Flexigraze

2012-01-25T03:58:00.000-08:00

Some of our rare breed sheep starting work grazing a Site of Special Scientific Interest on the Magnesian Limestone escarpment in Durham. In this group there are 3 different breeds Hebridean, Manx Loaghtan and Shetland.

2012-01-24T11:34:00.000-08:00

The relatively mild weather so far this winter means that there has been more grazing than usual on most sites with the stock taking a little longer to clear it. After a hectic morning yesterday most of the stock is in place for the second half of the winter grazing programme. There will be another rush at the end of february / beginning of March when all the hay meadows get a final graze off before the broadleaved plants emerge in the spring.

2012-01-03T10:34:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone.

All the animals have come through the Xmas break well and despite a very blustery day today are ready to get on with the second half of the winter grazing programme. With the run up to Xmas being so mild there is still a lot of grazing out there and the animals are taking longer than usual to chomp through it, though i have to say it is a much better situation than having to deal with all the snow last year...........lets hope it stays away for a bit longer yet!

2011-12-12T05:33:00.000-08:00

The sheep have been up grazing on Holy island again this autumn. There have been more of them there this year and so they have cleared it of quicker. That was the hope as the snow did cause some disruption last year!

They have made a good job clearing off the rough and have taken out both the michelmas daisy and the piri piri, both invasive species, that were inside the fenced off area.

2011-11-16T08:27:00.001-08:00

All this lovely autumn weather is great apart from the fact that the cows at Silverlink seem to prefer snoozing to munching. Never mind I think I would prefer for the weather to stay warm and sunny for a bit longer!

2011-10-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

The goats arrived at our trial grazing site on the whin grassland last week in glorious sunshine. Maisie, George, Ollie and Thistle have a shelter there ready for when the weather changes which I am sure they have much appreciated over the last few days!

Once they decided to come out of the trailer it was time for a quick assessment of where they were

before getting stuck in to some tasty brambles. They will stay on site until xmas when they will have a break and if all goes to plan return next spring. The idea is that over time they will remove keep down the amount of scrub that is spreading over the grassland.

Shearling lamb

2011-09-29T05:43:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year when we have some shearling lamb available for sale. They come as half lamb packs @£65 each.
Each pack comprises of 2 leg joints (shank end and chump end), 2 shoulder joints boned and rolled, approx 12 chops, 3 chump chops and 2x 500g packs of mince.
All have been grazing extensively on nature reserves and semi-natural grasslands for the past 18 months.

They are available collection only from:
Scotts the Butcher
Dobbies garden centre
Ponteland
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE20 9BT

or
Ouseburn Farm
Ouseburn Road,
Newcastle Upon Tyne,
Tyne And Wear
NE1 2PA

To order or for more information please email: flexigraze@northwt.org.uk

2011-09-28T14:17:00.000-07:00

Love is in the air, the bull was feeling rather amorous this morning so I kept my distance!

2011-08-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

The ponies at Prestwick were full of fun today or was it just horseplay?

2011-08-24T06:04:00.000-07:00

The ponies at Prestwick are starting to have an impact opening some areas of the grassland. It's just a shame that the water levels have risen back up to near winter level with the rain we have had this month. Once they have dropped back again some of the rushes will be cut open it up some more.

2011-08-16T08:03:00.000-07:00

They always get the better of you don't they.
The 4 cattle on Druridge pools have been quite happily settled there for several months now. There were 2 steers (castrated males) and 2 females one of which was a free martin. A free martin is the female from a pair of twins and is almost always infertile. The plan was to bring another 4 in to join them which would have been female, but before this could happen the one fertile female in the group decided she couldn't wait any longer and jumped 3 fences and travelled 2 fields to find a bull. Once there she quite happily stayed and was not keen on returning. After much discussion about the possibility / probability of this happening again it was decided that the best course of action would be to take the cattle off for now. This isn't ideal as the grass is still growing and should ideally be shorter for the migratory wildfowl which start to pass through at the end of this month but the probability of this happening again is far to high and if young cattle are bulled before they are big enough it results in difficult calvings and a strong chance that the mother and calf will not survive. We will have to rely on the ponies and possibility some sheep to keep the grass down for the rest of this summer.
Next year it will be all steers and not hormonal teenagers!!

2011-07-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

In between the showers haymaking has been progressing at Cleadon hills SSSI.

There are areas which cannot be cut by machine. Every few years an effort is made to cut these areas by hand which is very time consuming and costly and means they are not quite as good as
they could be.
Over the long term it would be beneficial to graze the hay aftermaths (regrowth) and other areas in the autumn and spring. An initial consultation process is being started looking at the feasibility of grazing hardy Exmoor ponies over the area for a few weeks each year.

2011-07-19T08:43:00.000-07:00

Have been across to Whittledene today and moved the sheep from the bbq field for a while. Then it was on up Kielder to check out the grazing at Bakethin and Yarrow and work out a plan for the next few months. Bakethin will be Exmoor ponies and Yarrow ponies and cattle. While we were up there it started to chuck it down and the rain has pretty much followed us all the way back to Gosforth.

On the way back we came around via Fontburn and the 2 ponies there look well with the site starting improve. I am going to put on a few sheep next week to help it along a bit. They will probably be Shetlands along with some others breeds yet to be decided, it depends which ones volunteer on the day!

2011-07-16T06:42:00.000-07:00

Some Highland cows have now joined the ponies and sheep at Prestwick, they have not long since calved and have some cute little calves with them. They are very good mothers and protective of their offspring so it is best to keep a respectable distance from them until they settle in.

They will be grazing out on the rushy areas while it is fairly dry and the water levels reasonably low.

They were going to graze the fields beside the road for a few days but that has had to be postponed until some fencing work is done behind the houses. There was a gate missing and the garden fences don't seem to be 'Highland cow proof'! We wouldn't want them turning up to a barbeque uninvited!

2011-07-08T11:12:00.000-07:00

The sheep are now off the top section of Whittledene aqueduct, which they have been grazing for the early summer period this year. They have moved to the bbq field where they will stay until the early autumn when they move back onto the aqueduct for the winter grazing period. It will be interesting to see what flower species come into bloom on the heavily grazed area later this summer.

Surveys at Whittle

2011-06-15T06:40:00.000-07:00

The grazing at the Whittle aqueduct has been a little experimental. last year a length of this site was grazed until June giving a late flush of flowers. We returned to survey the site and see what was the result of this late grazing and to compare it with the more conventinally spring and autumn grazed section. The diversity of plants on the site was certainly impressive, over 20 species in some of the quadrats. However, the area grazed late last year did seem to be a little more grass dominated, a huge range of species were to be seen but the grass was quite lush in comparison. We need to continue the work and surveys to assess this more fully.

Low Bleakehope May 2011

2011-05-26T07:55:00.000-07:00

On Saturday some hardy souls travelled up to Low Bleakehope in the Cheviots Hills where we spent a very informative few hours with Stuart Nelson who gave an insight into living and working a remote hill farm. It was a great opportunity to ask questions and gain an understanding of what is happening in a countryside that we often drive past and is a great attraction for visitors to Northumberland.
Many thanks to Stuart and Sarah for their kind hospitality

2011-05-24T02:26:00.000-07:00

Things have been going relatively smoothly of late, well as smoothly as things go when working with animals, and I had this growing feeling that the odds were shortening against something not going to plan. Sure enough last Thursday it happened.
I had arranged with the owner of the cattle grazing at Pegswood to meet with him and move them off site, the job had already been delayed a little due to him being in the middle of lambing.
The lorry was booked for 1pm and we met at 11.30 to get the animals in, plenty of time or so we thought. The pen was set and across we went to fetch the cattle across. Every time I go to check them i take a bucket of feed and make them walk across to the gate before they get any, i then make a point of walking around them and talking to them to keep them quiet and used to being handled so they are easier to catch.
All went smoothly to start with until one of them refused to come right into the pen, before running off. After getting them almost in half a dozen times only for them to run off each time things were getting a little strained!
Eventually 2 hours later with the lorry waiting, and some strong language that would have made a milk maid blush, we succeeded and they were loaded.
The best of it was when they were unloaded at the other end they walked off the lorry quietly and stood looking expectantly at me to feed them.....
It's day's like this that show why conservation grazing is expensive and time consuming even the professionals have trouble sometimes!

2011-05-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

Harry and Bertie now have 5 new friends with them at Prestwick. They all seem to be settling in well, even managing to open a gate and letting themselves through into the next field before they were meant to be there! There will be one or two changes before the herd is finally settled and then they will graze their way around the fields and eventually the carr itself. They even seem to have got used to their woolly neighbours but I haven't mixed the two together yet, time enough for that over the coming weeks.

2011-04-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

Harry and Bertie two Exmoor ponies have arrived at Prestwick Carr to help with the grazing. The first job was for them to check out their woolly neighbours!

..........then the boundaries.....with a snack along the way of course!

2011-04-26T07:58:00.000-07:00

Jo who works at the Wildlife Trust came along to help move some sheep to Claravale nature reserve. Jess was quite impressed with her gathering skills but is not too concerned that her job is under threat just yet!!

The sheep in question mostly Swaledales with a few Hebrideans for good measure soon settled into their new home where they will spend the next 2-3 weeks tidying back the new seasons growth before moving on and leaving the site empty until it is grazed again in the late summer / autumn.

2011-04-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

The sheep preparing to leave Holywell. The broadleaved plants are starting to emerge in the meadow now so it is time for the sheep to leave. The grass has been taken down nice and short which will reduce the competition for the other species of plants as they start their growing season. Come June they should be in full flower and once they have set and shed their seed the meadow will be cut and baled for hay, which depending on the weather should be in late July. The sheep will then return in the autumn to graze of the regrowth of grass that occurs in late summer.

Jess has great fun rounding them up and just dares them to escape from the pen so she can chase them back in again!

2011-03-31T05:50:00.001-07:00

Here they come! These young Exmoor ponies are grazing a meadow at Hedley hall wood. They will stay here until late April when the meadow will be left empty for the summer to allow all the plants to set seed and flower. The ponies will then return in the autumn. These are young ponies once they are fully grown they will move onto 'harder' sites leaving the better meadows for the younger ponies.

2011-03-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

These are Luing cattle which are now grazing on Pegswood moor. The area hasn't been grazed for a while and so the rough rank grasses have taken over smothering out everything else. The cattle will eat down the rough grass and plunge up the mud around the edge of the wet areas. This will create a better habitat for the wetland waders and other birds which like this type of habitat.

Ideally the cattle would have been grazing there over the winter but the snow came just as they were about to go on so they went elsewhere instead, probably just as well for them! Anyway they have settled in now and will munching away there for a few weeks.

2011-03-11T07:09:00.001-08:00

Today was the day we introduced some billy goats to a whinsill grassland site near Belford. The idea is that the goats will browse the bramble, gorse and other scrub that threatens to cover the fragile soils along the rocky outcrops. The surrounding field is grazed by cattle and sheep during the summer but they tend to leave the prickly stuff alone, whereas the goats will hopefully target it. Much of the larger gorse hs been cleared by wildlife trust volunteers and the aim now is to prevent its regrowth by targeted grazing. It will be a slow process but over a few seasons there should be a noticeable difference in the scrub cover, time will tell.

After a slightly nervous start Norbert, Oscar and Dirk headed odd to explore their new surroundings.

The goats have come from the Natural England NNR at Lindesfarne.

The grazing programme is part of a larger whinsill grassland project that has been running with Northumberland Wildlife Trust, Tarmac, the Northumberland Coast AONB, Natural England,ourselves and local landowners.

The whole project is a fine example of partnership working at its best.

2011-03-03T02:50:00.000-08:00

Moving the Highlands between fields at Havannah. It's always better to get them to follow voluntarily than to try and chase them. If they get upset there is nothing more awkward than a 'huffy highlander'!

2011-03-01T02:47:00.000-08:00

Two Exmoor ponies Foray and Koala are now grazing on Druridge pools. They have been provided by the Moorland Mousie Trust and will be spending the summer in the Druridge Bay area moving from the pools up to East Chevington in the late spring. They will add another dimension to the mixed grazing programme that already uses cattle and sheep.

2011-02-25T09:12:00.001-08:00

I left Jess at home today as I was just going to the office for a short while and on to the butcher to collect a lamb and I didn't want to leave her in the car with it just in case!
As usual murphy's law came into play and I got a call to say there was a lamb out at Whittledene. Fortunately I managed to press gang some help and we got it back in. That's the second time the same sheep has been on the wrong side of the fence but we can't find where it is getting through. One more strike and it will be it's turn to be collected from the butchers!

2011-02-21T05:49:00.000-08:00

I hope you will all join me in welcoming Charlotte to Flexigraze. Some of you may already have been in contact with her with regard to the lambs that will ready later this week.
With Charlotte helping to look after the ordering process that leaves with me a bit more time to work with the stock and promote what we do. I seem to be getting a few requests to give talks to groups lately.
Over the next few weeks Charlotte will contacting those of you who have already bought lamb from us with details of how much will be available this year and roughly when. Anyone who is interested in some but has not ordered before please get in touch.

On the grazing front some Exmoor ponies will soon be arriving to join the sheep in grazing some of the land up the coast and now the days are getting longer cattle will soon be arriving to grazing an area of land at Pegswood. More details of what they are there to achieve as when they arrive!

Flexigraze Volunteer

2011-02-16T05:48:00.000-08:00

Hello all!!

Just a quick introduction of myself. I'm Charlotte and I am a volunteer helping Stephen out with Flexigraze.I will hopefully be making blog updates and in contact with some of you through email if you are purchasing any of the lambs. I've provided some pictures so you can put a face to the name (although admittedly they are not my best pictures).

2011-02-15T02:34:00.000-08:00

A volunteer unloading sheep at Holywell, it's important to have an accurate count for the movement records.
One

Two, three, four.........

Where did he come from...........better check that he has an electronic ear tag for the records!

2011-02-15T02:27:00.000-08:00

Don't look now Alex but I think we've found the cows!

2011-02-08T07:21:00.000-08:00

The first of this years shearling lambs are now ready for sale. They will be available as half shearling lambs for £65. A half lamb consists of 2 leg joints, 2 rolled shoulder joints, and 12 chops minimum, 3 chump chops and approx 1lb of mince. Weight is approx 10kg depending on breed.

There will be a batch available every month and if you wish to order one please email flexigraze@northwt.org.uk

Alternatively you could form a small buying group and share one between up to 4 families. I will put more details on how this works shortly.

2011-02-08T04:46:00.000-08:00

Grazing returned to Holywell yesterday.

Having had to remove the sheep during the hard weather because they kept walking out across the frozen pond; grazing eventually returned to the hay meadows there yesterday. They are a different group of sheep just in case the bad weather returns, the other group having learnt that they can escape across the ice would soon be off, should the pond freeze again this winter!

Let's hope not.

2011-02-02T08:02:00.000-08:00

Jess at work this morning

and catching up with the paperwork. Not her favourite job but at least there's the chance of a biscuit!

2011-01-21T04:24:00.000-08:00

I really must try and get into the habit of carrying my camera with me more of the time. There was a really picturesque sunrise this morning when i was checking some of the stock. The ponies and a small group of sheep were grazing across the moor and the sun came up behind them creating a beautiful silhouette against the frosty landscape and clear sky. As they say a picture paints a thousand words.................must remember that camera.

2011-01-20T11:55:00.000-08:00

Lots of movements going on at the moment with the Exmoor ponies. They are all off too new grazing areas for the rest of the winter. They have come through all the snowy weather really well. It helps with them being strong and able to dig down through the snow to reach the grass underneath. The additional benefit is that they break up the snow cover for the smaller animals and birds allowing them access to the ground underneath the snow for some much need feed.

2011-01-13T22:56:00.000-08:00

With the snow and frost disappearing this week I have been rounding up the different groups of sheep and checking them over. They all seem to have come through the bad weather pretty well, although I hope we don't return to the quantities of snow we have had over the past couple of months.
In a 'normal' winter I would expect to find some of them maintain and even gain condition allowing us to have a few shearlings to sell through the early spring but this year like last is proving to be a little more challenging. I am hopeful weather permitting that there will be a one or two available through February. The rest are absolutely fine but will require a week or two of spring grass to fatten them up.

The cattle and ponies meantime are happily munching away on their grazing sites. Being larger animals they are much more capable of digging through the snow to the feed buried beneath.

2011-01-12T06:27:00.000-08:00

During the recent cold weather some of the Manx Loaghtan decided they would try and impersonate reindeer and adorn their horns with some ice sculpting! It just shows that forward facing horns do have their uses.

2010-12-06T11:29:00.000-08:00

Short legs and deep snow equals can I have a lift please!

2010-12-05T12:24:00.000-08:00

A winters scene at Holywell pond

When the snow is not too deep the sheep still prefer to dig down to the grass rather than eat hay.

2010-11-29T02:13:00.000-08:00

2010-11-29T02:08:00.000-08:00

2010-11-24T23:23:00.001-08:00

Snow, snow everywhere..........must be winter time again. Those bright, sunny autumn days seem a long time ago now. It's at times like these that using hardy native breeds for the grazing really starts to pay off.

2010-11-19T02:10:00.000-08:00

Some of the Holywell volunteers checking over the new arrivals. The Swaledale and Cheviot cross sheep will be grazing the hay meadow for the next few weeks.

Jess in action

2010-11-11T02:09:00.000-08:00

This week has seen grazing commence on a new area at Holywell pond. The flower meadow there is being grazed by sheep to remove the regrowth that has occurred since the meadow was cut for hay in the summer. The sheep will taken off once the meadow has been grazed down and before the the flowering plants and other broadleaved plant species start to grow in the spring. There is a keen group of volunteers who help to maintain the site and who will regularly check the sheep while they are there.

2010-11-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

An early start this morning to take some of the shearling lambs into the abattoir, not my favourite job I have to say but they have had a good life grazing on the nature reserves and now must make way for the young lambs that were born this year. There will be probably be one more trip to make before there will be a break as everywhere gets too busy for Xmas....turkeys or something so I believe! Bet they haven't been on a nature reserve! Any way there will be more lambs available in the new year depending on the weather so if anyone is interested and would like to support the project please contact me.

2010-11-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

The winter grazing programme started properly yesterday with Exmoor ponies going onto Ragpath heath. They will be there for about a month before moving on to another small site nearby. The ponies are excellent grazers of some of the more rugged sites coping well with the difficult conditions.

2010-10-23T04:47:00.000-07:00

Jess and I had quite a busy afternoon yesterday splitting some of this seasons intake of sheep into groups and moving them into different paddocks to graze.

Meanwhile the Highland cows are continuing to make inroads into the birch scrub on one of the other sites. Their continuing browsing and bashing of the scrub helps to maintain these areas as grassland and stops the scrub taking over.

2010-10-18T08:34:00.000-07:00

Luing cattle grazing on Druridge pools. They are reducing the grass cover and plunging up the mud around the edges of the splashes which creates feeding areas for the wading birds that visit the coast line at this time of year. Every things always looks so much better on bright clear mornings such as when this was taken.

2010-10-08T02:57:00.000-07:00

The cattle grazing is also going on apace and there is even a new recruit helping out on one site in Durham. Follow or cut and paste the link http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/video/regional/105150/

Cattle are currently grazing on 4 different reserves across the region combing them with the different grazing habits of the sheep and ponies helps to maintain and create ideal habtitat for the local wildlife.

2010-10-08T02:50:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again when the annual migration of stock from the hills to the lowland starts. We took delivery of the first 50 sheep from the Cheviot hills on Wednesday, these will be with us for the best part of a year grazing conservation sites and replace some of those that went away to the abbattoir this week. There are still some of last years sheep available for anyone who has an interest in naturally reared meat and would like to buy some lamb that has been reared grazing on conservation grasslands and sites of special scientific interest.

2010-09-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

Rushing around all over the place today sorting out a few lame sheep. Then into the office to catch up on a bit of paper work before taking Jess off to her training course.

She is progressing well and today I took her out in the the bigger field and worked on her outrun.......that's the bit where you send them right out around the field to gather the sheep to start with. We started with some short 50 yard or so runs and built up slowly and finished up at about 150 yards. I just need to keep her practising at it now until it is second nature to her.

2010-09-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

Volunteers checking feet, and trimming the wool from the tails of some of the older swales last week. I'm not sure who had the biggest laugh (or the last!) the volunteers or the sheep. I don't think we'll be opening a beauty salon anytime soon!

2010-09-20T11:41:00.000-07:00

This season's Hebridean and Manx Loaghtan lambs have been purchased and trained to respect an electric fence and are now on Holy Island grazing away. Time is always a bit of an issue with this site as we need to get them there and set up the fence and get off again before becoming cut off by the tide! There are another 5, which I collected this morning, to go and join them next time we move the fence. I will get some pictures of them uploaded soon.

2010-09-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

Phew where is the time going it just seems to be flying by. It was a busy week last week with the showing of Robert Kenner's film food inc. after which I gave a short talk about Flexigraze and the shearling lamb which is produced by the project all a far cry from what we had been watching on the big screen. There was some useful feedback with one or two people expressing interest in forming buying groups for the shearling lamb, which is becoming available now.

I found the film quite a wake up call, admittedly it was based on American production but usually what happens over there follows here.......................... we have all heard about chickens a pigs being mass produced and a far cry from how we like to think animals are treated in our society but the way the huge corporate bodies have monopolised food processing is quite astounding. What i found most scary though was the way that the GM companies , one in particular, are bullying their way to controlling 100% of production. Enough said but I would encourage any one who has an interest in what they eat or who farms to to see this film for themselves.

2010-09-16T02:54:00.000-07:00

Jess and I started our 'Down Shep' course on Monday. So far it has been very educational, Jess has a good grasp of the basics and has the potential to become quite a good sheedog. All she needs is for me to develop the skills to bring out the best in her. (That could be the tricky part!) I definitely have a long way to go yet! So its roll on next week and in the mean time practice, practice, practice.............the sheep are going to be pretty fit by the end with all this rounding up going on!

2010-09-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

Wow well yesterday turned out to be rather different to the norm. Jess was invited to meet The Prince of Wales when he visited Ouseburn farm which meant I was allowed to tag along as driver and escort!
She met the prince and we had a discussion about the grazing project and what it involved. Jess took it all in her stride and coped well with all the crowds and attention she received. I am not sure how much in awe she was at meeting the prince (I think she was more absorbed with the Jacob sheep in the field behind us!) but it was fantastic to be involved with the visit. A big thank you must go to the Ouseburn Farm for hosting the prince, the farm has come a long way over the past 3 years and is a credit to all those involved with the project. It shows what hard work and dedication and can achieve.

It's back to normal next week with Jess starting the second phase of her training. She has the basics quite well but now that she is eleven months old it is time for her to step up a gear and to show how good really can be. Time will tell!

2010-09-03T05:07:00.000-07:00

We went across this morning and moved the sheep at Whittledene from the field they have been summering in back onto the aqueduct to start and graze there.
After they had been safely installed in their new home we went along and had a look at the section where they had grazed until the end of June.
It was quite a surprise to find it in full flower and just goes to show how intensive grazing at the right time can help flowering plants overcome the competition from grasses.

3 sept 10

The same part of the aqueduct in June. This picture was taken just after the sheep were sheared in the middle of June, they were moved off the following week.

3 sept 10 Looking back towards the gate where the above picture was taken in June.

3 sept 10. Another advantage of these plants flowering now is that they are providing a nectar source when the peak flowering time is usually past.

This is a Wall Brown butterly taking advantage of the late summer sunshine.

2010-08-31T04:17:00.000-07:00

Jess is starting to work well now here she is having successfully gathered up some of last years shearlings most of which are now ready to sell to make way for those lambs born this spring. We tend to only keep the sheep until they are up to 2 years old. If we keep them too long we tend to find that they take more looking after and can have more problems with lameness etc. Because the quality of the grazing on many of the conservation areas is quite poor it is best use animals which are in their prime.

2010-08-31T04:11:00.000-07:00

The weekend saw me collecting the first of this season lambs on Saturday.These are some Manx Loaghtans and a few Hebrideans form a breeder at Tow Law. These rare breed sheep will be used for some specialist grazing on Holy Island later this autumn.
My camera unfortunatley had a flat battery when I went to use it but some images can be viewed on this link.
http://www.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=manx+loaghtan+sheep&rlz=1R2ADBR_enGB329&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=UeR8TOCMJtO7jAeD7M3xDw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CDIQsAQwAw&biw=1003&bih=539

2010-08-17T01:56:00.000-07:00

Another damp August morning, even the cows are taking it easy. I think they feel that if everyone else is taking it easy and having holidays why should they rush around grazing!

2010-08-16T07:59:00.000-07:00

I dropped in and had a look at the Soays on Powhill this morning. They are looking really well and settled there. I am not sure yet if they are having any impact on the bracken but there are signs that they are browsing the birch in places. It could do with a few more sheep on there but getting the balance right to ensure they have enough grazing when the site has as much bracken on is tricky. I will maybe add some more as the season progresses.

2010-08-02T05:08:00.000-07:00

Jess is coming along well with her training. She has got the basics pretty well and can get the sheep all gathered up and into the mobile pen. Fortunately although she takes her work seriously she knows how to relax and doesn't take her work home with her!!

2010-07-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

The conservation grazing season is starting to kick off in earnest now that the chicks have hatched and fledged and most plants have finished flowering. Over the last few days cattle have gone onto Weetslade country park and on to Druridge Pools. More will go onto Druridge pools over the next week to get the grass eaten down and to plunge up the edge of the pools for the migratory wildfowl that travel through the region in the autumn months. There is a slight change this year in that we are using Luing cattle instead of the Highlands which we have used over the last couple of years. Luings are a cross between a Highland cow and a Shorthorn bull and are a popular breed of cow used on Hill farms across northern England and Scotland.

2010-07-28T02:38:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about going around checking the stock is that you get to see so much more of the wildlife at different times of the day. Yesterday evening while out on Longhorsley moor I spotted a jay, a roe deer and unfortunately what looked like the remains of a woodcock. Presumably the latter was a UK resident that had fallen victim to a bird of prey or possibly even a youngster that had been nabbed by a fox. The feathers looked like those of an adult but I am not sure how quickly the fledglings get their adult plumage.

2010-07-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

Last week I put 3 lots of sheep into one field. There are now 4 different breeds mixed together in there and it is quite interesting watching how different their behaviour is. Although they keep relatively close together when they are grazing they still keep in their distinct groups and quickly seperate out again once they are left alone. The rare breeds are also a little wilder and harder to gather than the Swaledales which themselves have a reputation for being a little wild compared to other breeds. I have seen a similar thing with some of the breeds of cattle that we use for our conservation grazing.

2010-07-06T01:15:00.001-07:00

The soays have now returned to Pow Hill beside Derwent reservoir for the summer. They graze there through the summer months to help with the bracken control and to enhance the heathland restoration work that is being carried out. In the winter they graze other conservation grassland nearer the coast. They are quite shy creatures and behave a little differently to other sheep both in their grazing habits and their behaviour which can make rounding them up to move them a bit of a challenge!

2010-06-29T08:10:00.000-07:00

And yet more photos!

Yes the incentive of lunch was enough to get everyone back down again!

Thankyou to Stuart Nelson and his family for allowing us to visit and for taking the time to show us around. Even the weather was ideal, from the description of what it was like this winter I don't think a January visit is on the cards any time soon!

2010-06-29T07:58:00.000-07:00

On Friday some of the community groups took advantage of the fine weather and visited Low Bleakehope farm at the top of the Ingram valley where the farmer kindly showed them around and explained how a hill farm with no flat ground operates and what is involved in raising stock in such remote areas.

2010-06-22T06:46:00.000-07:00

Phew warm again today. We have sheared most of the sheep now with a few more to do tomorrow to finish. I'm sure they will be glad to get their coats off too. Hopefully it will sat warm for a few days afterwards too so they can acclimatise. They can't just pop their fleeces back on if they feel chilly!

Before:

During:

After:

2010-06-16T00:23:00.000-07:00

One of the thing we use our grazing animals for during the summer is scrub control. This particular area has been grazed by Exmoor ponies to knock back a lot of scrub regrowth in the centre of a woodland. At one time this area was an open glade but it has slowly been lost to scrub over the years. Now that the scrub has taken a big hit this can be backed up with some annual late summer grazing which given time the this will open up the glade again for butterflies and other invertebrates.

2010-06-15T01:07:00.000-07:00

Today I went to have a look at some new sites that will require grazing this winter. It seems a long time away yet but plans need to be made now to ensure that the animals are available when needed.
I took Jess with me so she could have a day out which proved to be a good idea. One of the sites consists of a large area of bog which were walking across, it wasn't much deeper that our ankles until all of a sudden Jess disappeared over her head! After scrabbling out and a quick shake she didn't appear particularly bothered, much less that I would have been anyway! I must remember to get her to walk in front of next time I am crossing wet ground! The downside was I had to share the car with a rather smelly dog for the rest of the day!
Any way we are off shearing tomorrow so back to rounding up sheep for her.............and not a bog in site!

2010-06-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

We vaccinated the our sheep against Blue Tongue Virus (BTV) yesterday. There are many different strains of the virus but only a vaccine against BTV1. Hopefully the other strains won't spread here from mainland Europe. It is spread from one animal to another by biting midges. These have been blown over from mainland Europe and brought the disease with them. However there were no new out breaks here last year and so hopefull y if we have another outbreak free year we will achieve 'disease free' status again.

Quick their escaping...........where's that sheepdog.............this ones a bit slow!

2010-06-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

We had hoped to start shearing today but the wet weather has put paid to that. We can only shear them when the wool is dry otherwise it will rot in storage.
With any luck the weather will settle down soon so we can get on. Some years it is a question snatching every chance between showers which inevitably means shearing in the late afternoon and evening when the volunteers want to tucked up beside the bbq with a beer. Maybe they're the sensible ones!

2010-05-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

The wildflowers on aqueduct at Whittledene are starting to come into bloom now that the weather has warmed up. Grazing the excess grass down in the late spring has let the light in and allowed them to flourish. One section is still being grazed, the idea being to summer graze one section each year giving a one year in four rotation to prevent any scrub and invasive species becoming dominant.

2010-05-21T12:04:00.000-07:00

Jess had her first proper outing to gather some sheep yesterday. She has been getting along nicely with the 5 I have been using to train her in the training field. They had got used to being rounded up and her confidence is growing because they do what she asks them to!
We set off early to Holy Island where sheep had been grazing on the island over winter and more recently lounging in the paddock in front of the Barn at Beal. After a little false start she settled down and we soon had them penned and loaded and on the road back to the reserves at East Chevington.

I did try to get a picture of her on her feet going round the sheep but they all move far too quickly for my camera skills! We will shear them in a couple of weeks and then move them onto another grazing site for most of the summer.

One contented dog keeping an eye on proceedings.

2010-05-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

Collected the last of the first years batch of sheep from the butchers yesterday and had some for tea tonight, have to say it was pretty darned good! The varied diet they live on certainly seems to help the flavour.

2010-05-11T08:14:00.000-07:00

It may well feel like winter out there but the lambs are growing fast now and are having great fun playing in the little bit of spring sunshine we have had. These Shetland lambs were having great fun at the weekend chasing each other around the fieldand jumping on the mole hills!

2010-05-06T14:06:00.001-07:00

Phew all go tonight had to rush over to Whittledene, I had report that one of the sheep was out. When I got there the 3 Manx Loaghtans had pushed a rail off the fence an decided they would like to graze the neighbouring field. The grass is always greener and all that! They weren't that keen to go back but fortunately I took Jess with me and although she is only partly trained between us we managed to persuade them back in!
She may only be 6 months old but she can certainly run faster than me......................

2010-05-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

Had a very interesting trip down to Yorkshire at the weekend to meet 2 Community Supported Agriculture groups (CSA). They have basically formed to buy shearling lamb (the same thing as we are producing) from the farmers on the North York moors.
The lambs are cut up and divided into 8 packs made up of the different cuts. Interested parties sign up to the group and each member receives 1/8th of a lamb each month until eventually the have had the whole lamb. It seems an excellent way for those who don't have sufficient freezer space or don't want to buy half a lamb at a time, they can pay monthly but must commit to taking all 8 packs. The lamb is usually available between October and May.
I intend to research this further and then maybe hold an information meeting for any interested parties later in the summer.
Having the groups gives the farmers the confidence to keep the lambs on for an extra year until they are shearlings which is when these type of sheep would traditionally been slaughtered. We keep them on for the extra year so that they can graze our conservation sites.

2010-05-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

We spent a couple of days last week going through all the sheep checking their feet and trimming the wool of their bellies and tails in preparation for shearing in early June. doing this now helps to keep them clean between now and when they are sheared. On this occassion it was the turn of of the Friends of Tyne Riverside Country Park to lend a hand and practice their wrestling techniques.

2010-05-04T08:24:00.000-07:00

The community grazing project at Claravale has got off to a flying start with the arrival of 4 Hebridean sheep arriving to tackle some of the scrub growth on the conservation area. However they soon settled down and got to grips with the job in hand. This is one of a number of small grazing projects happening around Tyneside thanks to a grant from the Community Foundations Local Environment Fund.

2010-04-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

Now the weather is warming up and the grass is growing some of the sheep can get dirty around their back end this can lead to fly strike in early summer especially if we get a few warm day. This can be prevented by trimming the wool around their tails, it is much easier to do before they get mucky and are still clean. Today with the help of some volunteers from the Wildlife Trust we rounded up, wormed and trimmed out the first batch.

A volunteer gets to grips with one of the sheep under the watchful eye of Jess and they are all still smiling at the end!

2010-04-21T13:00:00.000-07:00

This jobs full of surprises! While routinely going through and checking some of our Soay sheep we discovered that some where in lamb. When we bought them back in December I asked if they had been near a ram and was assured that they hadn't........someone has obviously been sneaking around after lights out!

Normally these type of sheep are not lambed until they are fully grown at 2 years old, these are only 1 year old and quite small and so they have been moved to some better pasture where I can keep a closer eye on them.

One of the St Georges volunteers after a successful roundup.

In transit

and into their new home where they are closely inspected by the Shetland ewes already in residence!

2010-04-01T06:22:00.000-07:00

Spring must be here! We had our first Shetland lamb this morning he/she was happily trotting around after its mum when I arrived this morning to collect 2 rams to take to market. New life replacing old. We don't have many ewes due to lamb as most of our flock is made up of wethers but it is always nice to see young lambs running around in the sunshine.

I moved some Manx loaghtans to new grazing this morning and they are starting to shed their fleeces. it always amazes me how early some of these primitive breeds start to lose their coats certainly long before it feels warm enough to me!

2010-03-31T10:31:00.001-07:00

Water water everywhere! I don't think there is a field in the county that doesn't have standing water laying across part of it. All the animals are fine apart from perhaps wishing it would stop raining, like the rest of us. I have heard reports that in some local areas over 6 inches of rain has been recorded over the last 48 hours.
The Highlands at Prestwick are perhaps the most vulnerable but they are happily grazing away on the higher ground that runs along one side of the fields. Even in dry weather they seem to spend a lot of their time wading up to the tummies in water, just like they do in parts of Scotland really.

2010-03-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

Had a tour around all the stock today in the rain, fortunately, unlike us, it doesn't particularly bother them although I am sure they prefer dry sunny days as well! The picture is of some Soay sheep grazing on a Northumbrian water site that Mark kindly took for us. As you can see he is smart enough to go when the sun is shining!

You'll be pleased to hear that Jess is now fully recovered from her op and is now happily terrorising the Labradors again. Every now and the you here a yelp where she has been over enthusiastic and nipped their ears. She is starting to show some 'eye' for the sheep and so it won't be long before she can start training. I think maybe I'll let her update you as to how she is getting on.........I'm sure it will be different to what I think!

2010-03-24T10:02:00.000-07:00

Been out having a look at some heather cutting and checking on the Exmoor ponies on one of our larger sites today. These lovely little ponies are an important part of our grazing programme. They thrive on the larger and 'wilder' areas that require a low level of grazing. They live a semi-wild herds roaming around grazing down the rougher grasses and browsing on the unwanted scrub keeping it in check. They have very thick coats that keep them warm in the winter and are quite happy digging down through the snow to find grazing in bad weather. They are inquisitive little creatures and always come across to see what I am doing when I am there.

2010-03-24T01:09:00.000-07:00

As well as the sheep we use cattle and ponies to graze some of the reserves. This picture is of one of the Highland cattle. It was taken on a frosty morning last week. Now who is going to blink first?
Being non selective grazers the cattle add a different dimension to the grazing. They work really well on some of the tougher old grass opening up the sward to let other less vigorous species germinate.

2010-03-23T03:43:00.000-07:00

Wow hyper active collie or what, Jess has been on lead exercise only since her op and boy is she getting frustrated watching the labradors running around. Only a couple more days before she can join in though and I suspect she will get her own back. Her favourite game is chasing them and then pulling their ears........ouch!
It won't be long now until she will be big enough to start some basic sheepodog training which will keep her occupied.....and me! No doubt there will be some highs and lows but I am probably looking forward to the challenge as much as she is, not sure if the sheep will respond with the same enthusiasm!

2010-03-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

You will be pleased to hear that all went well with the op and Jess is now home safe and well. Lead exercise only for a week..............don't think that will be appreciated! She has to go back for a check up next week and then hopefully its back to normal.

I dropped in to check prestwick carr on the way home, very pretty as it was getting dark a pack of 50 curlews were flying around one of the wetter areas, made all the more picturesque by the highlands standing next to the water.......one with a newborn calf.

Jess

2010-03-16T03:04:00.000-07:00

Some of you may not have met her yet but this is Jess our collie pup who once she has grown up will be working with the sheep on the project.
She is now 5 months old and will begin her training in another couple of months, she has grown a little since this picture was taken.
It is a traumatic day for her today as I have left her at the vets to get speyed. Not an easy decision but as she is not a registered dog and and speying before the first season significantly reduces the change of mammary cancer in later life I felt it is for the best.
She turned on her usual charm for the vet nurses at Croft vets and I am sure she will be well looked after, my only concern is will I get her back or will they be trying to sneak her home with them! She did look rather sad as I left sitting in her cage when I left. All being well I will pick her up later this afternoon / evening.

2010-03-13T00:58:00.000-08:00

The flock is growing again. I went and bought another 10 hoggs (young sheep) yesterday. They are a mixture of Hebrideans and Llanwenog x Hebrideans. It keeps the numbers up to just over 100, replacing the ones we have sold and which some of you have perhaps tasted! I am off to check on them now, it is often the first day or two on a new site that they get up to mischief.

2010-03-11T11:59:00.000-08:00

Volunteers from St Georges have been helping round up the Shetland sheep before dosing them and moving them onto new pasture. They have been feeding the sheep regularly so that they should be easier to roundup, a good theory if it didn't quite go as planned in practice. Did it lads?! However we got there in the end.
Moving the sheep now will give them time to settle into their new home before they lamb in April, when hopefully the weather will be a bit warmer and the grass will have started to grow.

2010-03-06T04:22:00.000-08:00

seem to be having a run of lame sheep at the moment.............not unusual really........but it seems to happen in phases, everything is fine one day and the next several of them are showing signs of being lame. It will be really useful once Jess is trained and can help catch them up with me that will save a load of time. She a bit young yet but another few months and I will be able to start training her. Oh I should explain Jess is a Border collie pup that will be working with me on the project! I'll put some pictures on and tell you more about her later.

2010-03-02T08:45:00.000-08:00

Busy day today sorting some of the sheep out ready to go out on different grazing sites. I delivered some Manx loaghtan lambs to Tyne riverside country park where they will be grazing the Wildflower meadow on the Battlefield site for a few weeks. When the weather is warm enough for the flowers to start growing they will be moved off until later in the year when every thing has finished flowering and set seed.
Having the sheep here allows the Friends of Tyne Riverside group to learn more about grazing livestock and the management of the meadow for conservation.

2010-02-28T04:49:00.000-08:00

Phew it's stopped raining at last! I had a look around some the animals this morning and everything looks so much better when its dry. Of course it will be a while before the ground dries out but the days are getting longer and as every one passes we get closer to spring. I will have to remember to take my camera with me in so that I can introduce the main players of our grazing project along the way. Well thats the first post done..............lets see how we go.