Elevage Dorset
Managing Sheep & Hurdles
If you think that shepherds manage sheep you are much mistaken. Most shepherds are managed by their sheep. We spend much of our lives running round in circles pandering to their needs and whims.
Every day of the year and in all weathers we feed them, treat their innumerable maladies, trim their hooves, shear their fleeces, keep their worms and parasites at bay, provide them with mates, act as their midwives, set up nurseries for them, make hay and grow crops to feed them through the winter and repair fences to keep them safe...
The list of chores required to satisfy the exacting requirements of a sheep is endless but the job is infinitely satisfying. And below are pictures of a system of home-made hurdles that made life a great deal easier for us.
They are constructed of Douglas which is heavier than standard pine but resists the weather well.
Each is linked to the next by simple steel rod that passes through eyelets in the sides of the posts.
The fact that the horizontal bars pivot loosely against the vertical posts means they work well on sloping or undulating ground, finding their own level.
Finally, they can quickly be assembled to create corrals of varying shapes and dimensions for shearing, lambing, vet procedures, etc., and can be stored away taking up very little space.
by Christopher Long
Christopher Long is the owner of Elevage Dorset at Le Bosquet in Normandy, France. This small farm specialises in breeding Dorset Horn and Dorset Down sheep of the highest quality. Brood ewes and sire rams are used to supply, replenish or improve new or existing flocks.