Two questions...one stupid ..one not :)

[KrisK]

Okay, here's the stupid question...what is the correct pronunciation of 'ewe'? (come to think of it...was this question raised before?)

 

the not stupid question....

I am thinking of getting some banty (sp?) hens and would like to build a reasonable shelter for them. It would be a small flock so I'm looking for a small shelter design. Any suggestions as to where I can find some shelter ideas? And, is is feasible to have a shelter for sheep shared by the hens? I know when I was a kid, there was always a separate chicken coop.

 

Thanks!

[Pipedream Farm]

Let's see if I can make this work.

 

From Bartleby.com: ewe

Pronounced: yoo (play link, that's not my voice)

 

Mark

[KrisK]

Thanks! I was advised today that pronouncing ewe as 'you' was a sure fire way to prove you didn't know a thing when it came to sheep So, I figured the best way to find out..was to check with those in the know

[Pipedream Farm]

Kris,

 

Like with many english words there are local accents. I've heard ewe pronounced yo (as in yo ho ho and a bottle of rum).

 

Mark

[Eileen Stein]

Most say "yoo" and some say "yo," but how you pronounce it is no indication of how much you know about sheep. I believe the "yo" pronunciation derives from Scottish dialect, but I've heard Scotsmen say "yoo" and an occasional American say "yo."

[Pipedream Farm]

Some more fun examples:

 

creeeek vs. crick

ruf vs. roof

water vs. warter

conner vs. corner

 

 

Mark (or is that Maaaack)

[KrisK]

Hmmmm, I think it's Maaaaack if you're from Mass.... (it's okay, my husband is from Mass...so I can tease him about his accent

 

Where I live, many of the folks are French-Canadian...so conversations can be filled with 'dis' instead of this...'dat' instead of that..and my favourite of all...is a pair of toast and tree eggs 'th' doesn't really exist

 

As for sheep, I willingly admit that I know very little about sheep...but I'm learning fast thanks to so many of you on these boards. (and my new reading material "Raising Sheep"

[cgt]

Ok then, how are we supposed to pronounce "Cheviot"?

Usually I hear it pronounced sort of like the car: "Chevy-it".

But my Scottish friend says it like "Chee-vee-it" (accent on first syllable).

 

charlie

[KrisK]

Hey, I can answer that...maybe When I was in in N. England and Scotland, somewhere around the borders are the Cheviot Hills (I think it was hills, not mountains) pronounced the way your Scottish friend says it.

Isn't the English language grand

[cgt]

Thanks! I tried injecting the apparently more correct Scottish pronunciation into various sheep discussions with friends (yes - it keeps coming up!) and they either give me a funny look or disdainfully correct me. I just don't talk about those sheep any more.

 

charlie torre

[juliepoudrier]

Charlie,

LOL! You could always go into the "you say to-may-to, I say to-mah-to" thing whenever your pronunciation of that breed is questioned.

 

KrisK,

In my limited experience, it seems that more old-times pronounce ewe as "yo." Just met another one the other day. Hmmm...we could've had some fun with those credit card commercials with Yao Ming.

 

As someone who grew up in the south with a mother with a STRONG southern accent, I can admit that there are some of her pronunciations that I just can't bear to say. Unfortunately, I see the cheviot and ewe pronunciations (chee-vee-it and yo) as in that category....

J.

[Bill Fosher]

ewe: yoo, sometimes yoe, and I've even heard yow.

 

Cheviot does not sound like Chevrolet.

[cgt]

Now, Bill, if I can just get you to fly out here and back me up here and there, that would about settle it.

 

charlie

[Eileen Stein]

Shall we move on to barbadoes?

[Tassie]

Here in Oz, a ewe is generally a 'you', but every now and then my trainer's 78 year old stockman will say 'yoe' - often when he's working on a sheep and comments: "biiig yoe", or "gooood yoe".

 

And as a complete piece of trivia - there's a famous Australian folk song called "Click go the shears" in which the ringer (gun or top shearer) is beaten by a blow (cut of the shears) by a cunning old-timer, and "curses the old snagger with the bare-bellied yoe."

 

And BTW Eileen, how do you pronounce Barbadoes? We don't have them here.

[Deacon Dog]

Normally I pronounce it "yoo." If a sheep has diarrhea butt, I pronounce it ?ewwww."

 

There are some poultry housing plans on this ND Extension Service page. I used one of the plans on the site to build a pole barn, and it worked out well.

[Jordi44]

Hi

I agree with "you" but have also heard some really strange attempts at saying it - and by supposed sheep people. Then there are Suffolk people - no offense intended - but what can you say about people that can't even agree on how to pronounce their own breed's name? I've been severely corrected by "breeders" for saying suf-FOLK, suf-FEEK, suf-uck (personally, I think that describes a lot of these people I've met).

 

Anyhow, as for poultry buildings, try the FeatherSite Poultry Page at http://www.feathersite.com//Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html

 

They might give you some ideas. If you just want it for the chickens, it doesn't have to be fancy. I've built all my own - designed it myself - so you know it's not fancy - kind of get's re-designed as I go usually. Decide about how many you want, then you can usualy find sites that give you an idea as to how much room you need per/bird for given situations. I'd suggest making it so that it can be cleaned easily (access to get in to do it without a lot of effort), a small, chicken sized door that can be closed to lock them in when necessary, and a covered flight/run - even if I'm going to let them out to run in the yard, sometimes you might want/need to lock them in - say at night or winter.

 

They can share space with the sheep, and I've seen nests all over some barns - my ducks claim corners of the sheep pens. However, if you seriously want the eggs for eating/hatching, then a coop is your best bet. My dogs love eggs - aka - they get anything laid out in the open before I do. Also, sheep really don't care if they run over eggs, nests, or birds - geese may be the exception to that rule. Good luck - and warning, poultry can be like Border Collies and sheep - contagious and you have to have more and different varieties - so leave room to expand.

[KrisK]

Thanks for all the help...on both my questions

Like I said, the English language is great fun..and...I had a heck of a time with Katadhins ...my husband (born in New England) almost choked laughing when I tried to pronounce that!

[Eileen Stein]

>

 

Well, either "bar BAY does" or "BAR ba does." But don't ask me which is "right."

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

On the Blue Ridge (where there is a strong Scottish emigrant contigency), it's common to say "yoe". Especially among old timers or in isolated communities.

[donna frankland (uk)]

here in sunny somerset, they are called yews, on my holding they are generally called "you little @#*@er

get off my bloody foot!" bless them.

ewe is one of the few words that dont give any trouble round here, as it does'nt contain any Rrrr's!

cheers

donna

[Jordi44]

Donna - Have to agree, sooner or later, to heck with ewe, it usually breaks down to choice 4-letter words -and the longer I chase, the louder and more frequently they're used. Haha - never said I was a "lady".

[Riley-dog]

if you design your own coop, be sure all nest boxes are within easy arms reach of the door. They WILL lay their eggs in the only box you can't easily reach!

 

Also, you don't need as many boxes as there are hens. They'll share, often just one or two boxes. with 13 hens, ours all laid their eggs in 2 boxes. We've been shutting up the coop now because of the new chicks, and the single remaining layer gets booted out during the day. She's since decided to take over a bucket of golf balls to lay her eggs in.

 

3'X 5'

there's a door on the right side, too, and the entry way for the chickens is there on the left side. There's a string attached to a sliding door so you can shut them in for the night by pulling or releasing it. If you plan on getting chicks you want to be able to shut them in with a heat lamp.

 

and it's 'Bantam' chickens. We have 6 bantams, one of which has the most unusual curly feathers. I'll have to post a pic for you when I get back home in a couple weeks.

 

I don't see why the chickens can't share as long as there's an area only they can get to so the eggs don't get trampled and they have a calm spot to lay.

[Miztiki]

Lauren, you mean you have a frizzle chicken? See link.

 

I had one of those. My pride and joy of the chicken coop were my white bearded silkies. I would like to get more - they are great! And they are very broody. Will sit on anyone's eggs and hatch them for you. They are used to hatch out rare birds.

[Riley-dog]

oooh thanks for the link! I guess she's a frizzle then. Except even her primary feathers are thin and curled! She's white with feathered legs. She was one of 6 random bantam chicks I got my mom for Easter. Along with 2 black sexlinks, 2 red sexlinks, 1 barred, 1 partridge rock, and a chick that looks like she'll be the biggest buff colored hen the world has ever seen. The bantams turned out to be 1 red w/feathered legs, 2 white, 1 buff, 1 white w/f.legs, and the frizzle, "Frizzy Liz"