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Wednesday, May 28, 2014

A Little Experiment in Co-Mingling.

I have been letting the sheep out into the center paddock so that they can graze on something green.  It has nothing to do with my desire to quash Norman's incessant bleating. 

**Short aside:  A friend stopped by to buy eggs and here comes Norman - on a full gallop.  "OMG!" she says.  "When did you get the calf?"  He is quite a bit taller than the Icelandics...he gallops and they boing.**

This always starts shrieking from the goats - "How come the SHEEPS get out on grasses?  How come the goaties DO NOT??"  I finally gave in and let the six of them out at the same time.  Then I held my breath.  Nothing happened.

All is peace and quiet...

at a safe distance...

This has started a line of thought that is leading me to sell Sage and Willow and keep Apple.  If they can all live together in relative harmony, it may be possible. 

8 comments:

Tyche's Minder said...

For me, the biggest challenge with mixing the goats and the sheep is dietary -- how do I get copper to the goats without killing the sheep (not to put too fine a point on it)? I've recently read that Icelandics, unlike other sheep, need copper too, so that helps if true. Have you heard that?

Susan said...

TM - I had heard the rumor ... if that is, indeed, true, that would be very helpful. I am feeding their minerals separately and they only co-mingle for grazing time. Otherwise, Juno would go into the goat barn and throw them out and claim it for herself, queen that she is.

SweetLand Farm said...

Sounds like it's working for you. Everything looks green and warm there!
The pics below in a different post of your gardens look great!

Mama Pea said...

The Peaceable Kingdom! May it ever remain so. What lush greenery you have, m'dear. Why wouldn't they all be happy?

Casa Mariposa said...

The only sheep around here are the human kind. I keep them away form goats, too. Why the real goats no likey the sheep?

Susan said...

SF - It always happens like this - it's grey and brown one day, then all green and lovely the next. Or so it seems... :)

Susan said...

Mama Pea - Ah, the Peaceable Kingdom. Whazat???

Susan said...

CM - I would highly recommend you keep your dear sheeples away from goats. Who knows what the outcome would be! My goats likey the sheep, it's the other way around. But, really, it's Juno who doesn't likey nobody.