I need to report that the consolidation of the two mobs of pet lambs didn't really work out here at Struan Farm over the past week. Bottle times were chaos with nine at the back gate, and the lambs stayed together in their original groups, didn't mix. Just like high school.
After a few days I lifted Trixie out of the Pet Pen, where she was familiarising TimTam with lamb protocols, and put her back into the paddock. She ran straight over to her mates Alfie and Daisy. It was quite touching to watch them run up to her baaing welcome back. John saw it and couldn't believe what we saw happen, even though he knows Karen and her pet lambs operate in a parallel universe.
After a few days I started to think that maybe Alfie, Daisy and Trixie would be happier back in their own paddock. They'd had a taste of running with the larger pet mob and now understood the associated pluses and minuses. From my vantage point the larger group was much harder for John and/or me to feed. So I got everyone to follow me down to the fence dividing the two paddocks to see if I could get the trio back to their home paddock. I picked up and heaved Daisy over the fence first, then Alfie, then Trixie. No one protested, no one even wriggled while I lifted them up and over, no one tried to get back through the fence. They were happy to be back home. They'd had enough of that social experiment.
Once TimTam is down to three bottles at the end of this week she's going out to join them in the front paddock. She can't stay in the Pet Pen forever, will need to toughen up. She's spent time with Trixie now and Daisy won't be a problem. She and Alfie will need to come to terms. TimTam and I haven't had a heart to heart about this just yet, but we will. I will also have a wee chat with Alfie, appealing to his softer, gentler side. You see lamb diplomacy has its challenges. Not quite on the scale of North Korea, but an understanding of the personalities involved is required.
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