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Paul is from a
line of shepherds dating back to his paternal great-grandfather, and
paternal grandfather. Paul is one of three boys; his siblings took
on other professions outside the shepherding field. Paul,
without knowing why, carried on the family shepherding
occupation. He has been shepherding since his late teens. He met his
wife, Carol, as a youngster. They grew up on the same
street. Carol did not come from a family of shepherds. She became a
shepherdess by virtue of Pauls absence. She not only engaged in the
rearing of pups, but also did lambing, tended the flocks when Paul
was away, while rearing her children.
In 2004, Carol retired from the physical demands of work as a shepherdess. However,
she will not be absent from the field of shepherding altogether as
she plans to continue with the lambing work. There are few pictures
of Carol because she was the person behind the camera in most cases.
When the shepherds with beardies project commenced in 2002, Paul agreed to
write about what his and Carols life is like during one full year of work.
We cannot thank them enough for all that they contributed by way of
writings and pictures.
Winter 2003
Our Lives as a Shepherd and Shepherdess
As I write this (beginning of a calendar year) it is a quiet time, and the tups
(rams) have been on the hill for five weeks. Daily chores now
include: (1) looking (in my country, by law, a shepherd is expected
to check all livestock on a daily basis except for when weather
conditions are so severe it would not be possible); (2) making
repairs to any fencing, machinery, buildings, etc. on the property;
and (3) training the pups. In the new year, the tups (approximately
25) will be brought off the hills and into a field where they will
be given some feed to get their weight built up in order to be in
peak condition. In the U.K., approximately one ram to forty ewes
would be the norm for tupping.
In February we
begin to gather up the ewes for scanning (ultrasound). This can be a
hard gather because of weather factors. Some of the steeper parts of
the hills make it difficult to get around especially when the ground
is frozen or covered in snow.
Regarding the
weather at this time of year, It can be winter sunshine one minute
and stinging snowstorms the next. An example: last year we had
a mob of three hundred yows (ewes) coming down the hill in front of
us (myself, Carol and the dogs). We could not see any of the
sheep because of the blizzard conditions. The older dogs had the
experience to tuck themselves in close behind the sheep all the
while keeping their heads down. This was their way of
protecting themselves. We eventually had to find shelter and wait
for this blizzard to subside.
During the
scanning process, the ewes carrying twins are separated from the
ewes carrying singles. I must now take my ATV out on the hill loaded
with hay.
In addition, the ewes carrying twins are given supplemental feedings. All of this
work will continue until the lambs are born (lambing where I work
always takes place in April through May). In March, as we
approach lambing, I begin to be away to the hill all day whatever
the weather. This is why we have several dogs. This work
requires my changing dogs as I go through the day. When it
becomes time for any particular dog(s) to work, they must gently
move the ewes down the hills in the mornings and up the hills again
at night. The reasons for this gentle movement: (1) to make
sure the ewes graze all the grounds; and (2) to keep them off the
rough ground at night in order to reduce the risk of getting couped
on their backs (cast onto their backs due to being so heavy with
lamb).
Lambing (April/May) can be hard for the dogs one year while easier another
year. This depends mainly on how the yows have wintered. One
lambing can have many problems whilst another will be a lot
easier. At this time Carol and I will be out on our first round on
the hills at five thirty in the morning. Carol starts off in one
direction and me in another. We each usually have two dogs with us,
and this work can be hard on the dogs. They must engage in the
following: (1) separating a yow from the rest of the mob (also
called singling); (2) catching yows (different dogs use different
techniques to catch sheep); (3) dealing with birthing problems; (4)
bringing a single yow off the hill to the yard/pen for one reason or
another; and (5) placing the twin lambs into fenced fields.
Around mid-morning, we return to the house for a bite of breakfast. Then,
off we go again, repeating the above work, until lunch. Lunch would
be around mid-afternoon. Then, we return for the last round of
work for the day. We like to be off the hill well before dark to
give the yows a chance to settle down for the night. By the time the
penned sheep are watered and fed, dogs sorted, it will be ten
o'clock before we are finished. The dogs are bedded down into their
kennels for the night. Although our dogs are bred, or in some
instances, purchased for working, they are also part of our
family. Two or three may reside inside our home. Reasons for
this might be: a retired dog; a young puppy; or a personality that
cant be resisted (pleasing personality that we enjoy being
around). It is also true that they have celebrated holidays with our
family.
We carry on this lambing work for the best part of April/May. When it
ends, you wish you were able to go on a holiday. However, this
does not happen. We have only begun our work.
After lambing,
its time for cutting (castration and docking of tails). This can be
the worst gather of the year. We will be gathering the young lambs
for the first time. The weather can now be warm (month of May). We
have to start at 4:00 A.M. before it gets too hot. The young dogs
can be a little keen (especially after spending a month of catching
sheep on the hills.) Carol and I must make sure the dogs are now
held back as the secret of this difficult gather is to go slowly
keeping the pressure off of the stock. We want to use just enough
pressure so that the yows move quietly taking their lambs with them
to wherever they are being moved. It becomes stressful for both us
and the dogs as we take them off the hill. We proceed through a gate
into the yards (pens). Now, the tough part really starts. The
lambs are now on totally strange ground and, if not with their
mothers, will try to get back onto their patch on the hills (hoping
that mum will be waiting there).This very difficult gather is where
I think the Beardie really comes into its own because all the eye
in the world will not stop a score (20) of three or four-week-old
lambs trying to get back to the hill. The Beardies will run hard on
bolting lambs. I approve of their snapping, barking and bumping
them. This type of intimidation is commanded by me in order to
make the lambs afraid of the dogs and to force them to stay with
their mothers.
At the time of cutting (end of May to early June), not only does castration and
docking of tails take place, but the first jag (injection and/or
shot) against various diseases is given. At the same time, the
spraying for ticks occurs, and, finally, a lug mark (notch in the
ear on all wethers) is given to distinguish between the females and
the males. Now, they get to return to the hills. Depending on
how hot the weather is, this cutting process could go on for a
fortnight (two weeks). Soon after this occurs, we will be gathering
them again for a second jag and dosing. At the same time, the yows
are cowed (removing of the dirty wool from their rears and tails and
also called "dagging out") and prepared
for clipping. Whilst this is going on, we still have to get round
the hill twice a day to check the sheep. Gradually everything
is working its way up to clipping (which on this hill is done the
second week of July).
The gather for clipping is another difficult one. It is hard on the dogs as the
yows are now heavy in wool, and the weather is hot. Also, the
bracken is well grown (perhaps four-five feet high) so the running
is tough. The dogs will have three days solid gathering and moving
sheep to the sheds for the clippers. As each mob is completed, they
have to be taken back to their respective hefts (a heft is a piece
of land, where from generation to generation of sheep born there, is
considered their home). This returning of the sheep to their
hefts will present a new set of problems. The yows are now much
lighter so they are able to move at a much faster speed. They want
to race back up to the hefts leaving the lambs behind. So the dogs
have to act as brakes on the leaders so as to let the lambs keep up.
After clipping is done (end of July) we normally have a quiet period where the dogs
get a small break until the end of August when we start the spanning
(weaning), dipping, dosing and sorting the sheep. This is done
because the lambs must be taken off their mothers. Also, the old
ewes, or ewes in poor condition, are removed from the flock. The
wethers are sent off to better ground for fattening. This is another
difficult gather. The bracken, as well as every other kind of weed,
weed grass, and thistle, are now at the highest and the
thickest. The sheep know how to hide in order to outmaneuver the
dogs. By the end of September, we are finished with these particular
chores.
We now get ready for a welcomed break during
the month of October. In November,
the yows are flushed (getting them in peak condition for the tups),
and then returned to the hills to await the tups. Around the end of
November, the dogs drive a flock of tups up to the hills. They leave
three or four in one area, then commence to another area to leave
another three or four, until they are all distributed among the
waiting yows. Now, my work is to drive the ATV up the hills, and to
observe whether the tups are doing their job and to gather the yows
that have wandered off from the tups. Now is the time when the older
and experienced dogs become invaluable to me. A young dog might
upset things at a very crucial time. Without successful breedings,
the lambing percentages would drop, and I might be out of a job.
Because the hoggets (female lambs separated from their mothers) are available, I
now have the opportunity to begin training the younger
dogs. Hopefully, from this group of youngsters will come another
good hill dog, Not all working dogs make good hill dogs. Some dogs
can do certain jobs better than others. In my work, however, a hill
dog is a necessity. Furthermore, they make, or break, how hard
my work becomes. The Beardie, as a breed, suits me, because
they can do all my chores, and also, some of them can really shine
when it comes to their work on the hills.
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