Tiina adds summer sheep and ducks to her cottage: “Caring for the sheep was a bit hectic at first, since they were bottle-fed”

My husband and I bought this cottage a few years ago. It’s a large log house, with a yard that includes a few storage sheds and a large barn. The first time we drove into the yard on a gray autumn day, I was sold before I even set foot inside.

The cottage is the only place where I fall asleep the moment my head hits the pillow. All my worries vanish when I go there. It’s where I can breathe easy.

Sheep have a somewhat similar effect on me as the cottage does. Working with them makes me feel calm and relaxed. It’s also therapeutic to run my fingers through their wool, pet them, and scratch them.

Tiina and her spouse took in sheep and ducks this summer, too.

Tiina had long dreamed of owning a log cottage. Then she was contacted about one that featured a combined kitchen and living room, two bedrooms, and an attic. “I was sold before I even stepped inside,” Tiina says.

“Last summer, we gave the sheep names.”

I had previously kept sheep, chickens, and ducks when I lived in rural Mikkeli. I stopped keeping animals once I moved to the city.

Last summer was our second at the cottage. That’s when I bought lambs just a few weeks old from a nearby sheep farm. I also got ducks from close by.

We didn’t spend the whole summer at the cottage. If we couldn’t tend to the animals ourselves from home, someone else visited daily. For instance, when we went on vacation, my cousin stayed there with her children to watch them. For extra security, there is also 24-hour camera surveillance at the cottage.

Caring for the sheep was a bit hectic at first, because they were bottle-fed. Once that phase ended, it got much easier.

We built enclosures for the sheep and moved them whenever the grass got sparse. They also had ample space in the barn. In the fall, we bought them dry hay. We didn’t have to shear their wool because they stayed with us only for the summer.

“You can also rent summer sheep, but I think it’s simpler to buy the lambs for yourself.”

Last summer, we named the sheep. We wanted to keep one of them and searched for barn space for the winter. We couldn’t find a feasible option, so we had to let that one go too.

I know not everyone sees it this way, but I consider sheep and ducks to be livestock for practical use. In the fall, the ducks also ended up in the freezer. This feels entirely natural to me, as hunting was part of life in my childhood home.

Admittedly, it’s a bit sad when the animals go to slaughter. I can’t deny that. Still, I know they definitely lived a happy summer and were content with their lives.

“I consider sheep and ducks to be livestock for practical use,” Tiina says.

“All my worries disappear when I go to the cottage.”