A Day in the Life of a Shepherd
Del, the shepherd, is kept very busy at Marsh Farm Country Park. Below, we can learn all about the work that he has to do.
Lambing
Lambs are born at Marsh Farm four times a year, October, February, March and April. Each ewe only lambs once a year, but sheep in the flock are tupped (mated) at different times so that visitors get to see lambs being born in different months.
Marsh Farm has six rams. The shepherd places a raddle (a wax crayon in a leather strap) round the ram when the ram is tupping (mating) so that the shepherd can see which ewe is pregnant. The shepherd changes the colour of the crayon or raddle every three weeks so that he can tell when the ewe will be lambing.
A ewe's pregnancy lasts over 5 months. When it gets near the due date the shepherd looks for signs that the ewe is due to give birth. He watches the ewe 24 hours a day. The signs he looks for are pawing at the ground, bleating a lot more than usual and moving round in circles trying to make a bed.
The ewe's water bag hangs outside (in humans it breaks inside) and within one and a half hours the ewe gives birth, usually to twins. The shepherd is always on hand to help with any problems during the birth.
The sheep and lambs are then separated from the rest of the flock to enable them to bond. The shepherd sprays a number on the ewe and the same number on the lambs so if they are parted the shepherd knows which ewe the lambs belong to.
The shepherd then docks the lamb's tail by placing an elastic band over their tail. This does not hurt the lamb and leaves no open wound. If the tail is left it is quite long and will get mucky, which attracts flies and maggots.
The ewe and lambs are checked and put out to pasture after about a week. If the weather is good then it can be sooner.
Shearing
Sheep produce a woolly coat to keep them warm in the winter. The shepherd shears this off in June every year so that the sheep are cool for the summer months. Del starts shearing in May and carries on into July so that lots of visitors can see him shear our sheep. It takes a good shearer only 2 to 3 minutes to shear one sheep and up to 300 sheep can be sheared in one day.
The wool is put into woolsacks and sent to the British Wool Marketing Board where it is graded and sent off to different countries all round the world.
The sheep need to be shorn to keep them healthy and clean from maggots.
The fleece grows back quite quickly and in a year the sheep has a full coat ready to be shorn again for the summer months.
Taking Care of the Sheep
The shepherd must take good care of the sheep so that they stay healthy. Sheep's toenails need cutting regularly to keep their feet free from infection. It does not hurt the sheep as it is just like when we cut our fingernails and toenails.
The shepherd checks the sheep's teeth regularly to make sure they are healthy and that the sheep is able to eat properly. Sheep only have a bottom set of teeth. They use their top gums to pull grass into their mouths and then grind the grass with their bottom teeth.
To help the shepherd monitor the health of a sheep each one has a tag attached to its ear. This has the flock number and the ewe number on it. The shepherd can then monitor how old the sheep is, how many lambs it has had and whether it has any health problems.
Del is helped in his work by his sheepdog, Mel. She helps him round up the sheep and keep the sheep in line. The shepherd uses whistles and calls to make sure the dog keeps the flock together. The shepherd also has a crook, which he uses to catch sheep if they stray.
Next time you visit Marsh Farm, you may be lucky enough to see Del, the shepherd and Mel, his sheep dog, working hard with the sheep. If you do see Del, he will be happy to answer any questions you may have about sheep.
We look forward to seeing you soon down at Marsh Farm.
