Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Meet Burr-nie !


This is Burrnie.
 

Little Burrnie is a rescue.  We are not in the habit of acquiring sheep in any fashion other than as necessity to further a breeding strategy, and exhaustive health testing is required before anybody sets hoof on the farm.  Burrnie had the misfortune to be brought home by "people" who were.... let's be very generous and say 'clueless'.  The situation was near enough that we observed it on a daily basis for many weeks.  Without going into detail about the people and local humane agencies suffice it to say that we couldn't stand it any longer and offered to trade some hay to feed the surviving cattle in exchange for the lone lamb.

We had him vetted and the blood work has finally come back - negative for all the dire diseases we usually check for.  Yay! I haven't mentioned him to hardly anyone because I didn't want to jinx the blood tests.  Yes, we're very logical and rational here.  After three weeks of quarantine on the livestock trailer he's been moved into a lambing pen in the lower barn.  He's already gained a good bit of weight since the day we got him and almost looks like a normal sheep.


He is an intact ram lamb, probably about six months old and likely some cross with Shetland involved - clearly something very hardy :-/.  His face and legs have pretty cinnamon hair but his fleece seems white.  It's a terrible mess of burdocks and is starting to break due to severe "a-grocery-osis" but will be quite fine and soft next year.  He is very shy but took an instant liking to Nilla Wafers.  Thanks, crazysheeplady!  We'll keep him here for a while while we consider what to do with him.  I think he'd fare poorly in the ram barn.  Our ram lambs are three times his size.

"Well, it's pretty nice here and the food is excellent but I'm still scared.  Everyone is so BIG!"
 
We are fervently hoping he's the only animal we ever need to rescue.  But at least now we can sleep at night.

13 comments:

  1. Oh yay! Love a good rescue. Lucky little guy. And very cute to boot. :)

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  2. Lucky little guy to end up with you. Thanks!

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  3. Good on you! Hopefully someone who has a couple of pet sheep will step in and take him once he is healthy, if he can't find a place there in the herd. I'm sure he could have a little 'op' just like a male dog or cat once he is more up to it, if he is too old for the ring. I've had pet wethers in the past and they make great pets so long as they have another sheep for company when you are busy. Wish I could take him myself but I am in the wrong country!

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  4. Too bad all I have are goats right now. He's about what I have been wanting. :-(

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  5. oh bless you for saving him.....

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  6. Heaven save us from 'clueless' livestock owners. Good for you for stepping in. And hurray for the rest of the story...!

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  7. I think I told you about my stray sheep story before. I do take in stray dogs and cats but never before a stray sheep. She didn't belong to anyone close by so guess what? She stayed with us and gave birth to twins about a month or so later. They all live quite well now and stay with the cattle for protection. Leave it to me to have a stray sheep come along. Oh well, we love them and hope to get more one of these days.

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  8. I"m so glad you did the right thing! And now he has a home in Kentucky!

    Linda
    http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
    http://handcraftedbyus.wordpress.com

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  9. So glad you rescued him and now he has a great forever home:)

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  10. Oh my, what a story and what a happy ending. I followed you here from Punkin Patch which link I got from Skoog Farm! I will add myself to your blog as a follower. Good on you for not turning a blind eye to Burrnie's plight even though it meant a possible jeopardizing of your own livelihood. Bless you, Sara and Lori for all you do for the farm animal kingdom. Greetings from Jo (Tanzania, East Africa)

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  11. Burrrnie has a good scottish burr to it so he must be part Shetland! :) good job- that had to be a tricky situation with a neighbor... and of course he will forever spoiled in KY.

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  12. OH, almost didn't read this because, well, I don't do well with 'before the rescue' stories but I am thrilled with this and GO SARA!!! yes, I followed you here from Punkin's Patch.

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