🐑 The Sheep Project 🐏

😊 well somebody needs to eat the grass 😊

updated August 26th, 2020

This is now late August, 2020 and we started the back yard sheep project back at the beginnings of March, 2020. So it's been quite the long slog to just get to this point! I'll keep a date at the top of this page so you'll have a clue as to if it's been updated since the last time you looked at it.

From March until twenty days ago when the sheep arrived (August 6th, 2020), we were fencing. We're not a very robust fencing crew so it took awhile. We also have about one zillion other projects so there was a lot of time doing other things. But, perserverance paid off like it usually does - eventually. We learned a lot about fencing and I'm pretty sure the backyard sheep are going to be an ongoing learning experience so just think of all the tuition we're saving by just jumping in and doing it. Actually, this is an attempt to be lazy and not have to mow the lawn.

We haven't ever kept "lawn Roombaaaas" before and previously we just sucked it up and mowed the yard. Mowing is miserable using a push mower because of the hillside. Or a bit too exciting using the riding mower, also because of the hillside. As of the past year or so, we had just ignored it and let the tall grasses take over. Last time the tall grass took over, it cost over $1K and an excavator to clear the tall grass away. We don't want to do that very often! This time, we're trying a more organic and ongoing method of grass control, hence 'The Sheep Project'. Since it would be another $1K to have an exavator show up, we figured there was about that much to dedicate to 'The Project'.

We came in right around that budget, but there was a LOT of help from our friends. We couldn't have done it without them. (Now I know why folks charge so much for installing fences.) We also learned that sheep are about the same cost as a big roll of field fence. We'd been gathering fence posts from various yard sales over the years although a few new ones were bought as well. With the help of our friends and a bit of swapping and scrounging, we were able to afford the new sheepies. Sure is a lot of work to get out of mowing the lawn!

August 6th, 2020, we had "Sheep Shifting Day". Yay! (Another new and educational experience) "Hillside Farm" is a back yard "micro-farm" and not really a farm at all, so a stock trailer isn't something we have laying about. But, there is a general purpose trailer and a 4WD truck, so we figured we'd at least try with that and see how it went.

Cypress is the little guy in the back of the other two rams. He was waiting for us with his other ram friends in the sheep barn. They're a heritage breed called "Clun Forest" and they're supposed to do well in Hawaii's humid climate. The have really nice wool, easy to spin and makes a 'sproingy' yarn. It's soft, not anywhere near soft as the bunnies, but most things aren't. It is nice wool, though and we will get some to make into yarn when they're shorn next spring.

This was my first meeting with the sheep, since we are friends with Leila of Sunbonnet Farm, we let Leila figure out who would be good pet sheep lawn Roombaaas for us. She definitely knows more about sheep than we do. So we'd been busy fencing for months with nothing other than a picture of the sheep to go on. We could have gone up and visited the sheep earlier, I suppose, but what with this being the Time of Covid, it seemed a better idea to stay home and fence the back yard for a sheep pasture than to go wandering around out and about.

Cypress was probably less thrilled to see us when he got some worm medicine poured down him as a general preventative. There's a syringe thing that he kept spitting out. Guess we will have to get one of them, so I'd better fnd out what they're actually called although our feed store may actually be able to sell me one with that description. The sheep have a schedule of vaccinations, hoof trimming, wool shearing and worming "as necessary", etc. I've sorta got an idea of how to determine "as necessary", but more study on that is in order as well. I'm still learning all these things and procedures. Leila set the sheep up for us so they're up to date on all their medical things and they will have time to get accustomed to their new pasture as well as us before we have to do any medical maintenance. As well as us to get accustomed to them, too!

When folks say "sheep like to be with other sheep" that's something that the sheep take really seriously. One sheep by himself is a sheep in a panic. Soon as there's another sheep nearby, they calm right down. The little ram, Cypress, (he's in the airline kennel at the front of the picture) was way more concerned about being a sheep by himself than by being a sheep in a box. When is other ram friends had left the barn and he was the only one left, he wasn't a happy sheep at all. Very nervous and almost in a panic. Although, he had just had some worm medicine, so that may have not improved his mood.

When Flower was brought up to the trailer, she was really hesitant to come near until she heard Cypress in the box. Then she didn't mind too much. She was far away from her flock of ewe friends, but since there was another sheep on the trailer, the trailer couldn't have been too bad of a place? I don't know much about sheep psychology, but that's what it seemed like to me.

Well, it's not exactly the world's most stylish stock trailer, but fortunately these aren't style conscious sheepies. We had hoped to get both sheep in the airline shipping kennel, but they're too woolly and that didn't work. Instead of making two trips - which would have had one or the other of the sheepies being seriously unhappy all by themselves in a strange pasture for about an hour while we went to get the other sheep, we borrowed a pig trap as a transfer device. Flower is in the pig trap, although she doesn't seem to mind that too much as long as there's another sheep nearby.

Sunbonnet Farm is about ten minutes down the highway and twenty minutes up the hill so it's not very far away. The sheep didn't have to stay in the not-so-stylish stock trailer for very long but since they were together, they didn't seem to mind the ride too much. The first bit is over a rocky road and slow, then there was a quick bit of 'highway', although this being rural Hawaii Island, our 'highway' looks a lot like what mainland folks may refer to as a 'two lane blacktop' road.

The trailer backed up to the new pasture's sorta 'gate' (we will build a better one eventually) and it was time to de-box the sheep. You'd think that wouldn't be a problem, they really hadn't been excited about being put into the boxes you'd think they'd want out, right? However, once they were there, they didn't want to come out of the box. Is it a sheep thing to be contrary?

Since Cypress is the smaller sheep, we tipped his box up until he decided it was better to be out of the box than in the box. Once he was out, he was pointed into his new pasture so he went right in. After he started leaving, Flower popped right out of the pig trap and followed him into the pasture. Woot! Two Sheep!

Way back in March, when we started The Sheep Project, the neighbor dog next door was an elderly Labrador. One of those galoompy slow dogs that kinda wanders around checking things out for awhile and then takes a nap. However, in early March, her people moved to Canada, she went with them and the next door house was put up for sale.

New people next door was a bit of a worry. The house sold for rather a lot of money and folks with that type of money, well, are they gonna be fancy city folks and not like sheep? It was a bit of worry, but we'd already started on the project so we just kept fencing. It takes awhile for a house to sell and all the paperwork to get done and the new people to appear. This is also in the Time of Covid, so the house was sold via some sort of online media through the Realtor so we hadn't even seen the people looking at the house before they appeared. Bit of uncertainty, fer sure! We found out later that they were a bit worried that we might be snooty neighbors, so it's all good and there's much relief all around.

However! (Have you ever noticed that there's frequently a 'however'?) Anyway - there was a new dog next door, two of them actually, with the new neighbors. One of them is a scary pit bull! I was certain there was going to be big trouble and was trying to figure out how to pit bull proof a fence. But, the new neighbors said they'd keep the pit bull from eating sheep. So, we continued with The Sheep Project.

The sheep had just gotten to their new pasture and I was checking their fence when the scary pit bull next door, Kai, came to see what I was doing. Lots of finger licking on his side and pit bull petting on my side ensued since I was working with the fence. The sheep were stock still staring at him and when he noticed the sheep, he was shocked himself. His first response was to hide behing the tall bamboo so those scary 'big dogs' wouldn't see him. Then he came up to the fence, the sheep came up to the fence. Dog sniffed sheep, sheep sniffed dog. Everyone got their noses licked then Kai stuck his head as far through the fence as he could while wagging his tail and asking the sheep to play. Cypress, being a ram and all, kinda did a bit of foot dance and then gently bumped Kai's nose with his head. I guess that's sheep play. Nobody got eaten! Things are all good.

There! Sheep at Work! Better'n a noisy lawnmower any day.

They've been in the pasture for about twenty days now and have pretty much munched up all the short grasses, although the picture above was taken on their second day in the pasture. They're now working on the tall stuff, but they're happier if I knock it over for them so they can reach it easier.

We still feed them alfalfa pellets mixed with steamed & crimped oats along with some rolled barley twice a day. Since their sheep pasture is still mostly really tall Guinea grass, we aren't sure how much nutrition is in it so they get sheep ration twice a day so they will have proper nutrition.

They really like their alfalfa pellets and chow them right down. Sheep aren't particularly polite eaters. Ricky the Rooster makes sure his hens have the best bugs, but I don't think Cypress is all that concerned that Flower should get the best bits. Since Flower is bigger than Cypress, maybe she should make sure he gets a fair share? But there's not too much shoving going on at snack time.

Cypress is the smaller sheep. He's a 'runt', usually a ram is bigger than an ewe, but Cypress is just a little guy. He's full grown, I don't think he's gonna get much bigger but we want little lawn mowers so he's a perfect size.

New Neighbor Sheep
the neighbors don't want to mow hillsides, either

We have been so enthused about sheep that it must be catching. A few days ago after they'd gotten their back yard fence finished, the new neighbors now have new sheepies! Yay!

They have 'hair' sheep who won't need to be sheared. It's an ewe and her daughter so we won't have to worry about a hair sheep ram jumping the fence. Their new sheep are small little sheep, very cute! I'd kinda expected the sheep to hang out near each other by the fence, but they don't reems to feel the need to be next to each other. We will see if that changes, the new sheep are very new, not that the two here are that much of any kind of 'old timers', though.

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Fence Crew being Followed
sheep need pets, too

The Fencing Crew met the sheep and were touring the site of all their hard work to see how much the sheep have knocked back the tall grasses.

As we were heading down hill to go out of the sheep pasture, Cypress took exception to his sheep petters trying to escape. Being sheep, their first thing is to follow. Being Cypress and in need of pets, he has to go nudge one of those people who are forgetting to pet the sheep. I think we're teaching him bad manners when he gets pets after getting pushy and nudging people, but he's so cute! I suppose it's better to have sheep that require petting to sheep that can't be caught.

Flower being Zen
contemplative sheep

Sheep seem to like to stare off into space and chew their cud a lot. I guess it's kinda like afternoon naps? Flower is just standing there, staring off into space and chewing. She seems happy enough so I guess it's all good.

For the first year, the sheep will mostly be eating sheep feed from the feed store. As we whack down the various tall grasses, their job will be to eat the tender new shoots as they come up. That's the plan, anyway. Eventually, we will have everything cut short and the lawn Roombaaas can keep it that way. Of course, they probably won't eat everything so we will have to periodically go in and take down what they don't like to eat, but with us and them both working on the grasses we hope to recover the use of the back yard.

Of course, other than being lawn Roombaaas, we also want woolly sheep to make yarn! The bunnies approve of that idea, they like yarn.