A Year in the Life of a Shepherd
July 28th, 2008
Winter Grazing: December – March
The sheep graze on public lands or rented fields during these months. The shepherd’s days are shorter with long nights giving them time to read, contact family by letter or cell phone, and listen to the radio or watch a DVD.
Shearing: March – April
The shepherd’s work is to gather the sheep and work them through the corrals and chutes quickly for the shearers. These are long days with about 1200 sheep a day sheared.
Lambing: April – May
It takes about a month for all the ewes to lamb. This is a very intense time for the shepherd as lambs come throughout the day and night. Some ranchers have their lambing time in long sheds and others in the open country.
Spring Grazing: May – June
The sheep are moved to pastures and meadows. A shepherd must be careful not to move the sheep too fast and thus loose sleeping or curious lambs behind.
Summer Grazing: June – September
Moving to the fresh feed in the mountains, ewes and their lambs gain strength quickly and are on the move at daylight and finally bed down at dusk. Coyotes and bear are a daily threat. The losses would be great if not for the watchful eye of the shepherd and the Great Pyrenees dogs that protect them from attacks.
Fall Selling: September – November
After moving to corrals, the lambs are separated from the ewes and sold. The ewes are then moved to ranch pastures or to rented fields and meadows for grazing. Some shepherds take a short vacation during this time.