Paying Attention

I mentioned yesterday that sheep are always communicating...Here is a photo that illustrates my point.

Whitepine Silverthorne is standing in the distance. She is a lamb I bought from Garrett this past summer. She is the only ewe in the pen that was not born here or has not lived here for more than one year. Ewes tend to find solidarity in family units. Often I will see Rachel and her offspring at one feeder, Dolce and her daughters at another, and Anna and her twins at a third. That leaves Silvy and Rai Min (orphaned at 9 months) to scurry between feeders as the families butt them out of the way. Luckily, Rai Min was born forward. She's always just shoved right back when knocked around. And she's so unpredictable, none of the other girls are quite sure what she might attempt. Rai Min likes to kick up her heels for apparently no reason. She's a very silly ewe.

It has taken Silvy longer to gain confidence. She is petite compared to my stock. She's a newcomer. She never had any family to stick up for her here. Silvy has learned to be a sweetie-pie, but she has to constantly watch her back. At any moment one of the other ewes might get jealous and knock Silvy out of the prime spot with me or at the feeder.

Can you see how alert Silvy is to the look on Delyth's face? Delyth has her ears flattened and she's looking right at Silverthorne. Only predators make that kind of direct eye contact...or grouchy sheep that are about to butt somebody. Even though there is quite a bit of distance between the two sheep, Silvy is prepared to scamper away if Delyth comes toward her. You'll notice the feeder is empty. Delyth, being higher up on the status ladder, is not about to let a lower creature stand closer to the feeder if it will soon be filled by the shepherd. So she's asserting her personal space. And Silvy is paying attention.