Sheep do the dance of the dying fly.....
By fluff
35 comments
I’m really sorry I haven’t posted any blogs about gardening lately…it’s just that nothing much is happening in my garden except maybe swimming lessons…
The view from our bedroom window is of fields, the railway line (Exeter to London) & various sheep. They were mostly the type with just a black head…as if they started out boldly enough to be black sheep but then thought better of it & bottled out.
The owner didn’t seem to live nearby & rarely came to check on his charges – in fact no-one knew who they belonged to.
One Saturday morning I looked out at our lovely view…actually, no it’s a rubbish view…phew …nearly got taxed there!…& I saw a sheep on it’s back with all 4 legs in the air. There was no movement & the others had all moved away as if embarrassed to be seen near this weirdo.
I thought the poor thing was dead…as sometimes happens out in the field…& called Mr Fluff to take a look. He came up with the ‘shuftyscopes’ as he calls the binoculars & as I looked through I saw the legs waggling about!
So…not dead…just doing the dance of the dying fly as last seen on Tiswas…remember that?
We donned our wellies & traipsed over to the stricken beast who as we got closer began to thrash about like a sheep possessed. After some discussion as to which one of us was going to grab the now stinking, slimy – bummed little poppet ( it had obviously lain there all night & was in no fit state for receiving visitors)…it fell to me to do the honours as Mr Fluff was ‘busy with the camera’…how chivalrous!
So…after flipping Mrs S back onto her feet again she stumbled away with a drunken stagger without so much as a bleat of thanks!
We found another one in the same predicament later that day & the same 2 ended up the same way several times over the next week.
Apparently sheep have a flat back & can roll into a rut, get stuck there & eventually die if not rescued, especially if in lamb.
Well…that was our (my!) good deed for the week….now I’m scared to look out of the window in case I see a cow on it’s back….
Hope I haven’t bored you all too baaaadly! ;0) xxx
1 Aug, 2009
4 likes
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Comments
Mookins you have what is called in my neck of the woods a "coupit youe" meaning a ewe thats has fell over onto a broad back this means it cant get up , just as well you uncoupit the youe or it would have gassed up and died.
1 Aug, 2009
Not funny for Mrs Sheep but I,ve had a laugh at the picture in my mind of you flipping her over.Well done on the rescuing bit ,very brave of you I would have panicked.If you do see a cow in dire straits I,d suggest you hold the camera and let hubby do the flipping,LOL.
1 Aug, 2009
Hmmmm Ian...I suspect he was just glad of an excuse not to get whacked in the chops by a flailing hoof or 4 & covered in sheep s**t!!
And Mac...have you changed my name? Lol!
If I see a cow Linclass...I'm calling the fire brigade!
1 Aug, 2009
Sheep s**t is supposed to be good for your garden you know. Lol
Perhaps you should send Mr. Fluff out to collect some, as a punishment you understand. :~)))))))))
1 Aug, 2009
Probably best not to...he already got some funny looks from the neighbours for heading towards a prone sheep with a camera...
1 Aug, 2009
LMAO............. I nearly choked on my coffee. Have you got any ideas how to get coffee off of the monitor screen..... :~)))))
1 Aug, 2009
Sheepskin mitt?
1 Aug, 2009
O.M.G. Dont make me start, I'll wake Holly up again......:~)))
1 Aug, 2009
Ok...I'm off to kipland anyway...won't be counting sheep tho'....Nite nite.x
1 Aug, 2009
sorry Fluff my mistake
1 Aug, 2009
Nite nite............ :~))
1 Aug, 2009
That's ok Mac...nite nite.x
1 Aug, 2009
baw baw . . .. or should that be baa baa x
1 Aug, 2009
Oi!! Are you lot going to bed already???? It's only early....7:45pm.
Oh well......nightie night. Don't count any sheep that need flipping.
2 Aug, 2009
I must say I've never seen this . We have lots of sheep on the hills around here. I wonder if it happens ofen.
2 Aug, 2009
Well !
I've learnt something today !!!
2 Aug, 2009
What an exciting life you lead out in the country! Great blog Fluff, very entertaining. How do you know it was the same two sheep, don't they all look the same? :o)
2 Aug, 2009
Heh heh Yes they do normally Lily but these 2 were the shaggy-coated variety & all the others were balck-headed ones!
Maybe if you're born with a straggly fleece it weighs more than the normal kind & it makes you fall over!
It made me laugh that once they were up & running again the others came over with a lot of concerned bleating & nuzzling - but they had abandoned the poor thngs a few hours before!
2 Aug, 2009
Sorry we missed you Gilly but it was late for me already!!
Hywel...before I went out to the field I rang a farmer friend of ours to ask what to do & he told me about the flipping technique...& that this was quite common in some sheep...tho' I've never seen it before either!
2 Aug, 2009
OMG.....I have had such a good giggle at this story.....hillarious............LOL LOL
PS: Glad we're having beef for dinner tonight...:))
2 Aug, 2009
So are we...I've gone off lamb a bit...
2 Aug, 2009
LOL
2 Aug, 2009
Some ewes seem to have a penchant for doing this... it's no fun trying to heft a soggy, smelly sheep over onto its feet and they never ever say thank you!
2 Aug, 2009
You're telling me...it did a lot of bleating as it ran off so I suppose it may have been saying thankyou but it sounded more like 'get your hands off me....I was just resting...now you've shown me up in front of my mates!'
2 Aug, 2009
LOL
2 Aug, 2009
I'm sure if you went up to that sheep carrying a jar of mint sauce, it would soon find a way of righting itself pdq :-)
2 Aug, 2009
Andrew !!! :)
2 Aug, 2009
Hey hey like it Andrew! My husband was muttering something about mint sauce when we were slogging across the fields for the 5th time!
Sorry Louise!! ;0)
2 Aug, 2009
:))
2 Aug, 2009
OMGA...you've got me giggling again :))....did you enjoy your beef Fluff....ours was lovely......we do have a half shoulder of lamb in the freezer though....for when I get this one out of my mind..........lol
2 Aug, 2009
Yes thanks it was yummy...well at least you've got a shoulder not a leg so you don't need to imagine it waggling about mid-carve!
2 Aug, 2009
Fluff!!!!!!!!!!!
3 Aug, 2009
Sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!
3 Aug, 2009
{giggle}
3 Aug, 2009
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What a strange experience, to read about sheep doing the dying fly dance (yes I remember tiswas very well, Chris Tarrent has a lot to answer for) I was just thinking your other view doesn't look over the elephant house at the local zoo does it?
Great blog and funny pictures, well done Fluff (and mister Fluff for being able to take photos without shaking with laughter..... Lol)
1 Aug, 2009