There are some hard things about farming: Rain on rows of cut hay. Weak lambs. Dry summers. Rams that kill each other. A ewe getting old...
Being philosophical about it, I suppose everyone handles these things differently: impatience, acceptance, additional effort, cut your losses, expand the pastures, research minerals, use a shot, buy hay, hire some labor, do it yourself, pay the vet, don't call the vet, hope and wait, reduce the flock, swear...pray.......
Rachel, my first ewe, is getting old. I even refer to her as Old Rachel now. And even though she has been in retirement for the past two years, she is looking rough. She is built like a Holstein as it is, but she was so scrawny this spring at shearing time it was hard to even look at her. And that was after a winter of good alfalfa hay and a concerted provision of grains. Even this summer, with excellent clover and grass up to her eyeballs, she just isn't bouncing back like she should. She has slowed down. She's getting old.
Clancy and I were going to put her down after shearing this spring. Some how, neither of us had the heart to get around to it. For now, the flock is small and the grass is abundant. We've decided she isn't in the way, or coming to any harm by enjoying the summer. But we will probably put her down before it's time to feed hay. Lots of logical reasons to do so...but mainly because our methods here, even our extra efforts, are no longer pulling her through.
Yes, more could be done for her. But no, we are not going to do it. That is our decision. It hasn't been fun to come to terms with this, but I'm strangely at peace with it now that it has been decided.
I'm just trying to enjoy this time with her. She will always be the girl that taught me everything.
Clancy and I were going to put her down after shearing this spring. Some how, neither of us had the heart to get around to it. For now, the flock is small and the grass is abundant. We've decided she isn't in the way, or coming to any harm by enjoying the summer. But we will probably put her down before it's time to feed hay. Lots of logical reasons to do so...but mainly because our methods here, even our extra efforts, are no longer pulling her through. Yes, more could be done for her. But no, we are not going to do it. That is our decision. It hasn't been fun to come to terms with this, but I'm strangely at peace with it now that it has been decided.I'm just trying to enjoy this time with her. She will always be the girl that taught me everything.
6 comments:
I'm so sorry you're facing this, Sabrina. I know it's coming with Inky, too. She is very thin, and has the enlarged joints and decreased mobility of arthritis to boot. I'm not planning anything at this point; I just hope I know when it's time....
Awww, it brings tears to my eyes to see her little face. Yours too, I bet. A few of my ewes are getting old now. One will be put down this year. They had better than average sheep lives with us, didn't they?
What a difficult decision, Sabrina. How I wish we could stop time for our beloved older ewes. Alice certainly doesn't LOOK as young as she once did but she still seems happy so she'll stay. I do know that it's important to check the teeth on older ewes. Sometimes they'll lose most of their teeth but keep one or two. Those one or two teeth can actually be worse than none! They prevent the sheep from using her gums and dental pad to graze. If she has no teeth at all, she can still pull off bits of grass by 'gumming' it. Just something you might want to check.
Rachel's a lucky ewe to have spent her later years with you. Better to go out peacefully than suffer and decline over a long period of time.
Of course, Alice is still just a BABY....
;-)
Wow, I did not expect such understanding comments. Thank you so much, friends.
We checked Rachel's teeth last fall and she still has all four in front and we didn't see any problems with the others.
I just checked her papers...she was 11 this spring. I suppose that is getting old for a sheep.
And yes, Gail...I think you are right...these beloved creatures have had a better than average life. Thank you for reminding me of that.
Oh gosh, I missed this post! I totally understand how you feel Sabrina, last week I made an appointment for my beloved 11 year old Bramble Cordelia to go to the butcher with two yearlings. Afterward I felt just awful until I decided she's going to stay until she goes on her own. She's thin but doesn't look that bad with an inch or two of fleece on her. And her fleece is still very nice - microned at 27.1 AFD, 5.6 SD and 20.6 CV. But she's lost her teeth and is subject to cruels (abcesses along the jawline due to pokey hay). I'm not going to treat her with antibiotics and when the time comes we'll put her down. But for now, I bring her my bread crusts every day and try to sneak her some extra alfalfa hay. She's still a fiesty old girl, headbutting those market lambs I brought home the other day.
I feel for you and Cordelia. She has been a good ewe for you.
I think the deciding point for me is knowing that all the extra I did for her last winter did not have the effect I was hoping for. She struggled rather than maintained. I actually think it would be a bit cruel to make her go through another winter. Her fleece doesn't grow out like it used to. It is still lovely...but last winter it was shorter than normal. And I was hoping that not being bred would help with that. But it didn't.
I think it's just plain hard no matter which path one takes. For all of us out there with old ewes...I agree with Michelle...may we know when it's time...
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