[Jacob-list] Grannie ewes

[Susan L. Nielsen]

On Mon, 5 Mar 2001 Jacobflock at aol.com wrote:

> This raised a question.  Something like...is "grannie behavior" an inherited 
> trait, homone imbalance (may or may not be inherited), or what?  Does anyone 
> else have a "grannie ewe" or seen anything on this behavior?    Fred

I was just writing, in an offline note, about one of our ewes who
lost her lamb this year. After docking, when we released all the
lambs and their mothers into the paddock, where the bereaved ewe
was watching, she was practically frantic to have one of those lambs.
Since she was so agressive that a sheep train-wreck looked about to
happen (lambs and mothers were scattered all over the place, lambs
going to the wrong mothers, mothers butting lambs away, and ewes all
butting each other, and poor Lucille trying to get away with just one
lamb for herself) that we finally put her into one of our portable 
pens. She has been bawling ever since, though she can see the rest
of the flock, and they are quite nearby.

I am certain that, if I had needed a surrogate mother, she'd have
accepted the lamb. Poor girl. Life is so unfair sometimes.

Susan
--
Susan Nielsen, Shambles Workshops      |"...Gently down the  
Beavercreek, OR, USA                   |stream..."
snielsen at orednet.org                   |           -- Anon.