Walk up to the sheep lying on its back and talk to the animal soothingly. Since sheep are prey animals, they will not harm you, but will try to run away as soon as they can. Grasp the wool with both hands at the height of the ribs and turn the sheep back onto its stomach with a bold push. The animal will try to get up and run away as soon as it comes to a prone position. However, it can happen that the sheep is still unsteady on its feet after the saving push and falls over again immediately. In this case, it needs your help again. Try holding the animal for about a minute after you turn it prone the second time. If you don’t dare to do it yourself, you can ask a neighboring farmer for help or call the police. However, every second is precious.
“Spring means lambing time. Many sheep are pregnant around Easter and are therefore wider than usual. Since it is still cold at night, the animals have not yet been shorn. Only after the so-called «sheep cold» at the beginning of June are they freed from their winter wool. Very thick wool can be a burden for the sheep, especially when it gets wet. In addition, parasites can nest. The sheep roll around in the grass to get rid of the annoying pests and scratch the itchy skin,” explains Ina Müller-Arnke. The desire for relief can then be fatal to the animals due to additional weight, for example due to pregnancy. This problem is sometimes the result of years of overbreeding aimed at increasing meat and wool yields. Most sheep breeds therefore have to be shorn once a year. There are also old breeds of sheep that do not require such shearing, but these are rarely kept by professional shepherds due to the low meat and wool yields.
For more information about sheep go to: www./aktionen-themen/tiere/schafe