Suki's first time of moving lambs

Last week, I got a call from the Sheep Farm, could we please come and help to move a flock of ewes with lambs? They tried it once before on their own, but the lambs scattered over the place and they were working for hours with a few people to move them 2 kilometers....

Of course we'd like to come and help! Jessie was used to it anyway from previous years with the former shepherd, and it would be an opportunity to take one of the youngsters with me for some "real work". I decided to take Suki, as I think she is the one who is the most cool in the head. A good choice, as it turned out.


The shepherdess setting up the portable fence at the new grazing area:

 Helping to put up the portable fences:

 Jessie and Suki inspecting the fences, wondering where the sheep were...

 After we had set up the fences for the new grazing area, we went a few kilometers further to collect the sheep. From there we were going to drove them to the new grazing area. Jessie run out to gather them all and brought them to us, and off we went...


Jessie and Suki having a look at their charges:

At first I had Suki on the long line, to keep her with me in the rear gard. I covered the left rear flank and Suki the right rear flank of the flock, as the shepherdess and her father covered the left front flank and Jessie the right front flank. Then there was the young son who drove his step up and down the left flank which was also the side where the cycling and footpath was. The dogs had to keep the lambs from wandering too far too the right into the shrubbery.

When we were halfway, I saw Suki understood her job and let go of the long line. She worked nicely alongside me, keeping behind the flock and keeping them from straying.
As we reached our destination a little group of lambs tried to escape into the shrubbery, but Suki proved again she had the job covered, and brought them back in a calm way.

All we had to do was push them into the new grazing area, that was no problem for the dogs:

 

After that we just had to close up the fences. The ewes were calling their lambs and the lambs were bleating for their mums, and after they all found each other again they started grazing, all happy with the new grass....

Wow, we ARE improving...

This year, I decided to enter Jessie in 2nd class trials, because in 1st class the outruns were really too short for her. She has a lot of pressure on sheep, and although her outrun and lift were nearly always almost perfect, the sheep started to bolt and the fetch was too short for them to settle. So her OLF visibly improved, but we still had to work on the drive. And finally that hard work paid off, and she can bring the sheep in almost straight lines through the gates now. There is only one problem left to tackle: I have to learn to shed..


Off she goes...

 

 ...bringing them nicely to me!

So last weekend we entered a 2nd class trial in Alken, and we became 10th of 23 teams. If only I had been able to shed, we could have penned too and earn a lot more points, but no. Putting the sheep in a pen is something we are good at, but we never get that far and that's because of me. I've been told I rather block the sheep so they can't split up, but I just don't see it. It seems easier when you're working sheep, and I don't know why I always mess up when I'm at a trial....

 Jessie did everything I asked, driving them away without hesitation:

 

 

 So the next weeks will be all about shedding, shedding and... oh yeah: shedding!!

 

Moving ewes with lambs

Were we go training, the pregnant ewes were set apart from the training sheep. Somehow there were some ewes who got served by a few young rams that were removed from the flock a little too late, and so we found some ewes with lambs amongst the training sheep every week. No problem, Jessie would bring these mothers to the adjacent nursery field with the others. She did a great job, and twice per week for like at least 3 weeks in a row!
Fortunately, I thought of using my mobile one day. We moved one ewe with twins and two ewes with just the one lamb each.


The ewe with twins was rather complacent...

But the two ewes with one lamb were very, very reluctant to leave the field and go join the other mothers!

Jessie did a good job though, I was very pleased with her :)