This weekend the boys were due for hoof trimming.
And usually I depend on being able to entice them into the shed with some of their favorite branches (apple, rose, salmonberry) and shut the door on them while they are happily munching away.
But some of the guys are getting wise.
Especially Frank and Griff.
They are very reluctant to go into the shed for snacks as long as I remain anywhere near the gate.
So this time, I decided I needed to try a new strategy.
Misdirection.
Here’s the setup:
Gate open and unstopped (usually a rock is holding it open), rope fastened around latch post and back across shed to where I am lying in wait.
Sheep go in to get goodies in the feeder, and I slowly
close the door
behind them.
Tricky, eh?
Yeah, I was pretty darn proud of myself. Outsmarting the smartysheeps 🙂
Note: there are no sheep in the shed in these photos because I reenacted the scheme for the blog- I figured they’d be really suspicious if The Man was there documenting during the real round-up.
Anyhoo, if was good to spend a little quality time with the sheep today. Got me thinking that I should finish combing up the Frank and Felix wool I have from last year’s shearing- so I did some of that this afternoon.
And we also made a little headway on the spinning wheel project.
Maple cut to size for the base.
Next up is figuring out the right shape and placement for the treadle.
Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. I like your style. Just don’t let them see you practicing.
I love the new spinning wheel. Talk about smartysheep… I think there are some smartyhumans around the farm too.
thanks Farmlady- the sheep were watching closely while we did the replay. hopefully the memory will fade over the next month or so. hope to get at least a few uses from the new trick!
Trying to outsmart sheep is almost a fulltime job around here. I love your innovation. I hope they do not figure it out too quick. Felix and Frank’s wool is just gorgeous. Can’t wait to see what you do with it.
I bet that’s true. You’ve got a lot of them to keep ahead of! Not sure what I’m doing with F/F yet, but it sure is fun to spin 🙂
Love the title :-D. The combing is gorgeous!!!
You’re a tricky mom! The wheel project looks great and the combing/roving scrumptious.