Farm Animals

The Farm Animal Sanctuary

Meet Boss, Brownie, and Rusty

This trio of elder gents was retired in May 2011 after years of training herding dogs. These three Katahdin sheep have been together for many years, with different owners and in a variety of flocks, and have developed an inseparable bond. Their exact ages are unknown. What is known is that Rusty (rear) is geriatric, Boss (front) is a little younger, and Brownie (center) is a little younger still.

When it was time for Rusty to retire, their recent owner sought to keep them together because of their long history. Now they spend their days grazing in lovely green pastures, relaxing in the sun or under a shade tree. They are enjoying their retirement. We joke that we expect to see these good buddies playing shuffleboard or poker, with stogies hanging out of the sides of their mouths.

Because of their previous jobs training herding dogs, Boss, Brownie and Rusty were discouraged from interacting with humans. They were attentive, but aloof, and, in fact, always on guard. It's fair to say that they were skittish around people. After a short time in sanctuary, and a little encouragement, they now literally eat out of our hands and allow us to stroke their heads and backs.

Upon their surrender to retirement, we learned that they had never been seen by a veterinarian. They are clearly in good health, eat very well, and are, in fact, a little chubby. In our care, they have opportunities for good health in their golden years.

About Katahdin Sheep

Katahdin, pronounced kuh-tah-dn, sheep are a breed of sheep that have hair rather than wool. The breed was developed in Maine in the 1950’s on Piel's Farm from hair breeds that originated in the Caribbean and British Islands. Michael Piel, who originated the breed, named the sheep for Mt. Katahdin, the highest peak in the state of Maine.

Given their genetic origins in Africa, the Caribbean, the British Isles and America, along with the birth of the breed in Maine, Katahdin sheep have demonstrated wide adaptability. In cold weather, they grow very thick winter coats that shed when the weather warms. They do not produce fleece and therefore do not require shearing.

The hair coat of the Katahdin varies in length and texture among individuals and can be any color or color combination. It generally consists of coarse outer hair fibers and an undercoat of fine wooly fibers that becomes very thick and longer when cold weather sets in and day length decreases. The undercoat, and some hair, naturally sheds as temperature and day length increase seasonally, leaving a shorter, smooth summer coat. Their smooth hair coat and other adaptive characteristics allow them to tolerate heat and humidity well.

Katahdin sheep are medium-sized with the weight of mature rams ranging between 180 to 250 pounds; mature ewes range from 120 to 160 pounds.

Katahdins are hardy, adaptable, low maintenance sheep.

Sheep Intelligence

Conventional wisdom depicts sheep as dim-witted creatures that lumber along mindlessly following the flock. Their "sheepish" expressions, especially while assessing their surroundings or simply chewing their cud, lead one to believe that the light is on but no one is home.

However, as you spend a little time around sheep, those antiquated notions are tossed aside and you may forget that you ever believed them. You soon become aware that sheep recognize people, other animals, and events. They greet those they know and like very enthusiastically, sometimes running toward you while baa-ing their hellos. Once they like you, they compete for your attention. Their methods can be hilarious. If you've named them, and you've used their names while interacting with them, they know and respond to their names!

Sheep have interest in individuals, situations, and their surroundings. They like to watch. They are interested in all sorts of activity. If they see people or other animals playing, they quietly observe and soon join the celebration by creating their own games. They won't necessarily play with us humans. They don't have any need to please us as, say, dogs do. As a result, they are not compelled to respond to our requests, but that doesn't mean that they don't know what we're saying.

Being prey, sheep are hyper-aware of their surroundings and frighten easily, so it's best to move slowly and quietly around them. Reach out too quickly and they bolt. When you think of it, sheep don't have any means of protecting themselves from predators except to tuck themselves into the flock and run. Sheep never have the leisure of completely relaxing. When safety is in question, they are reactive. They run first and think later. Now, that's just smart. Once certain that the coast is clear, they switch back into thinking mode.

In an article entitled Sheep Are Far Smarter Than Previously Thought posted in The Telegraph (UK) in February 2011, science correspondent Richard Grey reveals that, in studies, sheep performed similarly to humans and other primates in some learning tasks. In some instances, they exceeded human performance. One researcher suggests, "... we can probably classify sheep as being a bit like a slow monkey in terms of intelligence."

Unfortunately, these tests were conducted to determine if sheep could be used in place of mice as models for research on Huntington's Disease since they are much more long-lived than rodents. Their longer life enables researchers to study the disease's progress over time. Perhaps this is good news for the science community, but bad news for the sheep used in those studies. It's a shame that once we recognize the intelligence of other species, rather than celebrating it, we seek to exploit it for human benefit. Among the operating principals of New England Primate Sanctuary and NEPS Farm is the belief that we should appreciate animals and their gifts on their terms, not ours.      

We invite you to celebrate the intelligence of the long domesticated (about 10,000 years) sheep that serve us in innumerable ways, including providing us with food and clothing, and being our loyal and intelligent companions.

How Sheep Perceive Their World

• Sheep see in color and depend strongly on their vision. They have excellent peripheral vision with a field of vision ranging from 270- to 320-degrees. (The field of vision for humans is almost 180-degrees.) This means that sheep can see some things behind them without turning their heads. However, an individual's visual field can be affected by the amount of wool on the face.

  Sheep have a poor depth perception and cannot see immediately in front of their noses. This is why they often stop to closely examine objects. They have difficulty discerning details, like an open space created by a partially opened gate. Sheep are reluctant to go where they cannot see. For this reason, they avoid shadows or harsh contrasts between light and dark. They move towards light.

• Sheep have excellent hearing. They can pinpoint and amplify sound by repositioning their ears. Sound arrives at each ear at a different time. They are more sensitive to high frequency sounds than people and are frightened by loud noises, like clanging or squeaking gates, shrill whistles, yelling or barking. In response to loud noises and unnatural sounds, sheep become nervous.

• Sheep have an excellent sense of smell. Their olfactory system is more highly developed than that of humans. They are very sensitive to what different predators smell like. Smell helps rams locate ewes in heat and it helps ewes locate their lambs. They use their keen sense of smell to locate water and detect differences in feed and pasture plants. Sheep are more likely to move into the wind than with the wind so that their ability to smell what is before them (like predators) is not compromised.

• Sheep have long memories. Most recall bad experiences for a year or more. One can assume that they recall good memories for equally as long.