The Woolly Patchwork Sheep Sanctuary

Bleatings from the Woolly Patchwork Sheep Sanctuary

A very warm welcome to all the new members of our Sanctuary family.

I hope you are all keeping safe and well in what continues to be a very difficult time.

Winter…..well I think it’s fair to say we’ve all had a winter this time!!! After the October storms, we had November frosts. We were blessed with good weather over the Christmas period but that didn’t last long! The 27th December saw the arrival of Storm Bella with gale force winds and heavy rain. This was swiftly followed by heavy snow at the end of the year, which lasted for 10 days and saw us well snowed in!

We were well stocked up with all we needed though…hay, straw, feed etc.so it was just a case of hard work and trudging around in it all to keep the woollies comfortable. We reverted to rain and wind for a short while and then back to more snow for around a week.

Fortunately we missed the heavy snowfall from the Beast of the East this February, but were frozen solid for over a week with temperatures down to-10*c in the daytime and lower overnight. All the outside taps froze solid so it was hard work carrying water from the house to the sheds. You don’t realise how much water sheep (and a horse) drink until you have to carry it by the bucket load for a couple of hundred yards. Valentine’s Day saw the start of a thaw. Milder but once again wetter…….much wetter, back to being underwater again in the fields. Roll on Spring. There are signs – the daffodils are in bud and the trees and shrubs are starting to bud. I have to say despite the Arctic cold, the sheep absolutely loved the dry, frozen weather. Fleece is such a wonderful insulator.

The middle of December saw the main, young flock come in at night for hay and shelter if they needed it. They can run into the big barn and have a cosy straw bed if they desire to stay in or they can go out again if they choose. Wet nights will see them all in for the night.

Dry, cold nights and they will eat their hay and then go back out to the field. It gives them the opportunity to get off the wet ground which isn’t good for their feet. It’s also easier for me to treat anyone with a sore foot. Despite the awful rain and mud we’ve had very few foot issues this winter.

Just before Christmas, our lovely Storm was off colour for a couple of days. Refusing all food and looking very depressed. The vet couldn’t find anything obvious and she didn’t have a temperature so we’re none the wiser as to what the problem was. She had a pain killer and anti-inflammatory injection along with a general antibiotic to cover anything that might be rumbling in the background and I’m pleased to say she was quickly back to her old self. She is 14 now and they can go downhill so quickly.

Ffion, another 14 year old had a respiratory infection early on in February, where I found her gasping for breath when I did the night time rounds. I swiftly gave her a hefty dose of long acting antibiotics. She was very quiet for24 hours and a bit off her food but has bounced back well. Her twin sister Ffibi is quite frail, with a poor appetite and gives me cause for concern. I often feel the relentless cold and wet weather drags the old girls down and they sometimes just seem to give up and lose the will. Both Ffion and Ffibi wear coats to keep them warm and dry as neither carry a lot of weight.

The farmers in the village have a good laugh at the sheep fashion parade here! Oh the joys of elderly sheep……

Very sadly we lost our beautiful Choccie in the middle of February. She lost a tremendous amount of weight very suddenly at the end of 2020 with no obvious reason. My vet suspected she probably had a tumour somewhere but as she was not in any pain or distress, said to let her be. She wore a warm waterproof coat to keep her snug and dry and despite having a poor appetite for anything other than grass, she happily continued to enjoy life despite her frail appearance.

She had regular jabs of vitamin B complex and these really perked her up. I knew in my heart of hearts she wouldn’t see the fresh spring grass but when the day comes it’s still a massive shock. She suffered a stroke shortly after going out one morning and I knew her time had come so promptly called my vet who attended her very quickly and she was quietly helped on her way over the Rainbow bridge, with her head on my lap, telling her how much we loved her.

As far as the youngsters go, Smout and Ellie the two lambs, soon to be a year old, continue to get up to all sorts of mischief. Jessie, the other girlie I rehomed last autumn has found her place in the bigger young flock and is loving her new life.

We had some fun in December on our Social Media pages with the Advent Calendar dingbats…..it made us all (including me!) get our thinking caps on. A big thank you to Linda and Martyn for compiling them for me.

We were blessed with amazing support over Christmas with gifts from our Amazon wish list and donations. Thank you to one and all who so generously helped us in this way, it was very much appreciated.

Another way that supporters are able to raise funds completely free of charge if you shop online, is to sign up to Easy fundraising. The link is in the pinned post on our Facebook page or I can send it to you direct if you are not a facebooker. Just drop me a line on our email woollypatchworksheep@yahoo.com Thank you to all supporters who currently raise funds in this way.

As I’m sitting here typing, it is currently pouring with rain outside. We’ve had a months’ worth of rain in 24 hours and it’s still hammering down! We’re pretty much underwater outside. I’m dreaming of dry, sunny days with lockdown a distant memory and looking forward to welcoming visitors back to the Sanctuary. I long to be in shorts and tee shirts rather than heavy duty coat and over trousers. As they say, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing. Buy yourself a sexy little raincoat and live a little.” Last winter I invested in a Kaiwaka coat and over trousers and although expensive it was the best investment I’ve ever made in outdoor wet weather clothing! At least I’m dry and warm at the end of a dismal wet and windy day!

Take care and keep safe.

Much love,
Caroline & The Baa’s xxx