Meet Val
Along with livestock comes deadstock. It’s a phrase that we all use casually, never really realizing how much of an impact that the loss of a special member of the flock has upon us. We lost Panda just over a week ago and it hasn’t been until now that I’ve felt like writing about it. Panda was one of those unusually bright sheep with a marvelous disposition. I could always tell by looking at the way she cocked her head as she watched me go about barn chores that she was paying careful attention to what I was doing.
We’re not sure what happened, but two veterinary emergency calls later, a uterine prolapse, followed by a rectal prolapse, and she was gone. When searching for some answers I spoke with three vets, including one who is a Tunis breeder, and none of them had ever heard of such a thing. Life is perverse. Why did it have to happen to our Grand Champion and why didn’t she have a ewe lamb last year so that at least we’d have her offspring? Sara sat with her in the pen, attempting to comfort her, until just before the vet arrived, and then said her goodbyes.
With show season just around the corner and a late lamb crop, placing anywhere near the top of the classes this season was out of the question. Last year a combination of circumstances knocked Sara out of the show circuit and it seemed like we were about to have a repeat. We hadn’t really planned on buying any new sheep this spring but off we went to Massachusetts to look for a lamb and a yearling.
Thirty-five miles from Boston we met Bill Kerns busily vaccinating and trimming the lambs he had picked out for us to select from. Sara thoroughly studied the choices, narrowed it down to three, and finally chose the new addition to her flock, an early February lamb with nice color, good body length, and a large frame. A few words of wisdom from Bill and we were on our way to Winchendon to look at a yearling.
The McDonough’s remembered me from conversations we’d had at a show in years past and in few minutes we were like old friends. I always thought that they had a nice flock and was glad to have the opportunity to visit them at the David Brown Farm. When we spoke over the phone Maryanne mentioned that they had a bottle baby from last year that needed to find a good home for and that the ewe recently had placed well at the MA Sheep and Wool Festival. It took only seconds for both Sara and I to realize that this ewe was coming home with us. In addition to being exactly what we want in a Tunis, we could tell that her personality would be a perfect fit for our flock.
Her name is Val, short for Valentine, as she arrived on February 14. She likes to eat dog biscuts, open gates, follow us around like a puppy, and doesn’t hesitate to holler when she wants us. If Panda is looking down on us from that big pasture in the sky I think she would approve. I know we do.
