheep truly make me work hard. Yet this time, Dixie helped a lot more. She’s a lot more eager and is becoming braver. Her confusion comes when some of the sheep don’t move at all. But if they run, you can tell she’s happy. My ability to communicate with her took a small step forward; I would yell in an excited tone of voice, “yeah, yeah, yay.” This worked some of the time. Their pasture is about a 2-acre lot, but when I need to move them to the corral, we are talking about 50 acres, and they want to run and find the best food.
Weeds grow on this huge mound of dirt right next to the spot where several sheep died in the storm. I pushed those sheep toward the corral and then rushed in the opposite direction to turn the rest of the flock in the correct direction. By the time that is done, about 1/3 had trotted back to the dirt where the weeds grow. Rinse and repeat four times.
Between driving my truck, then jumping out to “threaten their lives,” and Dixie’s occasional help, the job got done. I used a drone in the past, but they lost their fear of it, so it wasn’t worth it. Same thing as with the truck or even me with a whip in my hand. They only move in the right direction if it is convenient.
