Baby Bedhead Gets Her Ears Pierced

It was a beautiful Spring day with babies everywhere. Tiny ducklings bobbing and floating in a row behind mama on the pond as tiny goslings waddled through long grass behind their mamas.

Strolling past by the pond, I saw a mama goose sitting patiently and hopefully on her still unhatched eggs and wondered if they'd hatch. Seems there's always a few that don't. Nature isn't always kind.

Enjoying the sun on my shoulders, I followed my ears to the source of the bleating I could hear in the distance. And there she was. Just the cutest little bundle of wobbly legs and bedhead.

My timing was great, at least as far as a photo opportunity goes.

I'm not sure the little moppet would have agreed had she known what was about to happen to her.

As I watched, a woman came out of the barn and headed straight for the little one. Dressed in coveralls, boots and gloves, she leaned over, scooped up the baby and headed back to the barn.

I watched the look of concern on mama sheep's face as the lady walked away with her baby. I'll bring her right back, she called over her shoulder.

Mama looked concerned.

She took a few steps towards the barn, and then turned and came back. Then she did it again. Her concern was visible, as she paced, looking towards where her baby had been taken.

You could almost see her wondering what to do. Should she wait there, or should she follow? She settled for turning around to face the barn, watching anxiously. I whispered to her that her baby will be right back, but she paid me no mind and of course she didn't. Who takes advice from strangers that aren't even in rubber boots?

It wasn't long, really. Just a few minutes. But watching mama, I suspect it felt much longer to her.

And then the lady was returning, carrying one very upset and terribly indignant little one back to her mama. She bent and gently set the little bundle of complaints on the straw close to her mama.

Poor little thing still had blood spatters on her ear. She did not look happy. Not one little bit.

Tagging sheep is similar to getting an ear pierced. A quick pinch and it's done. And no, it will never need to be repeated. If the tag needs to be updated, a new tag is simply put in the same piercing, not much different than changing one's earrings if you have pierced ears.

But still... baby sheep don't like getting their ear pierced any more than baby humans do.

With sheep, it's information, not decoration. Ear tags are like an entire genealogical record, often recording not just the sheep's date of birth, but the identity and birth dates of parents, too.

Those tags are invaluable in the event of genetic anomalies or even tracking the spread of illness or disease. Tagging sheep is best done when they're very little. A baby sheep heals much faster than an adult or even an older sheep would.

But she didn't like it much, as you might expect, and complained ever so plaintively. Mama hurried over to comfort and console.

Can't you just imagine her whispering, telling her mama what that lady did to her. That's one unhappy little face, telling mama all that happened to her.

I wish I'd taken more photos.

Wish I'd captured more of the nuzzling between the two as they went from upset to affection, but I was captivated and my own eyes were too greedy to watch them through the eye of the camera.

Come, mama nudged her little one, pushing her gently with her nose. The little one stood on wobbly legs and followed her mama to a quiet little corner, just away from the rest of the sheep.

Sheep are affectionate animals and often brush against people and each other as a sign of affection. I watch the little one nuzzle and brush against her mama's leg as mama groomed her little one.

There, there. See? It's okay now. You're here with mama.

Then she tucked her little head under her mama and nursed, and all was right in her little world again.

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If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans."―James Herriot