Trying to figure out a way to make Harley, our Shetland ram, happy in his retirement has been foremost on my mind the last couple days.  I know a lot of people will just take their breeding ram and send him to freezer camp after a season or two, but I hate to do that.   I want to learn how to handle my rams and let them have a decent life after their run as herd sire.  Unfortunately, Harley will be way too related to our group next year.   We will only have 4 ewes that he can breed with.  So, his job is over now.   But he grows such a beautiful big fleece and he’s really fairly sweet, even when he’s being a butthead.

How can you not love a mug like this?

Well, last year, he was fine with being a solidary dude.   But this year, he wasn’t digging it.   I guess he just kinda decided he liked being with the ladies!

So Angus to the rescue.   Angus is going to be his brofriend for a little while, until Harley gets the hang of being in his new pasture.  Angus is not thrilled, because he misses his ladies.   But he’s a good boy and is up to helping out and keeping Harley from having to go to freezer camp.

We are trying to make it nice and comfy up there for them and it includes a few cookie snacks here and there.   A little extra sweet feed and hay without the pushy broads.  My goal is that in a week or so, we can let Angus out in the middle yard when the ladies are out, and see how Harley handles a little alone time.   Then, if he’s anxious in the evening, we will just put Angus back in for a sleepover.

Hopefully, this will transition him into being fine with being up front.   And we also hope that it will give his body a little time to tone down the whole testosterone thing.  No girls means time off for the whole  ram obsessive breeding routine!

And the chickens have decided that the pasture up front is now open for business since there are sheep up there.   It’s funny how no one has been up there until now.   This is our little free range flock…  two roosters, Bucka Two and Dammartin and three hens…  Izzy and Dizzy and Ninja.  Ninja is the little Pendesca hen in the top right corner.   She is the craftiest, smartest hen we have ever had.  She refuses to be cooped.   She will get out of just about anything.   She is a nutty little girl and smart, smart, smart.  Most of our hens are cooped because we just don’t like to go on Easter egg hunts everyday.   Thankfully, these three girls all lay in the feed room, so we can find their little clutches.

I hope Harley appreciates that Angus has probably saved his life.  And that we really don’t like mutton.  Two good factors.   And we’re not going to give up easily.  We will do the very  best we can to make sure that Harley has a safe and happy retirement.  Sheep easily live about 8 to 10 years or more…   If he can behave and just keep making a beautiful fleece every year for us, I think he has a perfect reason to belong.   And pretty soon, he’ll have his replacement ram to keep him company…  and perhaps even a cute little Angora goat buckling!   Shhhhh….  it’s in the works, I hope it works out!