Hi Sue,
There was a recent discussion on the Herders-L listserv about what to do when your herding dog has been head butted. The consensus was that you need to build up your dog's self-confidence again. Try putting him on really light sheep. Chase the sheep yourself, have a good time. Likely your dog will join in. It will take some time, but everyone reported great success.
My experience has been that blackbellies will self-regulate their intake of hay when given it free choice. I know this is too obvious a question, but could they be pregnant? Or perhaps their winter coat has fluffed them up a bit. Also, I know that human females will put on weight in winter as a natural biological protection; I would guess that female sheep might do the same. Were they this chubby in the summer? Do they get plenty of exercise?
Carol
At 03:14 AM 11/22/2004 +0000, you wrote:
They are butter balls and I know they should not be fat. I have 24 sheep, 22 ewes, 2 rams, how much hay a day should they be getting..... Second question, my silly Australian Shepherd got himself blasted and rolled by one of the rams...
Carol Elkins Critterhaven Estate Registered Barbados Blackbelly Hair Sheep (no shear, no dock, no fuss) Pueblo, Colorado http://www.critterhaven.biz T-shirts, mugs, caps, and more at the Barbados Blackbelly Online Store http://www.cafepress.com/blackbellysheep
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