Contract Shepherding

[Strangelybrown]

Morning all,

This is more out of curiosity than anything.

Can anyone give me some information on what a contract actually does? For example:

What are the start up costs?
How many years experience of working with sheep tends to be necessary before contracting?
What responsibilities does a contract shepherd have for a flock?
On average how many flocks does a contractor work with?
What do they do outside the busy periods?
How common/rare is it for a contractor to be given permanent accommodation?
Do contractors do this as their full time job or do they also earn a living elsewhere?
Are there any other salient points worth knowing about contract shepherding?

(Obviously I'm not expecting one person to answer all these points at once)

 

[CopperBeech]

Salient point number one - it’s fashionable to call yourself a contract shepherd and have a social media account with nice photos of you. This does not make you a contract shepherd or shepherdess as the case often is

 

[Strangelybrown]

This is one of the reasons why i asked. I don't have social media, but there are quite a few contractors who seem to be quite well known, so i was curious what their day to day work/lifestyle entails

 

[CopperBeech]

It seems to entail taking photos, writing on social media, telling people you’re a contract shepherd, modelling clothes and occasionally standing next to a few sheep

 

[CopperBeech]

I’ve met several contract shepherds over the last few years abs have found two i would go on holiday and leave to run my sheep. Both are decent lads with their own sheep, both over 30 with families and both know their sh!t.

 

[CopperBeech]

This is what it involves today anyway

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

The most important thing is to have a picture of a team of dogs on your Facebook page looking as if they will be able to do anything that you can't!!

The best advice is to not over promise and under deliver.
Can you Crutch 500 a day on your own? Shear 200 plus? Have the kit to drench a couple of thousand lambs a day?
Don't go night lambing for one customer and then try doing days for another!!

Have you got a Quad bike ticket?
Have you got livestock transport tickets?
A Chainsaw ticket is always handy in the winter.

 

[CopperBeech]

rubbish I don’t have a Facebook page, knew I’d f**ked the job!

 

[Mc115reed]

Seems the most common contract shepherds don’t tell you where they’re from and just put there willing too travel but not where they’re willing too travel too or from

 

[Landrover]

It seems to entail taking photos, writing on social media, telling people you’re a contract shepherd, modelling clothes and occasionally standing next to a few sheep [emoji23]

Seems to be a bit of a "lifestyle" thing for some of them !

 

[Strangelybrown]

Seems to be a bit of a "lifestyle" thing for some of them !

For argument's sake, couldn't farming as a whole be considered a lifestyle choice?

 

[JSmith]

For argument's sake, couldn't farming as a whole be considered a lifestyle choice?

Well we don’t do it to get rich, generally to keep paying the overdraft

 

[JSmith]

This is what it involves today anyway

I’m glad I’m not the only one who keeps his truck nice an clean!!

 

[CopperBeech]

For argument's sake, couldn't farming as a whole be considered a lifestyle choice?

very much so, but for lots of us it actually pays all of our bills, and is a job.

 

[Beef farmer]

Salient point number one - it’s fashionable to call yourself a contract shepherd and have a social media account with nice photos of you. This does not make you a contract shepherd or shepherdess as the case often is

Also entail having a massive chip on your shoulder?

 

[CopperBeech]

Also entail having a massive chip on your shoulder?

Don’t know mate, you’d have to ask them? My shoulders are chip free

 

[Mc115reed]

Also entail having a massive chip on your shoulder?

Does sound a tincy wincy bit bitter [emoji23]

 

[Beef farmer]

Does sound a tincy wincy bit bitter [emoji23]

The red shepherdess who he is referring to, has used social media to her advantage and push her career forward. She just smart enough to have done it.
Seems to have made a lot of people jealous.

 

[CopperBeech]

Why would it make me jealous or bitter. I’ve built a good Buisness and am good at what I do. She’s a very successful social media guru and Public figure, more power to her. She’s isn’t really a contract shepherdess though let’s not lie. And yes I’ve met her and yes she’s come to work for me. Nice enough lass but I was majorly underwhelmed. She does a fair bit of good for farming pr though. But she doesn’t make her living from shepherding and so when talking of contract shepherds ........

 

[Strangelybrown]

Hannah Jackson is one of the contractors I was referring to in one of my previous threads. Setting aside the debate on whether she earns a living from being a shepherdess, she is somewhat of an inspiration for people such as me who are interested in a career in agriculture but do not have the agricultural background.