I got a phone call from the owner of Tin Stone Cattle, which is where my Olde English Southdown Babydoll sheep came from. We got two ewes (Ayla and Bluebelle) and a wether (Coco) in 2023. In 2024, we got a ram (Jon Bruce) from Hey Day Acres. The phone call from Tin Stone went something like this:

Caller: Do you want more sheep?

Me: Yes.

Caller: Okay, someone bought two ewes and a wether from me a few months ago and decided now they don’t want them. Do you want the number?

Me: Yes.

Let’s be clear. I was not looking for more sheep. Farm Hero was rolling his eyes and shaking his head. I called anyway and we picked them up the next day. What are ya gonna do? 🙂 Secretly, I think Farm Hero really likes the sheep, he just won’t admit it.

Sheep have a memory of two years and can remember up to fifty faces of their flock mates and handlers. I was super excited to see if the sheep I had for the last year and the new sheep would remember each other from living together at Tin Stone. I can say, without hesitation, that YES they remembered each other. They were excited to be reunited. Their body language was alert and happy and their voices were non-stop when they recognized each other.

Our ewe Ayla and the new ewe Delilah grew up together as lambs and mothers. A sneaky ram got them pregnant very young. They both delivered single rams: our wether Coco and the new wether Buddy. The same time Coco and Buddy were lambs, Ayla’s dam had twins and one was our ewe Bluebelle, so Coco, Buddy, and Bluebelle all grew up together. These sheep have known each other their whole lives. We are bless to be able to reunited them!!

Delilah was born at Hey Day Acres (yes, the same farm as our ram Jon Bruce, though they are not related and didn’t know each other at Hey Day). Delilah was a twin out of black parents, so you can see with her being white, these genes are a bit confusing.

Buddy is Delilah’s son, born at Tin Stone when Delilah was only 14 months old. He was a single and his father was black, but he came out white. He is now a wether (a castrated sheep) and will hang out with Jon Bruce and Coco when it’s time to separate the ewes for lambing.

Buttercup is our only black ewe. She was born at Tin Stone from black parents. She was bottle raised and is very, very friendly. She has never been bred. It will be interesting to see which color between her and Jon Bruce is dominant.

Of all our sheep, Ayla’s sire was Ace, Delilah’s sire was Felipe, and everyone else came from Pitch.

If all goes well, we may have eight lambs running around here in the spring!!

For you sheep people: Delilah was a twin white ewe and is registered with NABSSAR and OEBMSSR. Born 3/14/22 at Hey Day Acres TN. Sire is Felipe RR. Dam is Naamah QR.

Buttercup was a single black ewe and is registered with OEBMSSR. Born 5/17/23 at Tin Stone Cattle TN. Sire is Pitch. Dam is Darling from Hey Day Acres TN.

Buddy was a single white ram, is now a wether, and is not registered. Born 5/21/23 at Tin Stone Cattle TN. Sire is Pitch. Dam is Delilah from Hey Day Acres TN.