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Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Hard Working Dogs

I decided to try for a video showing how Kate helps me feed the sheep.  Since you've seen the cookie mob, you can now pretty easily imagine the hay mob every evening.  All it takes is a little back up from Kate and a couple new gates and now I don't have to worry about wading through pushy sheep, dropping hay on their backs no matter how careful I am.

I use Windows Movie Maker to edit the videos I take with my camera.  It's a program that comes with most computers, so sort of "free" - give it a try!  To avoid several boring minutes of me going back and forth setting out piles of hay (which is so much easier without the "zombies" trying to knock me down), I cut most of it out.  I left a little bit in once I found out I could speed it up, double time :-).  I wish I could move that fast.  Well no, not really.  I actually really enjoy feed time, even when it's cold.

Once again I left the beginning 'as-is' since I think it's funny.  The first sheep you hear is Woody. Next you hear Ewen.  He doesn't tend to say much so I'm glad it's there - it's the higher pitched maaa. Then you hear Buddy.  He and Woody are my main foghorns now that Elizabeth is gone. Hank is barking in the background.  


We are headed for some super cold temps for the next couple of days, as is much of the rest of the country.  Stay warm everyone!


28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing that! I love seeing where you are. And I LOVE your barn. It looks so cozy. Good luck with the cold snap. Jeessh! We are still too fresh off of last year's polar vortexes! I looked up how many days until spring ... 72! ;)

Valerie said...

I enjoyed this so much! =) Made me smile. Happy New Year! Warm Blessings, Valerie

farm buddy said...

That was fun to watch! Go Kate!

LannieK said...

Too much fun! (says she who wishes she could be feeding sheepies) Thanks for sharing the morning routine :-). Kate is so intense - I bet the sheep know it, too. Stay warm!

Far Side of Fifty said...

What a great help your Kate is! So good to see her working and making feed time easier for you:)

Tee said...

I am a city girl, so forgive me if this is a silly question. What is on the ground as compared to what you are putting out? It looks the same to me (hay) and so why don't the sheep eat what is on the ground until it is gone?

Buttons Thoughts said...

LOVE LOVE It. Hug B

Michelle said...

Kate is so pretty. All your sheep have gotten woolly, so they are ready for those cold temps!

Jo said...

Oh how I loved seeing you and Kate working : lifting hay and then letting the Hay Zombies in again for a feed. Your barn looks so cozy and clean. Keep warm and safe. Greetings, Jo (East Africa)

Wol 'n Draad said...

Ohh, how I Love your "snippets of daily life on the farm" videos! :-)
Keep warm!
Love, Ineke

Tina Marie the Willow Witch said...

enjoyed, Thanks. I just love watching the sheep.

Auntie Reg said...

Thanks

Shelley said...

Sara! remind us again who's wearing the bell?

Unknown said...

What a civilized mealtime! Well done Kate! (And Sara)

Shirley said...

I bet you could just stand back and Kate would take all the sheep out the gate.... too bad she can't open the gate too! :0) Such helpful dogs. What kind of hay do you feed sheep? I feed straight grass to the horses, but it looks like you may have some alfalfa in your hay?

thecrazysheeplady said...

Not a silly question at all! We bed the sheep with straw (golden yellow, shiny, fluffy) and feed the sheep hay (usually a greenish brown and not shiny). In the weird night light, it does look quite the same. However, to complicate things, once the sheep have tromped all over hay (and probably peed on it too ;-), they don't want to eat it and it becomes bedding as well. That's why I try to put it out in separate piles spaced far enough apart that they can stand at one pile eating without standing IN the next pile.

Then, to FURTHER complicate things, our sheep will eat a certain amount of straw, too. There may be a tiny bit of grain left in it maybe? Need extra dry fiber because the grass is rich? Little piggies? Not sure why, but we don't really mind. So, there is a difference in what we set out, but in the end, sometimes not much difference in how it's used by the sheep.

thecrazysheeplady said...

That'd be Graham Lamb. Petunia is also wearing a bell, but she's somehow figured out how to dampen the dinger so that she's not a loud dingaling...like Grahammy ;-).

thecrazysheeplady said...

She could except for a couple "special" cases. Even though she's snapped at Hershey several times, he's still just completely sure she loves him the way Hank does and wants to just go stand by her, hoping she'll lick his ears. That ain't her gig ;-D. I "help" him out.

Also, I have to watch Ewen and (big surprise) Maisie because they'd like nothing more than to get her cornered and pummel her. I'm not sure why Ewen hasn't come around, but we know why Maisie hasn't ;-). And Kate has made enough fair hits on her that I feel a bit better about not being able to control her myself ;-D.

The other thing about me being in there is I think it reminds the sheep that I'm asking Kate to do that and I'm still looking out for their best interests/safety. That might just be in my own mind, but I have a close relationship with those sheep and they trust me.

One other thing is that as I'm walking through/behind them, I'm getting a good look at everyone and hopefully noticing if someone is limping or not acting right...

Lisa Smith said...

What wonderfully behaved diners you have! I love how they eagerly rush in to the various piles. Thank you for filming this ~ what a happy way to start the day!
Warm Regards, Lisa in Oregon

sophy0075 said...

Very cosy! I like the "speed up" - it looks like the Keystone Kops Go Shepherding!

Susan said...

I just realized, after watching that video, that you have a lot of fluffy sheep! What a good dog, Kate is! She seems to have a gentle touch. It is always so much fun to watch someone else do their evening chores.... :) You all stay warm today and tonight!

thecrazysheeplady said...

It was very important to me that Kate would be slow and quiet with our sheep. We have too many old (and fat) friends who I sure wouldn't want to see racing around in a panic like I sometimes see with other folks dogs. Kate is especially kind to Jester, Ford and Henri in Del Boca Vista. She just stares at them and walks up slowly and they calmly walk wherever I need them. None of the sheep *like* being bossed around by Kate, but they don't like being bossed around by me either. At least, when she needs to be, she's quicker at getting back around someone who's being especially naughty than I ever/never could ;-).

Heather said...

love, love, love to Kate :-) and kisses too.

Unknown said...

Oh my... this is such a wonderful video! I will come back to it a few more time, I am sure:-). I would not mind watching more videos of this kind:-). Gorgeous sheepies and a very smart and equally gorgeous border collie.

Unknown said...

Lovely video, I had a smile on my face watching it :)

Tee said...

Thanks for the explanation. I had forgotten about straw vs. hay! I have watched that video countless times. I just love reading your blog!

Susan said...

Great watching the sheep turn around to see where Kate is and who's going to get moved foreward next. and when they come in and everyone rushes around to see what's in this pile, that pile.......might be something different over here :)
Yes, you DO have a close relationship with those sheep and they DO trust you! Miss Maisie.......WTH???

The Dancing Donkey said...

Nothing like having a little reliable help at your beck and call:)

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