The Sheep Detectives is now available to stream with a Prime subscription, so if you've been wondering about this critically acclaimed movie, now's the time to watch. I watched it with my child, and while we both thought it was a great movie for all ages, we were both absolutely devastated by the Winter Lamb.
Murder aside, there's nothing more upsetting in this movie than a baby lamb who is constantly bullied by the rest of the flock. What's even worse is I found out this was a thing that actually happens in nature and is more common than non-shepherds and farmers may think.
Yes Winter Sheep Are Rejected By Flocks, And There's A Science Behind It
Known sometimes as "Bummer Lambs," these little sheep are given their names because, for whatever reason, they're the weakest of the younger sheep in their flock. For a variety of reasons, sheep will occasionally reject the smaller and weaker lambs they give birth to, often to preserve the survival of the stronger ones. It's then on the farmer to care for the weaker baby lamb, often bottle-feeding and providing warmth to it until it's strong enough to be on its own.
Hobby Farms wrote that it's not uncommon for farms to sell these lambs at a bargain, which may be how George Hardy came across them. Due to the feeding and warmth requirements, George likely had to spend a lot of time with the sheep, which prevented it from being around the other sheep in the flock and bonding with them over a love of mystery novels.
Winter Sheep Can Be Accepted By A Flock Without A Murder Happening
Winter sheep are a sad phenomenon, but the good news is it can be fixed! What's better is it can all be accomplished without requiring the sheep to solve a murder mystery, which is good because I don't want to deal with more grief after George's tragic death. By the way, if you thought that ending was sad, definitely don't read the book.
Usually sheep just need slow integration into the flock, and they'll be accepted soon enough. What I found interesting, and what The Sheep Detectives didn't cover, is that these sheep often can become "leading sheep" in the pack, as the ones most comfortable around humans. I have to say, I like the idea of the Winter Lamb ultimately growing up to lead the flock, so I'm going to imagine that's exactly what happens.
The Sheep Detectives is available to stream over on Prime Video, and even those of us who didn't enjoy the film recommend that readers watch it. To pile on top of the existing sheep puns surrounding the movie, it's not a baaaaaaad way to spend an evening watching it.
