Warning. Post contains rooed images.

I've not talked about the sheep for a while.
Well the grass has finally started growing and we may have lambs on the way. I say "may" as it's all a bit unplanned.
It all depends on Rambo really.

RAMBO... up close and personal

The one benefit of having to feed the sheep over the winter is that they will at least now follow a bucket, which make moving them much easier. Their wild Shetland instincts are still there and they won't stand for being touched. All, that is, except Rambo, who in just the past 2 weeks has suddenly decided to be friends.
He has needed a little training not to playfully butt me! This consists of me grabbing him by the horns and holding him for about 30 seconds so he knows who is boss. Gradually he is beginning to respond to my stern teacher's voice too.

Anyway, he now runs over to see me and loves a stroke under the chin. He also loves having his wool plucked. Shetlands are self-shedding. This means that their wool falls out of its own accord. For a while they look a right mess. When they start shedding their wool can simply be plucked, or 'rooed'.
So far only the wool from Rambo's neck has come loose enough to be rooed, but it makes a fine god-beard for me!

In fact, one of the lambs is moulting so fast that his wool comes out in handfuls. The other day I managed to catch him and pretty much sheared him in 5 minutes. The only problem is that I couldn't get to his rump end - they seem to start shedding from the head backwards so this end was not quite ready to come, even if I could reach it.
The end result is rather reminiscent of an advert for a certain well known chain of opticians.