The Woolly Patchwork Sheep Sanctuary

No sooner had we sheared in the heatwave at the end of May, the weather reverted to wind and rain. The sheep came back into the shed for shelter. Although they’ve lost their heavy wool coats they soon acclimatize but our sheep just like their shed. It made for a bit of extra work clearing out each day for a couple of weeks until the weather settled again.

Sadly we lost old Bouncy on the 6th June. She’d not been 100% for some time. Aside from rampant arthritis there was something else that neither my vet or i could really put a finger on, but when you know your sheep, you just know. She’d developed a haematoma in her ear a couple of weeks previously which had settled thanks to treatment but then she started swelling on her face, big hard swellings that were growing daily. My vet did some urgent tests which revealed the presence of cancer, likely in the bones and it was aggressive. Within days her jaw was out of alignment due to the growth of the lumps and she didn’t want to eat, which was a major deal for Bouncy as she lived for here food. She was very depressed and i knew it was her time. She was peacefully put to sleep on Saturday 6th with me supporting her on her final journey.

Bouncy came to the Sanctuary as a 3 day old lamb in March 2011 having sadly lost her mother. The sweetest lamb, full of fun and bounce. A Welsh mule with a stunning fleece, which featured in the 2015 exhibition ” The Wonder of Wool” by Sophie Wellan.

15 happy years, a life well lived. 31st March 2011 – 6th June 2026. Gone but never forgotten.

The annual field work started, topping the rushes that grow in the damp areas of the farm. This keeps all the fields tidy and grazeable without allowing the rush to spread.

The June weather continued as a bit of a mixed bag. I managed to shear the remaining 3 old girls on the 12th/13th. Their fleeces hadn’t risen enough to shear when the others were done. Old Nutmeg was looking really well for her 16 years, Paxo was still somewhat welded to her fleece which made her difficult to shear but i did eventually wade my way through it all and Scallywag who was very frail was sheared whilst she sat down on the paddock. Again, i was pleased with the condition of Paxo and Scallywag at age 13 although Scallywag had very obvious muscle wastage on her hind quarters due to her advanced arthritis.

Saturday 20th June saw the start of another heatwave. The sheep spent their days in the shade of the many trees and hedgerows we have. They were checked on early in the morning and then again once it cooled in the evening. They are left to rest in the shade throughout the heat of the day. They all coped well.

To add to the heartbreak of losing Bouncy, we lost Scallywag as well on the 22nd June. She had been growing increasingly frail over the last few months. With a body ravaged by severe arthritis that was no longer responding to maximum doses of pain relief and anti inflammatories, she told me loud and clear that she was hurting and she’d had enough. She was struggling to get up and her hips and back legs were so weak they could no longer support her. Her appetite had dwindled, she didn’t have much interest in food. I had so hoped to give her another summer but it was not to be. She peacefully left this world on 22nd June, resting on my lap. Heartbroken as i was, i could not see her struggle any longer.

Scallywag came to the Sanctuary as a day old lamb from a neighbouring farm just over 13 years ago along with Scamp, Poppett, Limpy, Tiny Tina, Foxy and Paxo. She was a strong lamb who’d been rejected by her mother. She grew into a stunningly beautiful healthy ewe with a loving and kind personality.

Losing one is hard but two in a month has not been easy to cope with. As my vet said to me on the day we lost Bouncy, you have a group all getting old together and there will be some hard days ahead before too long.

13 years of happy memories of my beautiful Scallyway, i will miss her so much.

Loved and remembered always.

Scallywag 4th April 2013 – 22nd June 2026

The sheep all had their annual Bluetongue vaccination in June. Along with vaccination i put garlic blocks out in the fields to help keep flies and midges away from the sheep. The theory is by licking the blocks the garlic gets into the sheeps system and makes them smell and taste unpalatable to flies. I was pleased with the way they worked last year so continued using them this summer.

Bluetongue virus is a major problem this year. It is a viral disease transmitted by biting midges, which affects all ruminants e.g. sheep, cattle, goats and deer and camelids e.g. llama and alpaca. The south west of England has become a hotspot of virus with farmers suffering many ill animals and losses. It is now progressing throughout the UK with further cases throughout England, Wales and Scotland. The vaccination doesn’t stop the animals getting the virus but they are much more likely to survive as they will have some immunity. It really is such a worry.

About a month after shearing the sheep also have Clik applied which prevents blowfly strike for 16 weeks. This adds to the protection against the annual fly challenge. The most common blowfly associated with strike is the greenbottle. Damage is caused by blowfly maggots feeding on the skin and underlying tissues. It can happen very quickly and significant damage can occur in as little as 24 – 36 hours after egg laying. Not something we generally suffer with in the flock thankfully as i always take great precaution to avoid strike.

So many challenges to keep the sheep safe and healthy!!

I sorted and graded all the sheep fleeces in July. Quite a lot had been pre-ordered. The remaining fleeces were put up for sale on my facebook sales page and sold out within a week, absolutely amazing!! Thank you to everyone who supports our annual fleece sale. Not only does this pay for shearing but also pays for a couple of weeks worth of haylage in the winter.

Sadly our sorrows were not over. At the beginning of August, dear old Nutty Nutmeg our oldest girl at 16 lost the use of her back legs and was unable to rise unless i lifted her. Once up, she was so weak due to age related muscle wastage she couldn’t support herself. She’d also suffered dramatic weight loss over the last couple of months and my vet was strongly of the opinion that she was suffering with a tumour somewhere, particularly as blood tests showed that her major organs were showing signs of slowing down. The very sad decision had to be taken to let her go with dignity before she started to suffer. She peacefully left us on the afternoon of 4th August, after munching nearly a whole packet of her beloved rich tea biccits.

Nutmeg came to the Sanctuary in 2015 along with her twin sister Bramble when they were retired as breeding ewes from a local smallholding. Nutmeg was 5 years old and had produced 7 lambs. Commercially she was considered “finished”. Here at the Sanctuary she enjoyed 11 happy years of retirement. Sadly we lost old Bramble a couple of years ago due to arthritis.

A big character, who will be sadly missed and fondly remembered. Run free back to your sister my old girl.

Nutty Nutmeg 7/3/2010 – 4/8/2026

It really has been the most difficult, heartbreaking few months.

We have several ageing girls here who are not without problems and i know there will be more hard, heartbreaking days to come in the not too distant future. Paxo has quite severe arthritis in her hips which is responding well to anti inflammatories and pain relief so far. Foxy her twin sister has an aggressive tumour on her shoulder. Tiny Tina has very weak arthritic shoulders and knees which bow and buckle and could collapse on her at any time. There are others who are well into their teenage years. The flock is aged, sadly it is to be expected that there will be problems and losses.

Having had no rain for nearly two months through July and August, the whole of Wales has been declared in drought! Whilst we are not short of grass here at the Sanctuary, what we have is yellow and burnt. Despite this the sheep are all looking well. We finally had a good downpour towards the end of August but it will take a while for things to green up again.

The middle of August saw us buying in the straw for Winter bedding. This years harvest has been poor due to the drought and straw is quite likely to be in short supply this year, so it’s good to have it in the shed. We are fortunate in having a good straw merchant just 3 miles up the road. Three trailer loads were purchased and stacked in the shed ready for use once the sheep come in later in the year.

Whilst we were still basking in warm temperatures and sunshine, Winter felt a long way off. I know how quickly the weather can change here so always like to be a step ahead and have the shed pens set up and everything ready.

Haylage will be purchased later in the year once needed and will be collected in smaller loads as needed. That worked well last year.

Smallholder blocks are always needed for the oldies individual pens so if anyone would like to purchase one from our Amazon Wishlist the old ones would be eternally grateful. Sadly i’m unable to source these particular blocks locally.

We are now registered with My Giving Circle where you can donate to the Sanctuary which also generates votes to help towards us sharing in generous grants.

We’ve just had our latest payment from easyfundraising, a wonderful £58.47. Thank you to everyone who fundraises for the Sanctuary through easyfundraising. Please do sign up if you are able, it’s free to use and really does make a difference.

It looks like we will have a premature Autumn this year as the trees are already brown and wilted thanks to the heat and dry weather and the ground is covered with fallen leaves. I’m pretty sure that once the rain starts in earnest here, it won’t stop for a good long while. That of course means we’ll all be plodding round in the mud again!!! Oh joy of joys!!! Once the weather does turn cold and wet, the old girls will be coming in over night. Already i can feel an autumnal chill in the early mornings and late evenings.

Thank you as always for all the love and support you give the Sanctuary.

Much love

Caroline & The Baa’s