Yup. My friend’s aunt’s sheep farm’s marking is an electric blue star.

It’s actually pretty spiffy!

I don’t know if anyone’s mentioned this yet. I don’t have time to read through all the comments because I have limited Internet. I just started a semester abroad in Ireland two weeks ago and according to the locals the sheep are marked so owners can tell them apart when it comes to shearing time. I’m sure some of the other posters had more/different information but that’s the primary reason I heard! Every sheep I’ve seen in every field has been either red, blue, or purple, and the markings are different depending on the owner, I guess.

Wee little lambkin!!!

Mmm.

Collars with miniature bells on them would be cuter though.

And HOLY GIANT HOCKULENCE!

*dies*

I think ‘Hockulence’ should be added to the dictionary of CUTE. To be used for animals wih overly-large hocks. Like this lambaroo!

Livestock paint is used for a number of purposes, from inoculations and feedings to keeping lambs with their ewes. It can also be used to separate which sheep are going to be kept and which are going to be culled.

The chests of rams are marked with paint or wax to identify which ewes were bred on which nights, to estimate lambing dates and see which ewes are not ‘catching’. However, this little guy is a bit too young to be bred, lol. He hasn’t even had his tail docked yet. Probably quite brand new.

Anyone who has had their ears pierced knows how little ear tags actually hurt. There are many more useful places to fight animal cruelty than that.

Jennie Mello — you’re halfway right. Was also referring to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHp7n3oodJo

(though I believe the Linda Ronstadt version, which Kar mentioned above, became more popular; she even sang it on the Muppet Show once)

*donk!*

That’s the sound you should get whenever a lamblet raises one ear thusly.

*donk!*

I’m dating myself but I assumed it had to do with the warbling ballads of 70’s icon Miss Ronstadt.

“I’m going back some day,
Come what may,
to Bleu-baaaa-ewe.”

The warrior lamb dons his woad before repeling the Viking hoards.

Ohhhhh, that floppy ear! Someone spray it back up before it kills me…

*gasp*

[too late]

*THUD*

Gillian, that’s hilarious.