October 7, 2024
Lambs raised on a bottle can surprise you with their behavior after they are weaned. Some of them stay loyal, coming to me even when I don’t have any treats to offer. Some are stubborn, doing exactly as they please, which makes them inconsistent leaders for the flock. Others act like I never provided the milk they required six times a day.
Recently, I sold a couple of these bottle-fed ewes because getting them across the open field into the corral meant they zig and zag, always spying “greener grass.” This cute, fun one called Mimi is in this 2019 video as a baby lamb doing this crazy wild dance similar to a goat kid. I sold her because she developed the habit of powering through the electric fence during my twice-weekly moves, tangling or breaking the fence. It was not easy to sell her; however, her choices challenge the safety of the other sheep.
