There is a Reason the Shepherds were in the fields

Since the beginning… the shepherds were with the sheep.

Cain was a farmer and Able was a SHEPHERD.

Can we just stop for a minute and realize that Cain and Able are Adam and Eve’s firstborns?

And humanity had just begun its existence.

And Able was a shepherd.

Do you want to know why Adam wasn’t a shepherd?

Because sheep are idiots and he handed off that job ASAP.

I can only imagine the shock and confusion when God explained the sheep situation to Adam.

Each and every animal was brought before Adam, I suspect this is the time when God delivered the blow.

Yes, God paraded all the animals in front of Adam so he could name them.  Once Adam named them, I bet God nonchalantly gave him a shoulder tap and casually mentioned the sheep predicament.

“See those white fluffy critters?  They’ll be dead by the end of the week if you don’t watch over them.”

And so it began.

For millennium, shepherds have been watching over flocks of sheep.

I am in sheep hell.

1. We have had health issues.
2. We have had predators.
3. We have had unexplainable death.
4. AND we have a LIVESTOCK GUARDIAN DOG who has decided to eat the animals he is there to protect.

If you have seen me in the past month, you have heard me rant about the stupid sheep and the stupid dog and the fact that I have been living in a plastic chair in a hospital room.  Oh and, I think Christmas may have happened?

I can’t even with this.

As I have been protesting my current sheep catastrophe to anyone who happens to be standing in front of me, everyone has asked the same question.

“How do sheep survive in the wild?”

Here’s the short answer:

THEY DON’T.

They die.

There have been shepherds taking care of sheep since the beginning of time, LITERALLY.

Remember the story of Samuel (the priest)?  He came to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be the future king of Israel.  When Jesse brought his sons before the priest, Samuel said the one he was to anoint wasn’t there.

This is when Jesse said he had one more son, David, who was IN THE FIELDS WITH THE SHEEP. [Read all about it in 1 Samuel chapter 16]

And, there is also the story of the Heavenly Hosts who Appeared in the Heavens and announced that the Christ was born that day in Bethlehem.

Who on earth was awake and outdoors to see this incredible display of majesty?

THE SHEPHERDS WHO WERE LIVING IN THE FIELDS WITH THE STUPID SHEEP. [Read about this in Luke 2:8-15]

Would you like to know why the shepherds are always in the fields with the sheep?

Because if no one was there, they would all be dead.  That’s why.

Every animal on planet earth is capable of survival and life and procreation in the wild on their own

EXCEPT for SHEEP.

Dogs, cats, wolves, antelopes, elephants, cheetahs, cows, horses, deer, kangaroos, all of them can survive on the earth without the involvement or participation of humans.

NOT SHEEP.

They can not survive without constant supervision and protection.

I’d like to take this opportunity to make a shortlist of Reasons Sheep Need Shepherds

WHY SHEEP NEED SHEPHERDS

1. Shearing – duh.  BUT what you may not know is that if not sheared regularly, sheep can die.  It’s not something that happens to make the sheep cool, or comfortable.  If not sheared, they can die.  The fly lay eggs in the sheep’s thick wool.  The eggs hatch and the little parasites burrow into the sheep’s skin.  Shearing them controls the parasites on their bodies.  They must be sheared – it is not optional.
2. Hoof Trimming.  Again, sheep have fragile tender feet and they also have toenails that never stop growing.  If not trimmed the toenails will curl around and grow into the tender pads of their feet.  First, they will be limp and appear somewhat lame, eventually, they can develop hoof rot.  Why or how, I do not know, but a sheep with a bad case of hoof rot is often culled because it is difficult to treat and get under control.  They MUST have their hooves trimmed regularly – not optional.
3. Dry Feet.  Speaking of hooves, sheep can not stand around in mud or wet ground.  They have tender feet that must stay dry.  This can be a problem during winter or if you live in a wet climate.  Precautions must be taken to keep ground dry where sheep will stand.  If there is a feeder or bale provided, it must be relocated to dry locations as needed.
4. Deworming.  Internal parasites can cripple and take down a sheep quickly, regular deworming must be scheduled.  And, don’t use the over-the-counter stuff.  Removing most of the worms usually takes a vets evaluation of stool accompanied by prescription meds (more than one).
5. Polio (polioencephalomalacia).  If a sheep does not get enough thiamine (vitamin B1) they can develop a version of polio due to nutrient deficiency.  One day you will have a sheep kinda stumbling around, having difficulty seeing (partial blindness is one of the first signs).  Next, they will be unable to stand and soon die if not treated.
6. White Muscle Disease.  This is another crippling disease that is due to a vitamin deficiency (caused by deficiencies in selenium or vitamin E).  It can easily be treated in the early stages or prevented with an injection of BOSE.  If the disease is too far progressed before you realize what the heck is wrong with your sheep, there is hardly a way to save them.
7. Keep everyone upright.  If sheep manage to get flipped on their backs, they are sitting ducks.  Once a sheep is flipped onto its backside or buttocks it is paralyzed.  Completely immobile.  I have no earthly idea why.  It is quite hilarious.  A standing sheep will kick you, fight you and run from you if you are holding a pair of hoof trimmers.  Flip that sheep onto its butt and it goes limp.  This is tremendous if you need to trim their hooves or remove their fleece.  But if they are in the field alone, a flipped sheep is doomed.  Don’t ask me how they manage to do it.  When I intentionally try to flip them onto their backs they fight as their lives depend on it, but somehow, by the gods, they are capable of inadvertently self-fliping at the most inconvenient times.  And then they just lay there, legs straight out, relaxing in the sun… like, “Please, something come eat me.”
8. 1000 Things can go wrong.  “Candi, it could be a thousand different things.”  These were my vet’s words after examining my sheep who had been lying down for 3 days. Unfortunately, most of these 1000 things will be unknown to the shepherd until it is too late.  Often by the time you figure out what is wrong with a sheep and provide the antidote they have already given up.  I suppose this is another reason the shepherds historically, literally, lived in the fields with the sheep.  These sort of health conditions would probably be more apparent and noticed earlier if I lived with my sheep.
9. No copper. Copper is deadly to sheep.  This can be inconvenient if you keep any other animals near sheep.  Cattle feed, horse feed, and most minerals contain copper.  It is a necessary mineral if you are not a sheep.  Another sheep keeper near me had a rogue sheep find its way to the cow field where it helped itself to the bag of feed.  My friend didn’t find the escapee until it was too late.  That sheep had eaten herself to death.
10. No Grain.  We do not store the sheep feed anywhere near the sheep pasture or barn.  They will climb buildings, fences, and walls to get to a bag of feed.  And grain is detrimental to a sheep’s health.  Where grain is not ideal for other animals, like cows, (grass-fed is much healthier) it can still be a healthy part of their diet.  Not with sheep. When sheep are fed too much grain, they will get diarrhea and can poop themselves into dehydration and even death. With sheep, very small amounts of grain can be used to move them, or train them; however, it is not a regular part of their diet.
11. Constant protection.  In addition to needing eyes watching over their health, they need a guardian to prevent them from being dragged away by predators.  Do not bring home a sheep unless you bring home a guardian animal to go with it.  This can be a dog, donkey, mule, or another babysitter.  Just bring something or you may not have a sheep by the end of the week.  Even with a guardian, we have found missing sheep.  One morning in fall we awoke to a missing lamb.  We found a trial of wool going from the pasture, under the high-tensile fencing, and through the woods.  At the end of the wool trial, we found what was left of the lamb.  Which was not much.
12. Paperwork.  It is very important that you keep track of your lambs’ birthdays and ages.  A lamb (or yearling) who is over (or near) 100 pounds yet does not have its adult teeth is worth gold.  Once those molars come in, they are somewhat worthless as meat.
13. Castrating, Tail docking, & Immunizations.  Of course, there are the regularly scheduled lamb and sheep duties that come around and must not be overlooked.

On top of the (1) unending list of duties, (2) the need for constant supervision and (3) the 1000 things that can go wrong, there is the problem that once a sheep goes down it is nearly impossible to get them back up.

It is so sad to watch.  We have treated and cured sheep with the help of our vet.  They were in perfect health, eating, drinking, and their rumens were functioning perfectly, yet they would not stand back up.  Not with a sling.  Not with help.  Not with physical therapy.

We have had to put healthy sheep down because they simply would not stand back up.

It is heartbreaking.

The positive side to this sort of nightmare is that you can wrestle this around in your brain and finally land on the fact that these lambs are indeed food.  When we have had to end life, we have been grateful for the provision.

Some of you are already realizing where I am going with this.

I do not have the time, energy or desire to devote the sort of life-commitment needed to continue keeping sheep.

If death is what they want – death is what they shall get.

I’m kidding.

Kind of.

We made other arrangements for our flock of Tunis sheep this week.  They have been delivered to their new home and we are a sheep-free facility as of NOW.

If you love sheep and have had a positive experience, I am so thrilled for you.  I suppose my reality has skewed my opinion.

Sheep are loveable beyond belief.  There is something about their pure vulnerability that makes them simply irresistible.  I kept sheep for many years,  they stole my heart and broke it too along the way.  I loved having them.

As we walk our paths down this road of homesteading, farming and self-sufficiency we learn so much.

I have learned that, for now, sheep are not a good fit for us.

At this point, I want to focus on the parts of homesteading that fulfill and energize me.

It is sad to say goodbye.  We have deeply loved many of the sheep we have owned.

Difficult decisions, folks.  Sometimes we have to make hard decisions.

Good bye, sheep.

XO,

Candi