I haven't told you, but we've had a bit of carnage at the back gate over the past week here at Struan Farm with all of the seven pet lambs now out in the paddock.
The end of my tether was reached this past Friday evening, after Fergie and Whiskey got very aggressive with the four gentler lambs: Ajax, Bubbles, Camilla and Diva. Bambi can hold her own as the biggest, but she also doesn't get nasty, she's a gentle soul. Fergie and Whisky were so bad that the four walked away from unfinished bottles, stressed out, choosing not to get into fights.
That was it for me. As you know, we have a zero tolerance for bullies. John and I discussed re-homing Fergie and Ajax that night (John was staggered that I was willing to contemplate this, but I'd pretty much decided that Fergie and Whiskey were not nice lambs, and it was only going to get worse). Ultimately we decided to give them a second chance by moving them into the front paddock, and they were moved the next morning at bottle time. At midday I found them back at the back gate with the other pet lambs, they'd managed to get through the fence. I picked them up and carried them back to the other paddock.
Now after a few bottles they seem resolved to their fates, and somewhat calmer. Perhaps the scrum of seven was too much for them too, bringing out their darker instincts. We all can't be Gandhi or Martin Luther King.
They also won't be eligible to participate in "Piopio's Next Top Model," the annual photo competition for the Struan Farm Christmas card. I might reconsider if they behave themselves and become model pet lambs in the meantime....
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.