HOW do you know the difference between a happy or sad sheep? Well, scientists at Scotland’s Rural College would appear to know.
Working with colleagues at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, they have discovered the woolly ruminants actually have a wide range of expressions.
Though they have few facial muscles – apart from the one's they chew with – sheep can convey how they feel to the rest of their flock, by using their ears. And, the researchers found, just one happy, or sad sheep can change the mood of the entire flock.
The discovery was made by showing sheep life-sized photographs of their fellow animals with 'happy' or 'sad' expressions. It is thought that if animals can perceive emotions in others, then it is likely to affect their own emotional state.
Dr Lucille Bellegarde, who led the experiment, said: “In terms of animal welfare, it is essential to be able to understand how emotions are perceived between animals reared in groups. Because this perception is likely to affect their own emotional state, it might take just one happy, or unhappy sheep to make an entire flock, happy or unhappy.”
Most shepherds will agree that their charges do have different moods – they are either living or deid!

The lesser sex?
THE MANY who turned up to pack the Women in Dairy meeting in Castle Douglas’ Town Hall, might have had a wee laugh to themselves when they entered the premises.
On the pin board telling them where the meeting was, was the notice ‘Women in Dalry’ meeting 6.30pm.
While we are fairly certain that there are, indeed, ‘Women in Dalry’, it seemed that it was quite a surprise to the cooncil staff in CD that Dumfries and Galloway now had a very successful ‘Women in Dairy’ group. Further proof that it may have been a misogynist that was behind the notice board was contained within the news that the ladies’ meeting would be in the ‘Lesser Hall’.
Presumably, three men and a dug were using the ‘Main Hall!’

Stanley stars
IT IS just as well that the ‘I’m a celebrity, get me out of here’ romp in the jungle is being televised and not a radio programme – or Scottish farmers would have been really confused.
While much of the meeja attention centres around Scottish Labour leader, Kezia Dugdale’s appearance on the programme, the Scottish farming fraternity collectively pricked their ears when they heard that Stanley Johnston was on the programme.
However, there was a huge sigh of relief all round when it was revealed that it was the OTHER Stanley Johnston, Boris’ dad, and not the doyen of the Scottish fodder trade of the same name, that was prancing about in his underpants on the show.
Come to think of it, though, ‘oor’ Stanley would have been quite an addition to the programme. He would have been awfy guid at making things out of binder twine and would have made a turnip last a whole week for dinner! I think he may have boaked at eating the insects bit though and balked at the fact there was nae whisky!