Sheepy Diversification!

[steveR]

Sent by my SiL down in deppest Herts. Read and boggle.... But got to be in the right location I suspect!

 

[spin cycle]

Sent by my SiL down in deppest Herts. Read and boggle.... But got to be in the right location I suspect!

my daughter was on about this today....working in Nottingham her boss excitedly told her his girlfriend had booked a 'lamb feeding experience" in June in Norfolk

daughter just said 'you could just go see my dad...I'm sure he'll still be lambing'....which I thought that ,whilst true, was rather rude

 

[yellowbelly]

Sent by my SiL down in deppest Herts. Read and boggle.... But got to be in the right location I suspect!

I have some exiting opportunities coming available soon....

Mucking out lambing pens (fork and barrow supplied)......from £7.60/hr

Spudding thistles (bring your own spud or use one of ours) £10 to £12/hour (rate reflects a rare opportunity for customers to experience healthy outdoor graft).

 

[kfpben]

The public appetite for lamb based fun is immense.

We had over 1000 people through the door today for our lambing open day. We hardly advertised, just a bit on a few local Facebook pages. The only attractions were ewes, lambs, talks on the hour from me and the hunt lorry with hounds and a small display. £5 per adult, under 10s free.

To be fair the public were spot on, I didn’t need to grizzle at anyone. Very respectful and no litter at all. Kept their distance from the sheep fine. The parking was a bit of a nightmare though!

 

[Muddyroads]

We do a lambing Sunday too, used to be around now but we’ve put it back to late April for better weather. 900 people 2 years ago, 1800 last year (beware @kfpben it can become a bit of a monster!). It’s a great way to engage with the public and very refreshing to hear so many positive comments from the public. It restores my faith in our customers every year.
The year before last someone refused to take their change, saying “no, keep it, it’s for a good cause”. To this day I’m not really comfortable that a member of the public saw us as some kind of charity case when they know we’re a family business.

 

[hoff135]

Can dagging ewes be added to the list for public to try?

 

[polk_farmer]

Can dagging ewes be added to the list for public to try?

And bellying muddy, soaking hoggs whilst wearing oilers?

 

[serf]

The parking was a bit of a nightmare though!

Did you charge them a tenner for being towed out by a tractor too

 

[toquark]

I think @Muddyroads and @kfpben deserve a round of applause. Good work chaps!

 

[steveR]

Can dagging ewes be added to the list for public to try?

What is this "dagging" you speak of.....?

Ah yes, I remember... the curse of non-shedding sheep!!

 

[steveR]

I think @Muddyroads and @kfpben deserve a round of applause. Good work chaps!

Daughter who sent me the clip in my OP said why don'r we do it... I looked at the shite covered yards and then looked at her.... No more was said!

We have the catchment no doubt, but not too sure how much PR I want to do nowadays

 

[lloyd]

Sounds all good but what insurance would you need?
And how much would it cost?

 

[steveR]

Sounds all good but what insurance would you need?
And how much would it cost?

That is what Herself asked.

I think the NFU had a blanket cover for the Open Sundays they promoted? I guess a pay/visit business will be a different thing altogether.

When I was heavily involved with setting up an NFU Country stand at urban shows and events we had to get every more aware of the risk of disease and the importance of hygeine for animals and humans. Hand washing statrion and notices everywhere etc. Feeding lambs should probably be done with gloves?

 

[ringi]

Unless trained how to correctly remove gloves without touching the outside of gloves they don't give a risk reduction other then when washed in something like bleach before removing.

 

[Woolless]

my daughter was on about this today....working in Nottingham her boss excitedly told her his girlfriend had booked a 'lamb feeding experience" in June in Norfolk

daughter just said 'you could just go see my dad...I'm sure he'll still be lambing'....which I thought that ,whilst true, was rather rude

A tup customer of mine reckons his pet lambs are his most profitable sheep. £12 to feed them as a sideline to the farm shop!

 

[som farmer]

A tup customer of mine reckons his pet lambs are his most profitable sheep. £12 to feed them as a sideline to the farm shop!

friend of ours, sells all his pet lambs, for £10, to a city farm, for the kids to 'experience' the real thing.

when they get to big, he gets asked to fetch them, FOC.

slightly different animal, but he advertised some 'designer mini pigs', some sort of weird breed, chap rung up, wanted to buy them, for a present for his wife, they would fit in her handbag. After explaining he was living in cuckoo land, wouldn't work etc etc. The chap was adamant, he wanted them, paid for delivery etc, job done. Next day, phone rings, chap wants to pay him, to take them away !!! He reckoned that was a good deal, £80 for the pigs, £50 delivery, and £50 collection, and still had the pigs, luckily, he hadn't sent the licence off, a premonition told him to wait ...........

 

[Muddyroads]

Daughter who sent me the clip in my OP said why don'r we do it... I looked at the shite covered yards and then looked at her.... No more was said!

We have the catchment no doubt, but not too sure how much PR I want to do nowadays

I look on Lambing Sunday as a way of being paid to tidy the yard up! It does make me conscious through the winter of trying to keep things reasonably tidy which is never a bad thing.

Sounds all good but what insurance would you need?
And how much would it cost?

Our main farm insurer charged us £50 on top of our usual premiums for the days cover. They also sponsored us. Have a guess what they paid us for putting their banner up!

 

[Muddyroads]

That is what Herself asked.

I think the NFU had a blanket cover for the Open Sundays they promoted? I guess a pay/visit business will be a different thing altogether.

When I was heavily involved with setting up an NFU Country stand at urban shows and events we had to get every more aware of the risk of disease and the importance of hygeine for animals and humans. Hand washing statrion and notices everywhere etc. Feeding lambs should probably be done with gloves?

We hire in toilets and hand washing stations. Plenty of notices about hygiene and particularly cautioning anyone who thinks they may be pregnant to stay away from the sheep. We have a variety of activities and stalls so that there’s plenty for people to do.

 

[kfpben]

We did our lambing open day through the local hunt supporters club which my wife and I are on the committee of.

They provide all the volunteers, catering, toilets, event insurance, hand wash stations etc. I just provide the sheep and the venue. I have thought about doing it as a money making enterprise for the farm…but I’m not sure where I’d find 20 helpers for one day?

It started a few years ago as a YFC fundraiser, then Covid happened. It was re incarnated as a hunt supporters fundraiser as we had got too old for YFC, and now it’s ballooned into a monster!

 

[Muddyroads]

Volunteers are the key to it. It’s amazing how friends and family come out of the woodwork to help, and don’t expect anything in return. The enjoyment of the day is enough to keep them coming back each year.

Having said that, my BiL and his wife moved to Hull last week. It seems that some people will go to extreme lengths not to help out!!