Flock Frustration

I went to do chores yesterday morning, and Bam was dead. Why is a complete mystery. He was curled up in the shelter as if just sleeping. Legs tucked underneath him, no signs of distress. Nate and I checked him for signs of pneumonia, a blockage, trauma, nothing. Everything looked normal. He had not been acting any different, or showing any signs of distress. The only thing we can think of is perhaps he was stepped on or kicked by one of the donkeys. Even this seems pretty unlikely to me since Daisy and Lucy are in the sheep pen and they are very gentle with their shorter charges.

My frustration lies in the questions. We have learned so much over the last year that we have had sheep, and experienced many difficult times. I question what I should be doing different as a shepherd to prevent such things. I know that the flock we have now is 100% healthier than when we bought them last spring. Parasites are not killing them, they have plenty of feed, mineral, and all their vaccinations. I am a person who fears the unknown. To compensate for this I try to learn all that I can so that there are not so many questions.

We thought about having him posted, but cannot justify the cost. Plus, our vet said that it is often pretty hard to tell a cause from a simple autopsy. If we lived closer to the university, that would be a more feasible option.

I guess I take peace in knowing that Bam hopefully settled most of the ewes and will contribute to our flock come spring lambing. Of course his sudden death adds to my fears come lambing season. What if I don't do all I can for these animals? What if there is something wrong that I could easily correct by a change in their care? I guess I need a shepherd guardian to help us. Unfortunately I don't know of any in the northwoods of Minnesota. We aren't exactly prime sheep country. I think back to the endless phone calls I made last summer when we were losing so many to parasites and pneumonia. I talked to veterinarians all over the state, many with sheep experience. I feel a bit more secure in the knowledge that all that I talked to in the area (80 mile radius) recommended our current vet.

One ironic thing is that Nate and I were planning on moving Bam out of the ewe pen today. Instead I removed him from the ewe pen myself, one day early. I clipped some of his beautiful white fleece. He had so much crimp, and was so soft. Kohen was outside with me when I was clipping. He gently touched Bam's nose and asked if he could have a pair of Bam mittens. One more reason to learn to knit.