brookcove
Posted : 12/30/2006 1:54:21 AM
Right now I have thirty breeding ewes (this is down dramatically from the past, but we moved this year). We raise them for meat - I supply someone who buys them as "feeders" meaning they buy lambs freshly weaned and feed them up. In the past I've also supplied lamb to people who just want one to put in their freezer, or even cull sheep to feed their dogs. I sell these "live", deliver these sheep to processors, and their buyers either pick them up or pay me to deliver them.
The sheep are grazed primarily in three fields which are not fenced. I place the sheep in one area and then use the dogs to "bump" them through the day. I follow the sheep's instincts to start grazing high in the morning and graze the lowest part of the pasture by evening. The sheep must be penned every time I cannot watch them, such as during my sons' home school lessons, when I take a shower, or when I run errands. There are also regular chores that need to be done such as setting out feed, which requires the dog to drive them far enough away to give me a fair chance to dump the feed without getting trampled.
Shearing, vaccination, worming, trimming hooves, driving new mothers to the lambing pens, dividing sheep for sale or breeding, catching lambs for shots, ear tagging, tatooing, or treatment of sick animals: all require the dog as the sheep cannot be caught without a great deal of trouble, without the dogs. I can't even imagine trying to get sheep off thirty acres of green pasture, into a pen with no grass, without a dog. The dog takes less than a minute to gather sheep scattered all over that big field, and put them in the pen, without my having to move at all other than open the gate and close it.
I also use the sheep to train dogs to chase migratory birds off water features in various commercial and residential settings. I also lay the groundwork for dogs that are sold to a trainer who offers a wildlife removal service to airports and the military. They keep the runways clear of fowl, deer, canines other than the working dogs, wild pigs, and alligators. The dogs do not help with the alligators or pigs! Very, very strict obedience is required in these situations, BUT the dogs must be driven enough to work up to two miles away from their handler, so they need a special kind of dog.
My partner also trains these dogs. She is literally my business partner. She has her own cattle farm, a much more serious operation than my little farm here. She does the majority of the training on stock, while I take largely care of the groundwork and socialization, plus bird work and swimming training.
Let's see, what else? I'm about 40 minutes north of north Durham, or 20 minutes south of Danville, VA.
We have six dogs of our own in the house currently - BCs: Ben, Cord, Rocky, Ted. Rocky and Ted are puppies so only Ben and Cord are working right now. Ultimately, with Ben turning eleven this year, Ted will take his place in another year or so as a full time working dog. Rocky is being trained by my husband. Zhi the Chinese creested and Maggie are pretty much housedogs, though they are far from couch potatoes. I also have a rescue right now, Eddie. We have two dogs that stay with the sheep to guard them, Lu and Tully the Maremma sheepdogs.
Patricia McConnell and I have some mutual friends in the sheepdog world, though we've never personally met.