Apples and Sheep

It's that time of the year again. The sheep are getting drunk. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with one of the ewes the other day, but now I know she was either tipsy or hungover. Those apples! I learned the hard way many years ago with the Jacobs - that too many apples will get a sheep drunk and also cause nasty scours. I will never forget how hard I laughed to see the spotted sheep burping and stumbling about, nor will I forget the horrendous mess a flock of sheep with the runs will make. It was awful, and since then I have limited the number of apples that they have. But, with so many old growth apple trees around, the smell of them lures the sheep through and under fences. They drop onto Obed Lane from a beautiful tree on Clara's land, and sometimes the kids will pick up windfalls and toss them into the pasture. My two trees look pretty good after last year's pruning, and they are starting to drop some smaller apples already. Clover got her head stuck in the fence last night trying to reach some of the apples that had fallen, and after a bit of struggling I got her free. Going to keep some wire cutters in the barn for future emergencies. And maybe move those fences next spring so the temptation will be a little further away.