Bodega Byways by Eva Granahan - April 2018
Mid-winter brings fields of lush green grass. This poses the prefect landscape for lovely sheep and their fresh little ones to roam about. I’m lucky enough to live next-door to a lamb farm, so I get to hear all their unique cries to each other. It’s constant amusement. My curiosity peaked and I decided to talk to a local professional.
I visited the Bodega Pastures on Salmon Creek Road and talked with Hazel Flett, one of the main caretakers of the lambs and sheep. She’s been an active shepherd there since 1979. She took me on a gruelingly steep hike to see the adorable animals.
“I like them a lot!” says Hazel about the unique flock.
The lambs are born between Thanksgiving and January. They remain babies for six months. Their first six weeks, they live on mother’s milk until their stomachs develop enough that they can digest fresh grass.
Because it was a wet 2017, there was extra feed mid-summer and the rams and sheep bred more. For this reason, there are oodles of twins this year. Some years, there are 50 lambs and mothers inside the barn. This year the winter weather is so mild, no lambs were needed to be kept inside.
Several people, such as Abby Killey, Cathi Bruton and Tess Pohlmann, feed and care for the lambs every year. They need to notice the lamb’s behavior, making sure they bond with the mother for nursing. Sometimes the lambs are rejected or can’t be fed by the mom. There are currently seven lambs being bottle fed (multiple times a day).
My grandma Andrea once raised one of these “bummer” lambs. She wrote a chapter about Lambikin in her newest book, “Backstories from the West Edge.” [Her book launch is Friday, March Ninth at Seven at the Occidental Center for the Arts.]
The Pastures have the sheep mostly for environmental reasons such as keeping the grass down and regenerative grazing, which refers to when they move the herd around. The sheep regenerate the pasture – improving the pasture diversity and soil quality. For it to be economically viable, they make an income from the sheep’s wool. Hazel takes wool from adult ewes mostly, dyes it colors and makes into yarn or other products, for which she does direct marketing. To preserve the ranch from overcrowding, some of the younger ones are sold as grass-fed lamb – which is highly prized.
The property is a 1,000 acre ranch, two thirds of which is forest. The dense trees give shelter to unwelcome predators. Coyotes can generally be kept out by electric fences, but mountain lions can easily jump the fences. Llamas guard the herd while grazing with the sheep. At night, they’re kept in small fields with guard dogs. Protecting the gentle sheep from predators takes more and more time from caretakers.
Throughout my day with Hazel, I learned a great deal about what it takes to be a decent shepherd. Barely able to keep up at times, I could tell how strong and resilient these people are. They are dedicated to caring for these otherwise helpless creatures. The animals rely on the humans. It’s an honorable way to live in the world.
