Monday, 25 May 2009

A question for all you country folk!




Can you tell me why the sheep in the field at the bottom of my garden practise a sort of apartheid? There are about 20 creamy white ones incuding chubby lambs and newly shorn mothers, together with about 10 blotchy brown ones which I think may be Jacob's. Occasionally they all graze together, roaming across the field throughout the day. However, most of the time, the brown ones keep together in a group - just like they are on my photo. Weird really, but then nature often is. Just a thought!!
I looked up the meaning of the word:
Apartheid is an Afrikaans word meaning "separation" or literally "aparthood" (or "apartness").

3 comments:

Norma Murray said...

Hi Twiglet, How strange the sheep should behave in that way. Thanks for your comment and offer of help. My machine is quite scary. The woman who owned it before was a semi professional sewer, and it has all sorts of weird gadgets.

mountainear said...

Are they part of the same flock, or two flocks which have been put in the same field?

Our farming neighbour said of the 'cade' lambs that when they eventually get put out in the field with the rest of the sheep they never really mix and stick together in the group they were reared with.

Calico Kate said...

Hi Twiglet - sorry I haven't been round much - but I have caught up with my reading!
I would agree with Mountainear that it may be that they are two flocks in one field so that they keep themelves to them selves. I think yes to the piebald ones being Jacobs. Am NOT a sheep expert but M&D had Jacobs before they had the Herdwicks. And you should see the lambkin born today (no photos yet) but she is soooo pretty.
CKx