Monday, August 13, 2007

Reprieve on the lambs

In case you've been afraid that Meeny, Miney, and Moe might lose their citizenship papers at 34 West Eby Road, you can relax for the moment. They may act a little illogical at times, but I'm no longer into the illegal thing about them.

Steps were taken, and things are better.

Background: they are getting larger, needing more food and the pasture is getting drier as August heat keeps pounding and rains are few.

It was decided to add hay to their menu. It hadn't worked before. In past years I had the experience of piles of hay in their pen going untouched, being confused with straw. This year, in desperation, I thought of putting the hay up in a manger--one of those things you see horses eating out of at about eye level. It seems to work. Joel reported he saw all three eating ouf of it at once.

The bad news is that they have been banned from the orchard pasture. Saturday I had taken them on their daily excursion. While I was guarding the low section of the fence over which they escaped in the past, they found another spot, pulled it down with their neck, and quickly jumped over into Glick's alfafa. That's a factor of Meeny and Miney being taller and older. I was nonplused, frustrated, plain mad, and shoo-ed Moe across too, thinking it would be easier to keep them together for the round-up and rescue.

With a little help from Dorcas, we soon had them back.

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