Brought home my new ruminants: three purebred Tunis sheep ewes. Tunis sheep are a rare American heritage breed, and I think they are so beautiful, with their cream-colored fleece and copper hair. Martha is the fluffy one on the left, she was born this January and hasn't been sheared yet. Esther is the ewe on the right, she was sheared a few months ago, which is why she's sleeker. And little Hattie is Esther's lamb, born in April. I am so excited about this new adventure!
They travelled nicely in the back of my car with minimal complaints, and unloaded pretty easily and started grazing almost immediately. The goats weren't quite sure what to think at first, but after a few investigatory sniffs, everybody started grazing and more or less ignoring one another. I am glad that B.J. didn't give half a crap about the sheep, because I was a little worried that she might get aggressive with them. I am happy to report that has not been the case so far.
Their registration papers are in the mail, and I plan to borrow a ram and reed Esther and Martha in the fall... I don't think Hattie will be big enough, but we'll see.
I love watching them just graze in the rain. They are perfect for western WA - when the rain comes, the goats run for the barn and eat hay under cover. The sheep hardly even looked up from grazing when the deluge came. Wool coats can come in handy.