Is the boss the farmer or the sheep?
Farm animals are portrayed to most people through children's books. We all have an image of what they each should look like, usually cute and huggable right? You'd be surprised how many folks know what a lamb is but don't know what a sheep is. Many don't have a clue that a lamb is a baby sheep.
There is a lot about sheep folks don't know. For one, did you know there are over 200 different breeds of sheep worldwide. The difference can be dramatic. Some sheep have wool, some don't. Some sheep have horns, some don't. Some sheep have no horns, some have 2 horns, some have 4.
Wild looking you say?
This is a perfect example of the 4 horned genetics in the breed we raise, the
. The 4 horn genetics are not unique to the Navajo Churro. There are other breeds that carry the gene.
What has fascinated us about these sheep with 4 horns is watching their personality develop.
They must navigate their way a bit differently.
They are different then the other sheep.
It's almost as if as wee ones they have a special crown on their heads and they know not why. Eventually they grow into them and understand and respect them.
The horns are so dramatic and cannot be ignored by you or the other sheep.
We've concluded by observing these guys early on in their life,
...they learn to own these horns.
I wonder, is there a message from mother nature?
It has been said, it's our very differences that make us stronger.
As we prepare for our new lamb crop this year we feel sure we will
welcome
at least one ram lamb with four horns.
As a final note of interest
I read somewhere that the Navajo culture prized the multi-horn sheep as a spiritual gift, while the South American cultures believed them to be a "devil" spirit and eliminated them from a flock.