Have you ever wanted to have the privilege of quiet time with livestock in their environment and when they are most vulnerable? This year that privilege will start early May and run for a month or more. I am building a new lambing barn, so it should be bright and luxurious!
At Meadowcroft Farm we have always lambed on pasture, taking extra care that predators are at bay and there is plenty of clean feed to rotate onto every 2-3 days. With weather extremes and new parasite risk that come with it, I am working my way back to winter lambs, foiled this year by a hip replacement in January, so we are once again planning for May babies. While spring comes slowly in the background, we will develop new jug ad congregation systems for maternity and lactation in the new greenhouse barn, very exciting! Other stock will start the rotation on pasture, so lots going on, with or without herding dogs.
You will learn the language of the animals as well as the grass, as they both have subtle messages critical to sustaining healthy and symbiotic life cycles. This is an exciting and busy time, hurrying up to wait, listening in the dark, watching from close and far, teaching young lambs to suckle, and sometimes young mom’s to stand. Mostly, it is a time of vigilance and high alert building a relationship with the flock. As they learn to trust, so you must be trustworthy. Please no “guest” dogs.
- Expect to walk up and down the hill several times a day. I’m afraid this opportunity is really not handicap accessible, though I am willing to try if you are.
- Learn basic animal husbandry, hoof trimming, docking and castrating of lambs, routines and why they matter, what to look for and what you’re looking at. Learn to listen, and hear, learn to smell, and probably to stink.
- Learn to care for and work with both herding and livestock guardian dogs with voice, hand and whistles. Learn something about yourself as you may communicate messages to them not necessarily intended.
- Keep records, and learn subtleties about breeding as you begin to notice and understand the different blood lines, fiber dynamics, body types, confirmation characteristics, mothering abilities and color genetics.
- Help work the garden while waiting for the next labor to begin, or finish, if you want.
- Learn to evaluate raw fleece, wash and prep it for spinning, or spin in the grease. Make a project that lasts a lifetime
- Learn different dye techniques, keep a dyer’s journal, and experiment with all sorts of wild gathered and cultivated botanicals
- Go to Farmer’s Markets & A Fiber Festival and learn the ins and outs of the “back of the house,” being a schlepperd as well as a shepherd, and running a farm business.
- Learn to understand the weather, the water cycle, and how to adjust for it for the sake of young lambs and tender root systems. Live with nature.
- Learn the basics of Regenerative Pasture management and how to care for tender life as it emerges from soil and the sheep’s bum.
Anything else you want to learn? I can probably point you in that direction, and may be interested in a new learning adventure too.
$1500 for totally Private (Unheated) Cabin and Instruction. Shared kitchen. Your groceries.
