Just a little to the left, no, down a bit...back up......Gregs back scratch...NO....Daisy Mae our yearling Dexter heifer ! All around the ranch ( including Greg !!) the back scratch is the number 1 requirement ( after food ).Daisy Mae is very vocal, when Daisy Mae is in need ( dinner ..BULL...backscratch..) the whole valley knows. Yesterday, Daisy Mae must have had an itch that she couldn't satisfy, she tried the barn support posts, she tried the gate post, she even tried Lamb Chops crooked horns.....she scratched her butt, she scratched her neck, she lay down to try to scratch her back but she couldn't seem to satisfy that itch. Last night, when we went to give Lamb Chop his shot, Daisy was having none of it. Poor lamb Chop, Daisy Mae was quite determined that if there was any attention ( or potential scratch) in the offing then she was going to be the recipient. After watching Lamb Chop loving us up ( actually, more likely looking for peanuts ) Daisy Mae sidled over, hooked her head under Lamb Chops tummy and tossed the poor lamb out of the scratch zone. She stretched out her neck for an under the chin itch, head on one side for a cheek scratch and head down for a back scratch, her eyes rolled and she slavered, clearly a scratch was just what that cow needed and it had taken all day to satisfy that itch.
Daisy Mae wasn't the only one in need, in the sheep pen, Greg was supplementing number 20 lambs milk intake, moms milky bar is trying to satisfy her triplets and 20, being the smallest isn't able to push his siblings off the teat for long enough to fill his little tummy. The bottle empty, number twenty little white lamb lies down to digest his dinner and as usual number 7 ewe moves in for her make over. Number 7 has recognized that Greg is a useful tool for a back scratch and for removing her heavy hair coat faster than mother nature ever could. Number 7 ewe leans against Gregs leg, rocking back and forth, she scratches her head and she puts her ears into the scratch zone. That ewe just melts while all the other sheep just get on with the serious business of eating. All the moms are looking pretty scruffy as their hair coats moult for the summer sunshine..should we ever get any !
OK, the cuckoo clock says it is almost 7.30 am and its time to motivate down to the barn for the first shift. Take care, keep safe, M
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