Home pageSheep TalesMajacraft Spinning wheelsHandcraftsFleeceTable of ContentsHand Spindles

...........Here we tell short sheep stories with a little wit and occasional pearls of wisdom. This area will be changed on a fairly regular basis. The pictures are copyrighted, please do not use them.

..........There is a link at the bottom of the page to jump easily to the other tales............This story was written in March., 1998

...#8 The Lamb Wave

Daylight starts to fade and the air is still. The flock is in for the night, the pasture gate is CLOSED.

Ignoring their lambs, the mothers stand side by side at the feeders, heads immersed in the hay, seeking the grain that has filtered down to the bottom.

 

Hay draped heads occasionally lift,
"munch .... munch" sounds slowly drift,

And then ...... it starts!

The sharp staccato beat
of tiny cloven feet,

Taking advantage of the sun's last ray,
Now it's TIME for Lambs to PLAY!

Ignored by Mom, with nothing to do,
one lamb bounces ..... and then it's two.

Nervous darting, first three, then four
the infection spreads, to more and more.

Release that energy, Cut loose and run,
all lambs join in, it's time for FUN!

Around the feeder, across the pen
Down to the waterer, and back again.

The path now set, more join in
the race is on and everyone wins.

The bigs in the lead are setting the pace,
the "Lamb Wave" washes across the place.

Up to the barn, then down to the feeders
The tinys just can't, keep up with the leaders.

The Little and slow at the end of the pack
abruptly meet the fleet, on it's way back.

Now at it's crest, and picking up speed
one of the tinys takes up the lead.

Legs a-flying, and tail a blur,
runs over the cat, in a cloud of fur,

(All of the ruckus of this lamb stampede,
is ignored by the moms, who continue to feed.)

The lamb wave crashes with lambs every where,
panting, and puffing and gasping for air.

Lambs in heaps and lambs in piles,
Lambs that are spent from running miles,

Stacked in the corner, or sprawling on hay
Energy expended, at the close of the day,

Little babies, still at mother's sides,
do a quick "baby dance" (1), that slowly subsides.

 

Hay draped heads occasionally lift,
"munch .... munch" sounds slowly drift,

 

and

 

A sigh of relief, from the exhausted and flat
Everyone tranquil, happy and fat,

 

except.........

the poor

disheveled

 

 

CAT !

(1) "Baby Dance": A quick series of stiff legged front leg to rear leg bounces, performed with an arched back it becomes a rocking, bucking bounce that doesn't move out of it's tracks. The dance looks like excess energy that bubbles up and just has to get out. Healthy, warm and happy babies will often "dance" during the first day of life. The "baby dance" behavior stops once the baby's coordination improves and they are able to run without "rabbit hopping".

Baby deer and antelope often spend their day motionless in the tall grass, hidden from the predators.

While the mothers graze with a watchful eye, and the air becomes still as the sun goes down, the little ones explode with pent-up energy.

The still air affords a measure of safety by keeping the herd's scent from drifting, and the baby's exercise is vital for the development of strong bones and muscle.

The "Lamb Wave" is not the same as the explosion of energy displayed when the flock is released out into the pasture, with moms and lambs running everywhere. When the lambs do "the Wave", they run 'en mass', and on a path set by the leader, often as if it is a game where they must touch a spot or object (like the concrete pad under the automatic waterer) before returning back to the starting point. The small and slow will often turn back before touching "base" so that they can keep up with the others. And they run the same path over and over and over, like an ocean wave, up to the shore and back, up to the shore and back.

Lambs at the age of about 10 days old begin to do the "lamb wave" and continue for another week to 10 days, at which point, they loose interest in "The Wave", and nose into the feeders with the moms to become......sheep.

"The Wave" generally occurs between late afternoon and sundown, and we've never seen it in the mornings. During the day we have seen something similar, the "Lamb Dash" which is the subject of ....another Sheep Tale!

You can click on these numbers to continue, or use the pink buttons at the top of the page, or the *Jump links* that are below, to go somewhere else.

#1."Me-sis" #2. "Gem" #3. Short History #4. Stupid? #5. Rule #1 #6. Chris #7. Leonard #8 Lamb Wave #9. You know...when, #10. "Wimps" #11. "Fidget" #12. Invisible sheep #13. "Fraidy" #14. Words

When you have finished reading, if you have enjoyed our "Sheep Tales",
I would really appreciate an e-mail note that simply says "Sheep Tales, Yes!"

E-mail Tracy

  .......Thank you,
**Copyright 1997- 2009 Woolly Designs**
*** Send us an E-mail ***
*Jump links within this web site*

Home . Sheep tales . Majacraft . Handcrafted Items . Fleece . Ball winders and Swifts . Table of Contents . Spindles . Jewelry  . Farm Pictures .Links to others .