Since Friday we’ve been putting Lori and Robin in the pole barn for a few hours each day. They get to be in the sun and have the earth beneath their hooves. Also, Robin, Fanny, Lulu, and the rest of the sheep get to know each other through the gates.
I got to watch Robin and Asher checking each other out as they touched noses through the fence. This way when Robin joins the rest of the animals in the barnyard, they’ll already know each other pretty well.
On Saturday I moved Lori and Robin into the bigger stall.
It’s more exposed, but the weather is warmer and there’s more space for them to move around. And with the heat lamps and some bales of old hay placed just right, there’s a warm place for Robin to retreat to.
I screwed some pieces of wood on the bottom of the gates, which I worried were wide enough for Robin to go through or get stuck under. I also closed up a space between two barn boards that was wide enough to blow a pile of snow through this winter.
The new stall is easier to keep clean to since it has a cement floor instead of a wooden one which soaked up moisture. And now Lori and Robin can be close to the other animals all the time because they’re right on the other side of the gate.
Maria, you did a great job securing the space for Robin so he does not get stuck or caught.