pregnant mama checks could be suspenseful

The older we get, there are mixed emotions that come with deciding whether or not to turn the rams in with the ewes every fall; and more mixed emotions that come when February arrives and it’s time for that fall decision to stand on more legs than a person can count.

Come to think of it, there may be some mixed emotions out there in the sheep yard at both times of year as well, I imagine — perhaps different emotions from different genders and ages, too.

Table Talk

By Karen Schwaller

But certainly in the manager’s position; because, while the fall decision is a matter of moving the rams and making sure there are enough of them to ‘service’ the ewes while we turn our backs on them for the next six to eight weeks to get the crop out, the February end of that decision is a little more involved.

A few years ago, when our children were all living at home, we shared the night checks. That helped so that no one had to be up in the middle of the night every night to check the pregnant mamas out there. There was a rotation, and it worked well. I was even trusted to take my turn out there, which (in all honesty) may have been the result of a mixed cocktail of fatigue and whiskey on my husband’s part.

Regardless, I remember those nights of the 2 or 3 a.m. checks. It was hard to get out of bed on a cold