Farming calendar

Check out what's taking place on the farm throughout the year

Hill Sheep Farming (timings may vary according to altitude and location)

Mid-April to mid-May

• Ewes on the farm for lambing.
• Preparing land for growing crops such as turnips and new grass.

May

• Lambs given flock ‘lug’ (ear) mark.
• Ewes with single lambs go to the hill. Ewes with twin lambs kept on the in-bye until weaned.

July

• Sheep shearing. Sheep marked with our blue mark.
• One of the four annual treatments against sheep tick.

July/August

• Cutting grass for haylage (partially dried grass, which is wrapped) or silage (undried grass in an airtight wrapping).
• Topping (cutting) of weeds.
• Planning for next year’s cropping begins.

September

• Lambs speaned; ewes returned to hill if young and fit enough.
• Older ewes ‘drafted’ (taken out) from the hill flock and either sold or put to a lowland tup.

October

• Wedder lambs (castrated males) sold as ‘stores’ (for others to fatten or ‘finish’ before selling for killing).
• Tup (male breeding sheep) sales begin.

October/November

• Sheep on the hill gathered in for the winter.
• Ewe lambs (young females) grazed separately on farm.

Late November-December

• Tups put in with ewes.
• Winter jobs include fencing, chopping wood and rabbit control.
• In harsh weather extra forage taken to fields.

March

• Ewes ultrasound scanned to see how many lambs they are carrying.
• Unmated, young ewes (hoggs) go to hill to find their own ‘heft’ (their preferred patch on which to graze). They, in turn, will teach their own offspring where to graze on the hill.