Does it Make a Difference?

What is the first thing you notice in this picture taken this morning?

February is Black History Month and I remember that before I started finding sheep to come live here I asked many shepherds if white sheep got along with black sheep. Many said no many articles said the same. Some said different breeds would separate to graze some said it depends.

So here is what I have found . . .

Personality weighs heavier than color or breed. Generally, all the sheep here intermingle and get along great but there are some personality clashes. Hildegard does not like Charlotte to eat next to her but anyone else is O.K. Hildegard and Mira have differences of opinion on some matters but in both cases I don't think it is a color thing. After all Sarah and Annie are brown and Hildegard gets along fine with them and Mira is a Black Cotswold but very light in color.

Amelia, the other White Cotswold, gets along with everyone but then she is of a younger generation. It is interesting to note patterns in grazing and eating.

And then there is the chickens. Most of the time when the chickens are riding the sheep, the white chickens are on the white sheep and the brown chickens are on the brown sheep but... I think that is just a coincidence or who is closer to the fence the chickens want to go over. The chickens can all go over the fence but they are lazy and prefer to use a sheep or go out when the gate is open.

Again, I wonder if the sheep know what color they are and the chickens for that matter. Beau is brown and white and seems to like everyone the same.

It will be interesting to see how things change when the lambs come.