02/06/2026
For want of a nail" is a proverb, having numerous variations over several centuries, reminding that seemingly unimportant acts or omissions can have grave and unforeseen consequences through a domino effect.
This proverb came home to me today when I discovered that little Marigold had died in the night.
After raising sheep for 34 years I still have a love/hate relationship with sheep blankets. On the one hand they can keep your sheep’s fleeces cleaner especially over the winter when you are feeding hay. But they are labor intensive as the blanket you put on in the fall becomes too tight in the winter causing injuries by too tight leg bands, or become too loose and the sheep gets tangled in leg bands that slipped off or got tangled on something. And then there are all the rips that inevitably occur that need mending. Every day sheep need to have their blankets checked and readjusted.
Over the years I have had near misses that I caught in time, but today it was too late for Marigold.
Because a nail was sticking out of the barn wall her blanket got caught on the nail. Because the blanket got caught on the nail she struggled and got her leg band twisted around her leg. Because her leg band was twisted around her leg and she continued to struggle to free herself she fell. And because she fell on her back on a slope in the barn she casted and died.
Less than a year old and perfectly healthy she died because a nail sticking out caught on her blanket.
This is a lesson about the vigilance every shepherd needs-to look at every sheep every day and if using blankets making sure they fit perfectly. And look for all those little hazards like nails sticking out, extension cords that can be tripped on and loose baler twine that sheep can get entangled in. And so much more…
We will really miss you Marigold. I am so so sorry.
