A Beginners Guide to Basic Care of Soay Sheep The first thing we suggest you do is to find a more experienced shepherd near you who you can call in case you have an emergency in the middle of the night. It is always comforting to have someone who can walk you though a problem or assure you that your panic is unfounded. Soay are easy keepers, ideal for beginners and seldom have problems, but when you are new to the sheep everything can seem serious. If you can't find someone close to you, we are always available and only an e-mail or phone call away. Bringing your sheep home, the role of stress in a Soay's life. An often-overlooked factor in the welfare of a primitive sheep is the role that stress plays in its life. The importance of minimizing stress cannot be over emphasized. When the animals arrive at your farm isolate them in a secure, quiet location where they will feel protected, able to relax and begin the adjustment to their new environment. A closed barn stall is an excellent location for this. There they can become accustomed to new noises and smells and begin to bond with their new home and the new flock-mates that may have arrived with them. This will also serve as a quarantine (which is always a wise idea when bringing new animals onto your farm.) It should be an area with good ventilation, fresh water and feed and clean bedding. Ideally it will also be a place where you can observe, but not handle them. Remember, to the sheep you are still a stranger. Initially make as few changes to their daily lives as you can, duplicate the feed and supplements from the original farm as much as is practicable and gradually shift them over to your own feed. (We recommend a good grass hay rather than alfalfa, especially with rams.) As soon as you are comfortable that the sheep have formed an attachment to their new home (generally within a week or two) you can turn them loose into their pasture. Access to their bonding quarters will provide a safe place to escape when startled or frightened and should continue to be made available from their pasture if at all possible. A Soay can very easily jump a five foot fence, but if it feels secure (in its barn or shed) it is not inclined to do so. For a more in depth discussion of fences and housing see http://www.soayfarms.com/shelter.html. If you have livestock protection dogs introduce the dogs and the sheep in a smaller enclosure before turning them loose together. Soay, like most animals, are creatures of habit and you will discover they develop a daily routine in their lives. You can use this to your advantage and gradually help them become more comfortable with your presence. We generally feed about the same time each day, for example, and they quickly learn to associate us with dinner or breakfast. The sheep also soon realize that a bucket usually means treats. We use either COB (Corn, Oats & Barley with or without (dry) molasses), whole oats or ewe and lamb pellets. This can be fed by hand or placed in a feeder. Be careful not to over-feed grain, something that is very tempting to do. A quarter of a cup or so per animal per day is sufficient.They will begin to associate you with treats and gradually become friendlier. Place hay in a feeder off the ground if at all feasible. A 33-gallon plastic container works well for this, as do a variety of styles of hay mangers, which can either be built at home or obtained commercially. Trace minerals should also always be made available. We use sheep salt with selenium added because Oregon is Selenium deficient. Check with your local extension agent if you have any question about selenium in your area. Be certain that any supplement is copper free. (Copper is toxic to primitive sheep.) Handling your Soay Sheep (You can never move too calmly or have too many gates) Soay are shy by nature, but they are also extremely curious and you can use this to your advantage in handling your sheep. Gaining their confidence is important and as mentioned earlier a bucket of grain is a wonderful way to begin this process. We have also found that it is much easier to lead a Soay sheep (with a bucket) than it is to chase it and chasing it is the fastest way to loose it's trust; once lost it is hard to regain. Sheep pellets work especially well because they make a loud rattle and just one shake of the pail now brings our Soay flying out of the woods down to the barn. A well thought out barn design (or modifications of your existing barn) and good barnyard layout can save much heartache and often avoid disasters later on. Visit as many farms as you can before bringing your Soay home to learn how others work their sheep, pick every brain you can find, some ideas will be good some will be good examples of what not to do. Create spaces where the sheep will feel comfortable coming and going and create a small area for catching them. When designing your barn and paddocks, it is very useful to plan a couple of small adjoining pens or catchpens between fields with gates between them. Ideally these will be areas where the sheep must normally pass through on their way to their hay or treats. By luring them into the pen you can quietly close the gate behind all of you and now they are trapped. Keep your movements slow and easy and don't make any sudden noises to startle them. Portable panels, such as cattle panel, commercial light weight panels in the US or hurdles in the UK are extremely useful for then squeezing the mob into a tight space. Now you do not have to chase them, but can reach into the group and catch the animal you want to work with. On a precautionary note be sure that when your small pens are not being used for management purposes they do not become a trap where one aggressive animal can corner a weaker one. Either leave all the gates closed or all of the gates open so that there is an escape route.   The sheep are gradually moved with a series of gates to increasingly tighter quarters where they can be quietly handled. They have been lured into the first pen with ewe and lamb pellets in the feeding trough on the ground When working with the sheep will require their confinement planning ahead makes everyone's life much simpler, especially when working with rams. If you are shipping animals, you have your vet scheduled to visit your farm or if you are just going to work with the sheep, lock them up with their hay the evening before at their normal feeding time. By the time you are ready in the morning they will be relaxed and the experience will be less stressful. On larger farms with large and/or multiple fields a dog will be needed to move the sheep to the barnyard. In spite of rumors to the contrary a number of Soay keepers we know use dogs that have been trained to work with Soay.  Joe works the Soay at Gaerllwyd Rare Flocks in Wales Obviously there are times when an emergency situation requires drastic measures, and an animal has to be chased and captured in any way it can, often an escapee lamb, but whenever possible try to deal with the sheep in a calm and quiet manner. Your sheep will be happier and so will you. Keeping your animals healthy The first question the vet will ask you is, "does the animal have a temperature? "A normal sheep temperature ranges between 100.9 to 103 (Average 102.3 degrees.) A temperature over 104 degrees may be indication of a possible illness (see footnote). Use a digital thermometer (rectal) to determine if it has a fever. You will also be asked to describe any other symptoms; be as specific as you can. Often the vet will instruct you to try one of several initial treatments before you are advised to take the animal to the clinic and having a basic first aid kit is very helpful at such a time. Over the years, we have accumulated a number of things that we now always keep on hand in case of emergency This is by no means intended to be a complete list, but rather a basic beginning; things that have worked for us: Our basic First Aid Kit All of the following are available at most feed stores or by catalogue
For lambing season we also always have on hand Tincture of Iodine, 7 % for treatment of newborn’s umbilical cord and occasional cuts and abrasions Empty pill vial for iodine Lamb milk replacer Deliver granule/powder added to milk replacer to help with scours Pritchard teats (nipples for lambs) and a 500ml plastic soda or water bottle Ewe or Goat Colostrum preferably collected fresh and frozen sheep or a powdered form such as NurseMate available from Pipestone Vet Supply Clean towels Vitamin A & D for newborns In the event of an injury or an illness (not a contagious illness) it will be important to have a way to transport the patient to the vet (a dog crate) and/or a place where you can isolate it in the barn to rest and recuperate undisturbed. Sheep, like any herd animal, become very stressed when isolated from the flock and so a place where it can be protected but still see, hear and smell its flock-mates is very important. Again Cattle panel is very useful for this if you do not have a permanent fence dividing your barn. It comes in 48"h x 16’ lengths, is available at most feed stores and can be cut with bolt cutters to fit any size that you need. Several livestock equipment manufacturers such as Shaul's Mfg. also make "light weight panels" that are 40" tall x 5' long with 7 rails. These pin together for maximum flexibility and ease of movement and two in a corner or four free standing will make a comfortable isolation pen. (These are generally available at livestock shows.) This will physically separate the sheep, but allow it to not feel alone. You will find that this often plays an important role in a successful recovery.  Shaul's Mfg. light weight panels 40" x 5' with 7 rails Routine Maintenance Routine maintenance is an important part of keeping any livestock animal and is the best way to insure its good health. The Soay requires much less maintenance than more domesticated sheep. One of its primitive characteristics is that it sheds or molts its wool annually (in the late spring and early summer) eliminating the need for shearing. It's tail is also naturally short and thus does not require docking. The genetic make up of this breed is also so diversified that it is better able to cope with whatever nature throws at it making it more resistant to disease and more adaptable to a variety of environments and climates. This however, does not mean that it is maintenance free. Its nails need an occasional trimming, it will need to be wormed and, as a precaution, it should be vaccinated annually. When getting ready to do these chores, keep in mind how stressful such activities are on the sheep. The use of a small 5’ x 5’ or smaller catch-pen or a chute is very helpful, as it will minimize chase and capture. Vaccination Trimming feet: In our experience some sheep grow nails faster than others and therefore require a trim more often, but as a general rule we trim hooves once a year when we vaccinate. Providing a rough surface for the sheep to walk on will help keep the hoof worn down and in some cases eliminates the need for trimming at all. We have had very good luck with ¾ minus driveway gravel. It packs down much the same way as pavement does but provides a rougher surface. Keeping it cleared of debris will increase its effectiveness and allow you to go for longer periods between trims, if it does not eliminate the need for trimming completely. For clipping hooves we recommend Magic Toe Shears. They are lightweight, fit comfortably in your hand and are easy to use. Feet are easier to cut in the spring and winter when the ground is wet and the hooves are soft. Trimming Rams horns Like everything else with the Soay, ram horns come in a variety of configurations, they range from tight to wide curls but most have plain spirals that curl past the face usually not completing a full circle. Horns, like trees, develop distinct age rings adding a new ring each year during the growth cycle (approximately March to September) until they stop growing at about age five. The greatest growth rate occurs over the first six months and then slows in succeeding years. Quite often Soay in both the US and the UK have horns grow into the neck or skull. Unless they are actually rubbing the skin or pushing hard enough into the face to cause discomfort this will not cause the ram any harm and it is not a characteristic they necessarily pass on to their offspring. But when they abrade the tissue or crush into the jaw they need to be cut. With a conservation program this simply becomes a maintenance issue and trims become part of an annual maintenance routine, just like trimming feet. A ram should never be culled from a conservation flock solely because of tight horns. Horns continually move (get closer or further from the face) through out the animal's maturation (about 5 or 6 years) and those that appear too close in the spring may pull away by the end of the summer. Conversely horns that appear to be wide at maturity can also tilt and push into the face as the animal gets older. We have used a number saws for cutting horn, but have finally settled on an OB wire saw. Wire and handles can be found on line at http://www.valleyvet.com/index.html .Be careful not to cut too far back up the curl as bleeding can be a major problem. Horns take a lot of abuse over the life of a healthy Soay ram and as they age
they begin to breakdown, (you will find this with ewes as well). This is simply a part of
the aging process and while they become brittle and can easily break off they aren't a
problem. However those convenient "handles" that we are not supposed to grab can
no longer serve that purpose. note decreasing distance between the rings where growth rate has slowed as the animal has aged Thurso age 7 Tucker age 8 Shedding/Shearing One of the Soay’s primitive characteristics is that it molts its fleece annually. Rams begin to shed in early spring after the rut and ewes begin shedding after lambing in late spring and early summer. The current thinking is that hormones and body condition control molting. We have discovered that some rams, wethers or ewes that have not lambed do not always cast their fleece. The wool can be rooed (gently hand plucked) or clipped with Friskar soft touch shears or sheep shears. For their comfort in the summer heat, where our temperatures often reach 100 F or higher, we roo or shear those with retained fleece. Its removal is also advisable in areas where fly-strike is problem. Breeding and Lambs and OAPs (Old age pensioners)  Bachelor rams, winter 2007 Rams and the Rut: a.k.a. the breeding season Like wild sheep the Soay goes through an annual rut in the fall. Breeding generally begins in mid-October or early November, but with American Soay breeding can begin in late August or September. As a very general rule the rut (on our farm) lasts into February, however, some rams may be active much of the year. Outside of the breeding season rams seek the company of other males and when put in a field with both sexes generally gravitate to other rams where they get along peacefully. In the fall however, it is a different matter, behavior begins to change and levels of aggression increase. As much as two months before breeding they begin chasing and butting each other as they compete for dominance. Skirmishes increase in frequency and intensity as days grow shorter and the weather gets cooler and serious fights can occur. Charging and butting with their horns is the only method of assault that sheep have, they are good at it and they can kill one another. One must be very observant and cautious when around rams at this time of the year and plan ahead when they need to be worked. If a ram has become too tame he will loose his respect for humans as the flock leader and treat them as he would any other adversary. We have found that keeping a larger group of males as a bachelor flock is easier to manage than just keeping just two or three, even during the rut. Head butting and bashing do still occur, but to a much less serious degree and they seem to be less of a threat to humans. Cuts on the face and swollen eyes are common, but generally they are not serious.Cracked horns and deep cuts or leg injuries do obviously require some attention. Be very careful about introducing a new male member to the flock at this time of the year, your rams are a social group and may gang up on a single stranger. When sorting breeding groups (we generally use three or four rams in our program) the selected rams are taken from the bachelor flock and put in with their assigned harems, the remaining males stay together as a group. It is important to keep this group as far from breeding flocks or non-breeding ewes as possible, ideally out of sight from the other, if possible on another part of your farm. For standard and conservation breeding programs, when using several rams, it is important that each breeding group be separated into individual pens. These can be adjoining but they must have some form of visual barrier between them. A variety of materials can be used: plywood, tarps or cloth weed barrier that works as a curtain have worked very well for us over the years. held up in the weather and provided the visual barrier needed to keep rams from pestering ewes or each other. It is readily available at feed stores and garden centers, is easy to hang on an existing fence and much less unsightly than plywood or tarps hung on the fence. Be certain there are no "peep" holes in the wood or sheeting, Soay are very curious and seem to love "peep" holes where they can watch what is going on in the pen next to them. These barriers probably will not be sufficient protection however, if you are keeping a flock of non-breeding (open) ewes next to a pen with any rams. Ewes will seek out a ram when they are receptive and can tempt a male to jump the fence. With adjacent breeding groups this hasn't been a problem because all open ewes are serviced immediately by their own ram. If distance or a visual barrier are not used rams will bash each other through the fence and the force of the impact can destroy both the fence, including 4 x 4 fence posts and potentially seriously injure themselves and their opponent. Observation and common sense will minimize all of these potential problems and while the rut is a time of caution it does not have to be a time of dread. When it is time to remove the rams from their harems and re-introduce them to their bachelor flock several methods can be used. We have found our easiest re-introductions have been when we have bred late in the season and we are re-introducing boys in late January or early February. At this time of the year hormone levels have generally dropped and they are more interested in eating than fighting and we have simply been able to turn them loose together. Again having more than fewer also seems to help. In a case where one must re-introduce rams while still in rut we have confined all of them in a small shed 8' x 8' shed (sometimes smaller) and left them locked up for up to a week with only hay and water. By the end of the week they all smell alike and can't distinguish one from the other. If they are still serious about fighting when they are finally turned out lock them up and start over again. In some instances, especially when we have only had two rams, we have had to put a hood or mask over their faces so they could not see each other directly.This prevented them from backing up and charging. We remove the rams from lambing ewes for security reasons. Sometimes rams will be fine with new lambs, but they are often stimulated by the scents of birthing fluids and will chase and harass the ewe trampling a newborn lamb in the process. As a precaution we keep rams away from the ewes at lambing time. Lambing and lamb care One British Soay keeper boasted to her neighbor (a fellow sheep breeder) that the only equipment she needed for lambing season was a pair of binoculars. We have found that this is not much of an exaggeration. The gestation for Soay sheep is approximately 142 to 152 days with 148-150 days average and lambing only occurs once a year. Middle age females often twin and very, very rarely have triplets. Some ewes twin with regularity and some only ever have singles. Intensive studies on Hirta have led researchers to conclude that there is a correlation between twinning rates and body weight, heavier ewes have a higher percentage of twins than lighter ones.[Clutton-Brock, 2004]. The Soay ewe is an excellent mother and only very rarely has a problem. However, one should always be prepared for the unexpected. It is wise to begin the lambing season with a few items on hand; colostrum and a few days supply of lamb milk replacer (both available in powder form from the feed-store- if you do not have access to frozen sheep colostrum), a Pritchard nipple, a bottle and tincture (7%) of iodine. We also keep on hand a bottle of injectible Bo-Se from the vet and vitamin A & D (from the feed store). It is very important that the ewe clean the sack off her newborn lamb herself, in so doing they bond and learn to recognize each other. Do not panic as this farmer did when she discovered a wet newborn out in the field and rushed to dry it off. Be observant, but do not be too eager to rush in to help, Soay mothers generally know what they are doing and are good at it; only intercede if you can see there is something drastically wrong. The afterbirth, including the placenta will be hanging from the ewe and will pass within a few hours. Let it pass naturally, do not attempt to remove it. If it has not passed within 24 hours call the vet, you may need give the ewe a hormone shot. Do not cut the placenta shorter as its weight hanging may encourage it to drop off naturally.  Processing a new lamb (ear tag, shots, weight, iodine) We always try to remain calm and quiet and involve the mother in the process photo by Carol Fraley, Windriver Soay Sheep As soon after delivery as you can (but after the mother has cleaned it) catch the lamb and immerse the umbilical cord up to the abdomen in 7% tincture of iodine. This is a simple precaution that will reduce the risk infection. We have found a prescription pill vial filled with the iodine is ideal for this, the stump will drop down into it and you do not have to turn the lamb over to apply it. If the stump is so long that it touches the ground, we trim it a bit. On the advice of our vet we also now give each lamb a .25cc injection of Vitamin A & D and a .25cc injection of BoSe because selenium deficiency is such a problem in our area, but as with all medications, consult your own veterinarian to see if he/she feels such treatment is appropriate. We also tag lambs with baby ear tags just after they are born so we can identify them later. When all of this has been done return the baby to its mother and let them continue the bonding process. The lamb should be standing very shortly after birth and will begin to nurse almost immediately (within an hour). Often you will not see this occurring and think it is not getting nourishment. If it can stand, walk and appears alert and is getting stronger, it is being well cared for by its mother. Occasionally we have had a newborn get off to a slow start and appear weak (often a twin). When we have had such a situation we segregated the ewe and lamb/s so that curious flock mates would not trample it. As soon as the baby was sure on its feet the family was returned to the rest of the herd. We do not routinely jug the ewes and lambs (isolate them in small pens) unless such a situation has occurred because social interaction among these sheep is so important to them. It is not uncommon for a ewe to reject a twin or for a young ewe to reject her first lamb. Sometimes a mother simply cannot produce enough milk to feed multiple offspring. These orphans are referred to as "bummer lambs" or "bottle babies". In such cases you will have to be prepared to care for the newborn yourself and this is why we strongly recommend you have supplies on hand at lambing time. If the lamb has not gotten colostrum from its mother, it will need it from an outside source, ideally fresh or frozen (thawed in a warm water bath not in the microwave) from another ewe (or goat) or a powdered form such as NurseMate available from Pipestone Vet Supply. Every effort should be made to provide 10 percent of the lamb's body weight with this "first milk" over the course of the first 24 hours and the sooner it is started after parturition the better. After this antibodies contained in the colostrum can no longer pass through the intestinal wall directly into the blood stream and your window of opportunity will be closed. You will then need switch to lamb milk replacer (many brands are available). Do not mix them, finish one then start the other allowing some time in-between the two. Feedings should be every two hours the first few days, four times a day after that, eventually reducing that to three then two until it is fully weaned at about six weeks. Try to spread bottles out evenly over the course of the day so that the first feeding is very early in the morning and the last one shortly before you go to bed (about midnight). A quarter of a cup at each feeding has worked well for us in the beginning, but the lamb should be getting between 10-20 percent of it's body weight in milk a day depending on temperature and its condition for the first four weeks or so. Then you will start gradually cutting back. Be careful not to over feed at any one time. Under feeding can also be a problem and if the lamb has an arch in its back, cries excessively or shivers it if is cold it is probably not getting enough milk.The most common problem we have had is diarrhea (scours), which can have a number of causes, but is often due to too much or too rich a formula given in too short a time. When we begin to see scouring we reduce the amount at each serving. We also discovered that by mixing the milk replacer with a little more water than suggested on the label (2 1/2 cups instead of 2) and by adding 1/8 tsp. of Deliver granules (a supplement for calves) to 3/4 cup of formula we were able to control the problem. While a lamb will start picking at hay within a few days and is beginning to cud in a couple of weeks it will be four to six weeks before it's system will be adequately developed to digest roughage completely. It is therefore important to continue bottle feeding at least until this has occurred. Coccidiosis is a common problem with bummers. If you see soupy green stools this can be an indication of coccidiosis as can a lethargic, depressed lamb.You will need to have a fecal sample evaluated by your vet. Treatment is relatively easy, but left unattended it can be a very serious problem. If you have kept the lamb away from the flock you should return it to the barn as soon as you can so that it will begin to eat hay and socialize with its siblings. After the first few days (weather permitting) we leave the orphan in the barn with playmates and other moms during the day and bring it in at night until we are comfortable that it will be safe outside overnight. In areas where predators are a problem and you do not have livestock protection, all of the lambs should be secured in a barn or shed with their mothers especially at night. Bottle babies become very tame and when artificially raising ram lambs handle them as little as possible and curb your temptation to make pets out of them. A very tame ram lamb can grow up to be a very disrespectful adult that sees you as simply another adversary to be challenged. These can be dangerous and if you simply cannot resist temptation and this does happen your best option will be to neuter him. Baby shots We give all of our lambs shots at about four weeks of age with a second dose to follow approximately a month later. (Opinions vary about when this should be done and range between four to eight weeks.) One of us uses Covexin-8 and the other CDT (Clostridium Perfringens Types C & D-Tetanus Toxoid). Consult your veterinarian to see which product is most appropriate for you needs. Our lambs receive a 2cc dose of Covexin-8 or a 2 cc dose of CDT and 21-28 days later a second 2cc dose of either product used. This will protect lamb for the first year after which it will need an annual booster shot. We also always give a tetanus shot (Covexin-8, CDT or tetanus antitoxin) to ram lambs when we band them. (See banding below) W orming babiesOn the advice of our vet we also worm our lambs when they receive their second round of baby shots. Your own vet can advise you as to which is the best product for your situation and what dosage you should give
 Ewe and four week old twin lambs Weaning We usually wean lambs when they are three months old. This is the earliest age we will allow them to go to new owners. Ram lambs can become fertile as young as four months of age, however, and so should be watched carefully and separated at this age. If the mother is fit we are not quite so concerned about weaning ewe lambs; she will generally wean them herself when she is ready. Mother’s and daughters especially tend to form lifelong bonds and hang out together. When possible we try to keep them together. Banding -Castration (neutering ram lambs) Which method is the most humane to use for neutering (wethering) a male Soay is a hotly debated topic and opinions vary widely. Do some homework and decide which is the best method to use on your farm. In the USA a widely used technique and the one we feel most comfortable with is banding. This is done at about eight when the lambs are receiving their second baby shot, but is dependent on the size of the lamb (this is not the case in the UK where banding is done in the first week and it varies in other countries). Earlier than this we have found the testicles are too small and later they have grown too large and the rubber band will not fit over them. Elastrators and bands (with instructions) are available at feed stores and through catalogues. We try to coordinate banding of our ram lambs with vaccinations so that they do not have to have an additional tetanus shot. Rams that are too large to band we have neutered surgically. A burdizzo, a farm castration tool, is another option used by a number of people for older animals. OAPs (Old Age Pensioners) For your old timers or animals with weight loss problems Often when a sheep reaches old age weight loss becomes a continuing battle, this can be due to a variety of things including trauma, problems with teeth or just old age. These animals we now supplement with a special ration suggested by a friend in the UK but adapted to products that we have here in Oregon. On our farm it is affectionately referred to as "C-ration" and our sheep love it. It consists of moistened sugar beet pulp, rolled barley, a commercial pelleted sheep ration and soy bean meal. To prepare this mash combine approximately 3/4 cup dry sugar beet pellets (available at the feed store) with 3 1/2 cups of water and soak over night. The resulting coarse meal should be very moist and soft but not runny. (This may make more beet pulp than you will use- vary amounts to suit your own needs- a 50 lb. bag lasts forever). Mix equal parts soaked beet pulp, barley and ewe and lamb ration and add 1/2 cup soy bean meal. (For rams or wethers reduce ewe and lamb ration, an alfalfa based feed, to 1/2 cup and use more beet pulp.) This makes enough mash for three sheep. Because several of our "seniors", ages 14 to16, are constantly struggling with weight loss they are given this portion twice a day in addition to a normal allotment of grass hay if they can eat it. Some can not. Miscellaneous - poisonous plants and special trees The Soay is a browser and as such enjoys a variety of vegetation in its diet (when given the choice). There are numerous plants that are toxic to sheep and before turning it loose in a pasture you should carefully check for things that might poison it. Your county extension agent can be a good resource for what poisonous plants are found in your area. You should also familiarize yourself with landscape plants that can be harmful if eaten. Rhododendrons, azaleas, oleander, bleeding heart and larkspur are the most widely known. There are also a number of books and websites available (a few are listed below) that will be helpful. As a browser you will find the sheep does eat the bark of some trees and if there is a tree in its pasture that you do not want eaten you will need to protect it. There are various methods of doing this, but we have had success with chicken wire loosely wrapped around the tree. Make certain that you leave enough room for the tree to grow and that the wire goes up high enough so that it will be beyond the reach of the sheep when it stands on its hind legs to grab at a tasty morsel. Some precautions - things you might not think of -bungee cords- things that dangle The bungee cord is one of man's better inventions and has a wide variety of uses around any farm, but it can also be a hazard and one we generally do not think of. The Soay in its curiosity, especially young animals, love to fiddle with things that dangle, ropes, chains and bungy cords. On two occasions we have found sheep hanging from a fence caught in the upper lip with the hook of a bungee cord. In playing with the dangling cord they managed to get the hook caught in their mouths and could not escape. We now always stretch bungy cords horizontally using both hooks on the fence when they are not in use. - water troughs and water buckets In spite of their tiny size frolicking lambs can jump into water troughs that are two feet over their head. We are careful to use sheep water tanks (which are short) and as a further precaution always put two or three cinder blocks in them so that if a lamb does somehow fall in, it has something to stand on. Newborns can also fall into water buckets. When jugging newborns (confining in a small pen) with their mothers where you must provide water for the mother hang the bucket above the ground where the mother can reach it but the lamb cannot. This can be done with a chain or with a variety of commercial bucket holders which are available through catalogs and at sheep shows.  Water bucket holders.from UK. They can be hung at any height on a fence or gate, over a pole or a board and when not in use the bucket is removed and the holder lies flat against the wall Shipping your Soay (How do I get my Soay Home) There are a number of ways to transport Soay sheep and to keep a conservation breeding program expanding shipping is an important topic. Two Soay lambs or a single ewe fit comfortably in a large dog crate however, a sturdier box or container is generally required for an adult ram. This makes them easy to transport in a pickup or even the back of a SUV or similar vehicle. For relatively short distances, a matter of hours rather than days, this is a very easy option and dog crates are readily available used at garage sales and second hand stores. For longer trips air and truck transportation are viable options. Airlines have very strict guidelines (including which types of crates may be used) which must be followed, but are a quick way to go greater distances. Always try to pick the shortest route with the fewest stops and changes of flight. Our first ewe and rams were nearly left in Vancouver, B.C. on their way from Montreal to Oregon, because the connecting cargo plane was full and the airline could not reach us (we were on the road to get them) to confirm that we would be at their destination to pick them up. Truck transportation has also worked very well for us and we have used the services of Ron Keener a number of times over the last several years. Ron delivers animals from door to door anywhere in the US. He is one of the very few who is still providing this service. His unique use of the Yahoo Groups allows you to follow his trip in real time and keep track of how your animals are doing. He makes four trips a year, each about two months long. For information write to Ron Keener at his Yahoo Group when he is on the road or rkeener@realtime.net when he is not for pricing, schedules and an explanation of how his system works. Before your sheep can leave your farm they will need proper scrapie identification (ear tag, tattoo or microchip) from the USDA (see scrapie ear tag note below) and a health certificate from your veterinarian. This will require you to take sheep to the vet or to have the vet come to your farm. Each state has different requirements for admitting sheep into their state and your veterinarian can contact them to find out what test may be required. Usually animals less than six months old have fewer regulations. Travel is very stressful for the Soay and we try to reduce that stress as much as possible. We only ship lambs commercially in the fall, when temperatures are cooler and they have been completely weaned and their vaccinations and initial worming are a month behind them. If adult sheep require worming, be certain that it is done a number of days (a week) before and not on shipping day. As a precaution we also give each of our animals a bit of Probios paste as we put them on the truck. When the sheep arrive at their destination they should be isolated from other stock on the farm and if at all possible not be separated from their travel companions. Let them adjust to their new environment before they are further stressed by separation. A Note about the USDA Scrapie ear tags and shipping sheepAny sheep or goat that leaves your farm, even to attend a one-day show, must be permanently identified with an APHIS approved ear tag, microchip or tattoo Those animals that will never leave your farm do not. Regulations and methods of tagging are constantly changing. For complete information about USDA Scrapie program rules visit: Scrapie Flock Certification Program or contact your District Animal Health Area Office. Plan well in advance for enrollment in either of their programs so that your sheep will have permanent identification when the vet comes for their Health Certificate inspection.. Some thoughts on biosecurity Biosecurity is a topic in and of itself and one which behooves every animal breeder to investigate. There are a number of excellent websites that explore the subject in depth: The American Sheep Industry Association http://www.sheepusa.org/* and http://www.sheep101.info/201/biosecurity.html are two good places to start. Protecting your animals from disease must be a top priority for all breeders and each farm should have a program of its own. The level of biosecurity you must practice will be dependent on your individual situation. According to the American Sheep Industry Association's Bio Security fact sheet Biosecurity has three main components. These are: 1. Isolation = the confinement of animals away from other animals. Whenever you introduce new Soay to your flock quarantine them for at least a week to ten days in a case where you know and trust the farm from which which they came and thirty days if you do not. While their home farm may not have problems animals can be carriers of diseases that while not affecting them can be introduced to your farm through coughing and sneezing. Work with keepers you know and trust. A strict thirty-day quarantine is especially important if your sheep that have been commercially transported with livestock from a variety of other farms. 2.Traffic control = movement of people, animals, vehicles and equipment. At a minimum when visiting other farms take boots that you do not wear down to your own barn or sanitize the ones you do. Remember to do the same when you return home. This is especially true when returning from sheep shows, fairs or any place where a number of farmers have gathered. Often other farms will have boots for guests to wear in their paddocks and it is a good practice for you to do so as well. This will help prevent pathogens from being carried back and forth between the two farms. 3. Sanitation/Husbandry = cleanliness and care of animals and their environment Do not let your animals share feeders or water buckets with your new animals and wash out their buckets with bleach before you move them to other parts of the farm. If you bring equipment home from another farm be certain to sanitize it. Be aware and use common sense. If your farm is small and you don't have much interaction with other farms or other animals your biosecurity program may not need to be elaborate, but you should have one. Conclusion In conclusion we have tried to present here the most basic instructions for the care of your Soay. We strongly urge you to read some of the fundamental manuals available. There are a number of sheep lists on the Internet, which can also provide you with answers to many of your questions. You will be surprised at how quickly you learn about the care of your Soay and you will find that it will not be long before you are mentoring to a novice keeper yourself. Most of all enjoy your sheep. Suggested Reading Parker, Ron, The Sheep Book: A Handbook for the Modern Shepherd, Revised and updated, Athens, Ohio, Ohio University Press. ISBN 0-8040-1032-3 Simmons, Paula and Ekarius, Carol, Storey's Guide to Raising Sheep, Breeding, Care, Facilities, Storey Communications, Pownal, VT, ISBN 1-5-8017-262-8 Weathers, Shirley A., Field Guide to Plants Poisonous to Livestock, Western U.S., Fruitland UT., Rosebud Press, 1998. (Rosebud Press: P.O.Box 270090, Fruitland, UT 84027-0090) ISBN 0-9660397-3-4 Whitson, Tom, D., editor, Weeds of the West, University of Wyoming, Western Society of Weed Science, revised 1992 ISBN 0-941570-13-4 Castell, Mary. Starting With
Sheep available from Country Smallholding, Winter, Agnes C. and
Hill, Cicely W.A Manual of Lambing Techniques.
Ramsbury, Marlborough: The Crowood Press Ltd. 2003 ISNB1-86126-574-3 Raising a bummer lamb Supply companies Jeffers Pipestone Veterinary Supply *Click on online Resources, type in Biosecurity, click on Biosecurity Footnote:Simmons, Paula, Raising Sheep the Modern Way, Updated & Revised Edition. Pownal, VT, Storey Communications, Inc. , 1989 p.189 Clutton-Brock, Tim and Pemberton, Josephine, ed. Soay Sheep, Dynamics and Selection in an Island Population,
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