Sole living from sheep ,Flock size

AvonValleyFarmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Leicestershire
Question for those that don't have sheep as their full income and have to work elsewhere. How do you find the time to do both? Do you work in the day and fit in the sheep on evenings and weekends? Or do you just work a few days a week and can then dedicate the rest of the time to the sheep? Any examples would be much appreciated!
I check my sheep after breakfast, then go to work after that. I own both businesses so can be flexible when I need to. I'm not busting a gut but enough to pay my mortgage and feed the family.
 
Question for those that don't have sheep as their full income and have to work elsewhere. How do you find the time to do both? Do you work in the day and fit in the sheep on evenings and weekends? Or do you just work a few days a week and can then dedicate the rest of the time to the sheep? Any examples would be much appreciated!
All vaccinations ,drawing fat lambs etc majority of times need to gather them up done on saturday first thing,

Every day or every other day checks done before start work,

lambing need checks done first thing ,midday and after work just before dark
But need be flexible.

i can do anytime needed though or stop work and sort issue there and then if stuff needs doing eg fly strike etc as self employed.

I dont know how people manage it if there employed and especially away from farming,
Guess as @unlacedgecko ,get a good head torch and wake up even earlier or evening after work.
 

Estate fencing.

Member
Livestock Farmer
When I was a teenager I used to think it was very unfair my parents weren't farmers. However I grew up and realised you've got to make the best of what you've got
I used to think that when I was at college but now at least I own what I have and my aging parents don’t control the money and could give to my siblings at the drop of a hat.
 

Anymulewilldo

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cheshire
Why bother? If we make any more profit over and above our subs then we'll just have to buy more and more expensive and unnecessary buildings and equipment to keep the tax bill down. Best to just breed our sheep for aesthetics, get good lambing percentages at any cost to impress our neighbours, and rather than spending our time managing our grazing, we can spend it repairing our buildings and equipment, and working at the sheep, using antibiotics and an array of harmful chemicals to mask over the numerous fatal flaws we've bred into them, all the while we can act all smug about how high our welfare standards are.
it’s easy too have high welfare standards when you shoot everything that has a problem…
 

Guleesh

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Isle of Skye
it’s easy too have high welfare standards when you shoot everything that has a problem…
It is indeed, but plenty folk would rather just treat the symptoms of genetic flaws and breed them into the next generations.

Why do we not shoot everything that has a problem? Some people try to keep animals alive, although they are suffering, so that they can profit from that animal at a later date, but to be fair the worst welfare I've witnessed has been at the hands of a sanctuary and also of various elderly ladies who've lovingly kept sheep too far into old age.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
This is my road to Damascus moment. The scales have fallen from my eyes. I'll chop in all my maternal composites and blow the cash on 1/4 of the number of bonny heid mules.

Any hints on how to get some of those subs?

Well, for a start off you’d have to pay more rent if the landlord wasn’t getting the sub. With a bit more security of tenure you would also gain a few commitments to spend that subsidy on.
Then you’d have to invest many thousands on buying entitlements, as I did.

You green eyed graziers don’t know how lucky you’ve got it… :whistle:
 
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Well, for a start off you’d have to pay more rent if the landlord wasn’t getting the sub. With a bit more security if tenure you would also gain a few commitments to spend that subsidy on.
Then you’d have to invest many thousands on buying entitlements, as I did.

You green eyed graziers don’t know how lucky you’ve got it… :whistle:

I can see both sides. But when running a buisness, security is a massive massive thing.
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
Well, for a start off you’d have to pay more rent if the landlord wasn’t getting the sub. With a bit more security if tenure you would also gain a few commitments to spend that subsidy on.
Then you’d have to invest many thousands on buying entitlements, as I did.

You green eyed graziers don’t know how lucky you’ve got it… :whistle:
Like what? I'm already responsible for the fencing, topping and trimming hedges.

There's plenty who have rent which is less than they gain in sub.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
I can see both sides. But when running a buisness, security is a massive massive thing.

Absolutely, if only as the base holding.
We used to trek round loads of annual grass keep round home years ago and I don’t intend getting back on that treadmill anytime soon. Too many times there would be a last minute phone call from an agent saying they’d let it to someone else, who we knew well would trash it and be kicked out the following year. The worst was in early March, just as we started lambing, and expecting to drop ewes & lambs over there after verbal agreements.😡
 
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Estate fencing.

Member
Livestock Farmer
Absolutely, if only as the base holding.
We used to trek round loads of annual grass keep round home years ago and I don’t intend getting back on that treadmill anytime soon. Too many times there would be a last minute phone call from an agent saying they’d let it go someone else, who we knew well would trash it and be kicked out the following year. The worst was in early March, just as we started lambing, and expecting to drop ewes & lambs over there after verbal agreements.😡
I had 40 acres that I’d saved all winter, day before I was going to seen 140 ewes and lambs down there the women rang to say it was let to someone else. It got sold 12 month later and now have it back again but the new owner own the sheep and I charge them to shepherd them. Oh and the person who took the land bought my ewes and lambs in market for more than they would have made if I kept them until August. 😂
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
Absolutely, if only as the base holding.
We used to trek round loads of annual grass keep round home years ago and I don’t intend getting back on that treadmill anytime soon. Too many times there would be a last minute phone call from an agent saying they’d let it go someone else, who we knew well would trash it and be kicked out the following year. The worst was in early March, just as we started lambing, and expecting to drop ewes & lambs over there after verbal agreements.😡
That's the problem with doing things on a word. To many people their word means nothing.
 

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