Sheep

[billybob99]

I was walking up the road from my house when i had a feeling i was being watched......

[Deerhunter]

Originally Posted by billybob99

I was walking up the road from my house when i had a feeling i was being watched......

Well thats it then, nice knowing you.

Hope you have made a will, once you been watched by a sheep.................

[tcvarlh]

Oooer! Two pints and all that!

[treecreeper]

I learned a couple of facts about sheep the other day. I was on a little used footpath right next to the M6 in Cheshire. There was a sheep browsing by a pond. When it saw me it panicked and jumped in. First ovine fact is that sheep are inelegant swimmers. The pond had steep sides and a mound all round the edge. the second thing I learned was that when sheep attempt to exit a steep sided pond they use their knees rather than their hoofs. Actually I wasn't calmly observing all this as the sheep was panicking in its furious attempts to get out and looked like it might drown - I was panicking myself and running around looking for a rope, without any clear idea what I would do with the rope if I found one. Fortunately the sheep managed to scramble out unaided.

One other observation from the same place. I saw a rabbit with myxomatosis by the wooden fence alongside the motorway. It couldn't see me of course. I decided to take a picture and carefully unzipped the pocket on my rucksack to get the camera out. Amazingly, despite the roar of the traffic it heard the sound of the zip and crawled into the bushes.

[Pippa]

Originally Posted by treecreeper

I learned a couple of facts about sheep the other day. I was on a little used footpath right next to the M6 in Cheshire. There was a sheep browsing by a pond. When it saw me it panicked and jumped in. First ovine fact is that sheep are inelegant swimmers. The pond had steep sides and a mound all round the edge. the second thing I learned was that when sheep attempt to exit a steep sided pond they use their knees rather than their hoofs. Actually I wasn't calmly observing all this as the sheep was panicking in its furious attempts to get out and looked like it might drown - I was panicking myself and running around looking for a rope, without any clear idea what I would do with the rope if I found one. Fortunately the sheep managed to scramble out unaided.

.

I have to say i almost fell of my chair laughing when i read this.I would have been so shocked and also racing around looking for a rope,knowing i wouldn't find one whilst trying to ring for help on my mobile. So pleased it was you.

Anyway, great pic billy.

[agrumpycow]

Originally Posted by treecreeper

I learned a couple of facts about sheep the other day. I was on a little used footpath right next to the M6 in Cheshire. There was a sheep browsing by a pond. When it saw me it panicked and jumped in.

Got a mental image now of a sheep belly-flopping into that pond

Great picture billybob99, I love the was sheep seem to look in different directions yet straight at you at the same time!

[treecreeper]

On the subject of distressed sheep; Pippa, or Claire ...or anyone, have you ever tried rescuing a sheep when it's put its head though a mesh fence and it can't escape? It's a terrible job, and you can be sure the sheep will repay your compassion with rank ingratitude. there is probably a technique involving manipulating the ears but I don't know what it is.

[Pippa]

Luckily, i have never seen a distressed sheep,fingers crossed but can imagine it.

I did once see some distressed cows but that was because i was walking towards them.Suddenly, they decided to come towards me in a rather nasty manner so i took off accross a swamp.I was not a pretty picture when i managed to drag myself out.Others thought it was a huge joke.

[treecreeper]

Pippa, that happened to me when I was in the scouts, aged about 14. A group of us were detailed to carry some large poles across several fields to a campsite. We were half way across a field when a herd of cows approached. Being townies we just dropped the poles and ran. We shamefacedly reported to the scout Leader, without the poles, and got the earful of our lives.

[JoulesH]

Tree creeper, I think you just discovered the main fact known to all sheep farmers; sheep have one ambition in life and that is to die. Their only other thought is that once the've found a way to die, to tell their mates about it (the only reason for getting out of the water... it't probably passed the message on to its mates and jumped back inagain now)