BeelzeBub and Family: More Tails for Ewe

The children survived their transition to shed life. It's very dark doing the 10pm feed and the 6am feed. I'd set up two plastic chairs in the shed and also a wire coathanger hanging from the ceiling, on which to hang the torch to provide some light. The children really enjoy their bottles and then become rather frisky afterwards.

Mim and Minnie

They enjoy bouncing up and down the temporary enclosure (that covers half the back yard and the chook pen) and then they climb through the fence and come into the house.

I'd been leaving the screen door ajar so the dog could come and go as he pleased. Will have to keep it shut now, because not only do the little bleaters come inside searching for their mummy (me) and more importantly, their bottles, the chooks also meander inside to eat the dog food.

Imagine Gomez's disgust on discovering Phoebe and Caramel in the laundry, pecking away at his dry food (not that he actually eats it himself). I have video footage of the two chooks in the loo, and Gomez standing in the laundry as if to say "go ahead, make my day!" Caramel made it past with a great squawking and flying of feathers. Phoebe just stood there, glared defiantly and then shit on the toilet floor.

Gomez plays 'Catch Me If You Can' with Phoebe, will get a video of that as well!

Minnie is my little girl. On Thursday afternoon, the children were a bit lonely, so I went into the enclosure to sit on the grass and give them company. Minnie came up to me, crawled onto my lap and went to sleep. She also enjoys lying across my lap whilst I give her a bottle. The others are more independent.

Michael is going to be getting some rings soon to dock their tails. We've been having discussions on whether to get 4 or 5 rings, whether Jeremiah should be allowed to develop into a baritone or made into a tenor! As the girls are likely related to him, I guess we should get the fifth ring. At under two weeks old, he's already started humping the girls!

(Michael and Ethel)

Gomez thinks the sheep are all his friends. He loves running and bouncing with them. But he has an unfortunate habit of sticking his nose up their butts (he does it to the chooks too). This morning, after the 6am feed, the lambs became frisky and decided to do some laps of the enclosure. Gomez followed them closely, a bit too closely because when one of them stopped suddenly, his nose almost disappeared up a backside!

Caitlin has been sick this week and spent a few days at home, which means she has been able to help when feeding sheep. We've got four bottles and teats now, one for each lamb, but it is very hard to feed them by oneself. This morning I had to do just that, and as necessity is the mother of invention, I set up a heavy piece of cardboard with four holes in it and stuck the bottles through that. It worked a treat! I'll be making a sturdier one over the next day, something with the bits of wood we've got lying around.