To sheep or not to sheep

[hendrebc]

Get a herdsman or share milker or something in to help out with the dairy.
If father in law has another 10 years on him then it's not much longer till your son (who sounds like a great kid btw!) Will be old enough to be a big help of he's still keen. If not then what does it matter 200 cows is a lot of work!
Take on the sheep yourself. In at the deep end but you will learn quickly. It's not rocket science.

 

[dilly2410]

We're doing it!

Lots of details to iron out. Lots of learning to do- I have this lambing season to cut my teeth and father in law will be on hand for the foreseeable future to make sure I don't get too out of my depth. He's also getting the help of a retired milker friend a few days a week to lighten the load of the dairy. I'm also looking into an apprenticeship type scheme for a local lad?? Not sure about that yet, but I would really like to. He's a good kid and keen to learn.

I'm sadly excited about the thought of a sheep dog. We don't have a dog as I've always been a 'if you can't eat it, it doesn't lay eggs or it doesn't catch rats, then it's a burden rather than a help' type of girl. Since our last dog died four years ago, I've put up with constant pestering from the family... Now we have a reason... (Maybe!)

Concerned about the market saturation with potential upcoming no deal, but as long as I don't run at a loss, it'll be worth it to keep such a good, healthy flock together. But that's a whole other chat.

Going to keep my job for now. See how it goes. I work three days a week, but only two in the office when it reopens. If it's too much, I'll either scale down a bit, or quit the job if it makes financial sense. After childcare, I don't take much home anyway! Plus working from home for the last 6 months has taught me how much I love living here and being in the fields... I can't see the job lasting long!

Youngest is over the moon. Eldest boy asked how much it would cost.
1 farmer, 1accountant... What more do you need

Father in law has gone soft, and to celebrate, he gave the boys a wether to practice looking after.

The bloody thing spends his days merrily eating my (admittedly not pristine) lawn and sh!tting by my backdoor waiting for the boy to come home. Youngest already has him coming to cake and he's training him to walk through a hula-hoop for treats. Our life is nothing of not 'interesting'.

I just want to say thank you for all of your help and positivity. Plus all of your understanding. I'm going to make (more than) a few mistakes (like keeping a sheep on the lawn instead of in the freezer), and no doubt there'll be a few arguments on the way, but hopefully we'll get there.

Brother in law has a few mountains to climb- he had a big relapse this week, hence why I've not been on here, We've all got his back and he's getting professional help. I don't know how that will turn out, but at least some of the pressure is off. I'm hopeful, and always will be.

Anyway, I hope you all have a very merry Christmas! Our turkeys weighed in huge so we'll be eating turkey pie for the next six months. Can't wait!

Take care. Dilly

 

[CopperBeech]

The thought of farming 600 ewes without a dog makes me feel physically ill

 

[Matthew Britton]

Well done on the decision and get a dog ASAP to give you time to train it before you need it. It takes a while. I found the training video by Andy Nickless useful but there are plenty to chose from. If you keep a bit of a diary you could take the pressure off @spin cycle occasionally lol

 

[dilly2410]

Well done on the decision and get a dog ASAP to give you time to train it before you need it. It takes a while. I found the training video by Andy Nickless useful but there are plenty to chose from. If you keep a bit of a diary you could take the pressure off @spin cycle occasionally lol

Oh my god. I've had a glass of wine (or two... Husband broke up from school today and came home with 16 bottles of wine and fizz!!- I'm in the wrong profession!!)... How expensive are dogs!! What happened to picking a collie up from a barn for £200???

Bloody covid!

 

[dilly2410]

Keen though. Old dog was a gun dog from shooting days. She was awesome and beautiful and possibly one of the reasons I've been so reluctant to get a new dog was that I was so heartbroken when she went. Trained to the eyeballs yet my best friend. I run a tight ship and would research like crazy to train... But a working collie pup is around £1500. May work financially if I sell one of the kids

 

[unlacedgecko]

Keen though. Old dog was a gun dog from shooting days. She was awesome and beautiful and possibly one of the reasons I've been so reluctant to get a new dog was that I was so heartbroken when she went. Trained to the eyeballs yet my best friend. I run a tight ship and would research like crazy to train... But a working collie pup is around £1500. May work financially if I sell one of the kids

pups around a lot cheaper than that.

 

[dilly2410]

pups around a lot cheaper than that.

Nearly fell off my chair! The sheep is now coming to whistle. Maybe we can train him to be a sheep 'dog'.

Will do some asking on the local network rather than Google. Will need a good dog. To be honest, we live in the middle of nowhere so a dog at hand would be good. We had a lot of blacked out window vans over lockdown having a look. Someone tried to take our turkeys not long before they went to despatch - luckily I was home and screeched 'Get orf moi laaaand' whilst brandishing a 40 year old jammed airgun (kept in porch for exactly this reason!) And scared them off. Next move was to get guard geese- cheaper than a dog, but useless with sheep

 

[Matthew Britton]

Nearly fell off my chair! The sheep is now coming to whistle. Maybe we can train him to be a sheep 'dog'.

Will do some asking on the local network rather than Google. Will need a good dog. To be honest, we live in the middle of nowhere so a dog at hand would be good. We had a lot of blacked out window vans over lockdown having a look. Someone tried to take our turkeys not long before they went to despatch - luckily I was home and screeched 'Get orf moi laaaand' whilst brandishing a 40 year old jammed airgun (kept in porch for exactly this reason!) And scared them off. Next move was to get guard geese- cheaper than a dog, but useless with sheep

Ask around for a pup. Plenty about from proper working parents. Don’t get hung up on pedigree or anything like that just a good pup that you can bond with. You will learn together this time round so get one you like, hopefully it will be with you for a long time. Personally I prefer my dog/s indoors as part of the family( also safer that way) but each to their own. Enjoy the wine, was one of very many reasons to move here! . Bonne chance.

 

[dilly2410]

Ask around for a pup. Plenty about from proper working parents. Don’t get hung up on pedigree or anything like that just a good pup that you can bond with. You will learn together this time round so get one you like, hopefully it will be with you for a long time. Personally I prefer my dog/s indoors as part of the family( also safer that way) but each to their own. Enjoy the wine, was one of very many reasons to move here! . Bonne chance.

One of our reasons to be reluctant was we would like to move to France at some point. Husband wants to retire at 55. We're both late (less late for me!) 30's so a bit to do, but not too much to make it untouchable. Always assumed we'd rent ours out and buy over there. Lots of friends in the Loire region... A bit more sunshine, wine, husband is fluent, lovely smallholding where I can bake bread and just gently enjoy life and grow really really good tomatoes.... But family duty calls! Yes, never been one for a certificate. A good animal is a good animal, whether it comes with shiny paperwork or just something you see that no-one else does.

I'm really excited though. I bloody love sheep.

 

[hendrebc]

One of our reasons to be reluctant was we would like to move to France at some point. Husband wants to retire at 55. We're both late (less late for me!) 30's so a bit to do, but not too much to make it untouchable. Always assumed we'd rent ours out and buy over there. Lots of friends in the Loire region... A bit more sunshine, wine, husband is fluent, lovely smallholding where I can bake bread and just gently enjoy life and grow really really good tomatoes.... But family duty calls! Yes, never been one for a certificate. A good animal is a good animal, whether it comes with shiny paperwork or just something you see that no-one else does.

I'm really excited though. I bloody love sheep.

Then that gives you 15-20 years to really set up your farming mad son up really well. Then bugger off and leave him to get on with it.
What a great opportunity for him

 

[Matthew Britton]

One of our reasons to be reluctant was we would like to move to France at some point. Husband wants to retire at 55. We're both late (less late for me!) 30's so a bit to do, but not too much to make it untouchable. Always assumed we'd rent ours out and buy over there. Lots of friends in the Loire region... A bit more sunshine, wine, husband is fluent, lovely smallholding where I can bake bread and just gently enjoy life and grow really really good tomatoes.... But family duty calls! Yes, never been one for a certificate. A good animal is a good animal, whether it comes with shiny paperwork or just something you see that no-one else does.

I'm really excited though. I bloody love sheep.

The way things are with the brexit I think we might be some of the last over here farming. It might not be so easy after January. You are established there which as a first generation farmer I didn’t benefit from. Make the most of your opportunity (of which I could be quite jealous) and enjoy your holidays here. It is still wet and miserable in the winter here like it is there!

 

[dilly2410]

Then that gives you 15-20 years to really set up your farming mad son up really well. Then bugger off and leave him to get on with it.
What a great opportunity for him

Our thoughts exactly. We'd always had a separate dream as it was (quite rightly) assumed that brother in law would take over the farm and all that comes with it. Our boys are really bright so never worried too much about 'what they had coming' as they would always have been able to hold their own. Our house and land is worth a bit (especially now every rich city dweller wants a bit of rural escapism!). Just going to do our best and as @Matthew Britton says, our French dream is potentially dead in the water due to Brexit (is there a fishing rights joke in there somewhere?) so we might as well make the most of what the weird circumstances have thrown our way. Brother in law will never go with less than his share- I suspect that he'll rent back to us (youngest as time goes on if continues being keen) and then eventually sell back to us, take the money and make a good life for himself. I really hope so, but the way things are going, I worry for him.
Our boy, if he wants it, will have a cracking shot at it all

 

[Kiwi Pete]

It sounds like a really solid way to get in, you know the main trap (the being trapped by it bit) and have support. Not much I can add other than my own "go for it", better to try and fail than to not try a thing.

Considering your children's education... thinking back 30 years, feck all of what I use was learned in a classroom, and damned near everything was learned during a quiet moment on the ranch.
Be one of "those families" where good luck just happens.

 

[Man_in_black]

Dear all,

This is my first post so please excuse if I muck it up.

My Father-in-law has a dairy farm plus 600 ewes. His son (partner in farm) has decided he no longer wants to farm and us moving away.

Father-in-law, let's call him Bob for ease, wants to scale down understandably. He is happy to keep on milking for a few years to tie everything up and then run the parlour down.

He would like us to take on the sheep. We are in a good position. We live in a nice cottage on the farm (which we half bought, half inherited) , bills are high, but it's old and we've been renovating-sorry this info is semi-important as it's part of the decision process.

My husband is a full time teacher and I work part time. Childcare is crippling and I don't clear much after tax, pension etc- but it's something and despite the financial mess of everything,the business I work for is pretty stable.

I grew up on a farm. I've helped lamb before and I am working with Bob now to learn more about the sheep and how to keep them healthy. He lives three fields away and will be on hand if I need it.

The question is, is it worth giving up my job to do this? Will there be any money in it at all? I plan to butcher (third party) and sell- I already do this with my pigs and broilers- but not on this kind of scale. Some for meat, some for market.

I own the land, have no mortgage and the 600 ewes will come to me after this year's lambs are gone- Bob only sells on.

Sounds like a gift, but I'm worried it will be a huge stone around my neck. I have a lot to learn! I'm a really hard worker, have always had livestock and grew up on a dairy farm, so don't mind getting plastered in everything going.

Is it viable or should I just say no?

I've not read anything but the title, but "probably not"

 

[clod hopper]

Keen though. Old dog was a gun dog from shooting days. She was awesome and beautiful and possibly one of the reasons I've been so reluctant to get a new dog was that I was so heartbroken when she went. Trained to the eyeballs yet my best friend. I run a tight ship and would research like crazy to train... But a working collie pup is around £1500. May work financially if I sell one of the kids

I have seem collieXlab become good sheep dogs. Don't expect them to run all day though and can suffer with heat in summer. Extremely intelligent and a cheeper option

 

[harrow]

I have seem collieXlab become good sheep dogs. Don't expect them to run all day though and can suffer with heat in summer. Extremely intelligent and a cheeper option

They will be motivated by food, any ones food

 

[clod hopper]

They will be motivated by food, any ones food

A girlfriend had one years ago when we sat on the couch for a 'cuddle' it would turn it's back on us, every now and then it would look over it's shoulder to see how far I'd got!

 

[Moors Lad]

A girlfriend had one years ago when we sat on the couch for a 'cuddle' it would turn it's back on us, every now and then it would look over it's shoulder to see how far I'd got!

Well off topic, a young lady once asked me in for coffee and her "pet" was a massive alsatian who seemed very interested in proceedings , anyway to cut a long story short I gulped the coffee down and made a very hasty retreat........ Once got a nip on the ar*e at school while doing cross country running courtesy of an alsatian and you know how your mind can start playing tricks.......

 

[primmiemoo]

They will be motivated by food, any ones food

Almost lost mine to gluttony. She gorged herself on sugar beet nuts one morning ... . Shocked the Vet, but he and his assistant saved her.