Our farmstay guests often seem to have a romantic view of what I do as a shepherd. I have come to realize that they really have very little knowledge behind the skills of a shepherd. It’s as if they are looking through mist, only getting half of the picture of the life of a shepherd. They can see the general … Read More
Ask the Shepherd-Best Practices in Purchasing Sheep A subscriber to my email list has written to say that they want to purchase sheep and wonder what questions they should be asking of the shepherd they are purchasing from. So, here are some basic guidelines for best practices when purchasing sheep from a breeder. Sheep Management Purchase sheep from a farm … Read More
Let’s keep those parasites in check this summer! Next to moving fencing, parasite management probably takes up more time than anything else on my farm during the summer. I am always trying to figure out the best way to monitor, test, and record stats on each sheep. Parasite management is one of my greatest concerns as a shepherd during the … Read More
There are probably as many different lambing systems as there are shepherds. Some lamb on pasture, some put laboring ewes in pens, and some shepherds choose to put their bred ewes in group pens to labor and deliver. Each farm must evaluate their own situation and what works best for them to give them the optimal outcome. Shepherds need to … Read More
A skilled shepherd knows when to assist ewes at lambing. Most of the time, ewes lamb completely on their own. Their bodies are created to give birth naturally without intervention. As a shepherd, you must learn to resist helping until a ewe really needs assistance. It is usually obvious when a ewe needs help with a birth. Typically, it can … Read More
