Farm Horizons
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Aug. 8, 2016
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Page 4
Lambs add to flock south of Lester Prairie
BY STARRLA CRAY
Two pet sheep.
That’s how the herd of 21 puffy white ewes and 31
frolicking lambs began at the Michaletz farm south-
Photo by Starrla Cray
This donkey, named Billy, keeps watch over the herd and protects them from coyotes.
west of Lester Prairie two years ago.
“My mom [Cathy] wanted two as pets,” Emily
Michaletz explained. “Then we decided to get a few
more, so I got my herd of 10.”
Not wanting to be left out, Emily’s dad, Larry, added eight more sheep to the mix.
The first lambs were born in spring 2015, a cross
between the suffolk and dorper breeds. This year’s
lambs are a mix of suffolk and southdown.
“We’ve had a lot of twins this year,” Emily said,
adding that they also had triplets, but sadly they didn’t
survive.
Although there are quite a few sheep now, some are
still considered pets. One of the mothers, for example,
named Tiny, is a favorite of Emily’s.
“She was the first one to come up to me,” Emily recalled. “She has her own personality – very friendly.”
“We call one of them Elvis, because of its hair,”
added Emily’s 14-year-old son, Austin.
For Austin’s birthday, the family got a donkey
named Billy to help keep coyotes away.
“He’s the protector,” Austin said.
The donkey has the freedom to roam in the barn
and around the pasture with the sheep, and they get
along well – although he did try to chase some of the