Sale preperations

Shep has spent an hour today being nosey, out of my area and I tracked down a farm I had an interest in and managed to pluck up the courage to go and introduce myself, only to find the shepherd busying himself dressing draft ewes, it is fair to say the temptation to jump in the pen with him and give him a hand was pretty strong, but I resisted, after all, I was meant to be having a day off! At least I got a good look at the type of sheep off the place with a 'private' viewing of the draft ewes, the tups I was hoping to have a gander at seemed not to be on show and hints didn't work but then the man had a lot of work to get through and I know for myself there can be nowt worse than being held up.

It's that time of year, sheep sales are upon us big time and sheep need dressing and turning out to the best of our abilities in the hope they will look their best on the day and catch the buyers eyes.

The following are photos taken last year, a glance at dressing Blackfaced gimmers, unfortunately I didn't have the sense to do the before and after shots to show the difference once they had been tidied up, although it is fair to say a good sheep takes little dressing, it's the poorer end which need more attention to make them look better.

 

Most sheep can be helped by tidying their bellies up, Blackies are of course heavier woolled sheep, carrying long wool and this gimmer had been clipped in June so her fleece had had plenty of chance to grow. Levelling a belly off helps give the sheep height and length.

 

Wool tidied up around the neckline helps accentuate the face and in some cases give the sheep more neck. There are many different styles of dressing sheep, some even use the electric clippers on them, hand shears are still the most preferred method of dressing on hill sheep, little really needs to come off and as a hairdresser will probably tell you it is easier to snip with a pair of scissors than use electric clippers because once it is removed it can't be put back again. Dressing with hand shears takes patience and practice, care is needed not to leave shear marks in the wool, a well dressed sheep oughtn't to look like it has had the shears over it.

 

Buckets? What has that got to do with dressing sheep? Well, we all like to look nice and clean when out in public and the same goes for the sheep. Okay! I don't suppose they really care but the truth is if you wash and rinse their faces it is amazing how much grime comes of the hair on their heads with the result being they look bright and shiny. Many sheep have already been bloom dipped as well, this is intended to put some colour into their fleeces but it can also dull the hair on the head and legs.

 

As this photo shows, the legs on these gimmers did get a wash, enough to darken and brighten the black and whiteness of their colours, make them stand out more, be eye catching.

 

Paint? Whatever next? It's tradition you see........... honest! Gimmers and ewe lambs as tradition goes get a red paint mark on the back of their necks, the draft ewes find they get a strip of paint painted around their horns. Now any old paint wont do, seriously! it has to be gloss paint, it also has to be red - honest! Some have tried using aerosol cans or keel on the back of the heads but this smudges and spreads, gloss paint is the answer.

 

There she is, getting the wool on the back of her head painted, her face has already been washed, her crown is looking shiny white, her wool has an almost biscuity colour about it due to the fact she was bloom dipped and now she is getting her paint put on, just like a woman tarting herself up ready for a night out!

 

Waiting patiently for the makeover, these gimmers are dressed, bellies levelled, legs washed, wool bloomed, they're just waiting for a quick facial followed by a bit of red and then off they'll go back to their field to relax ready for their big day

 

when they go through the ring, catch the buyers eyes and hopefully make a lot of money for the farmer, before moving to pastures new

Hexham Mart. Draft ewe sale day.

Shep wouldn't miss the ewe sale at Hexham Mart for love nor money. Breeding sales are always interesting, by looking at the ewes, gimmers and ewe lambs present you can get a good idea of what the stock at home is like. The farmers who take their sheep to Hexham take a great deal of pride in their stock and it is always a great pleasure to see sheep well turned out for the job. When the marts such as Bellingham and Rothbury closed down Hexham went to the effort of building a new ring, a ring dedicated for the sale of breeding sheep, a ring which shows sheep off to the best of its abilities.

The ewe sale was held on 29th September with predominantely blackfaced and swaledale breeding sheep forward, with other classes for cheviots and then in bye breeds such as mule, texel and suffolk crosses. Sheep of all ages are sold. Draft ewes, gimmers and ewe lambs being what most folk are looking for.

 

Fleehope 5 year old draft ewes which made £120

 

Emblehope 5 & 6 year old scotch draft ewes sold for £82

 

The champion pen of 20 Hexham type 6 year old draft ewes from Townfoot which made £138

Draft ewes were in demand on the day. They were a roaring trade. These are ewes which are retiring off the hill to spend a year or two on better pastures and probably breeding mule ewe lambs. Due to the fact that mule ewe lambs have been realising high prices there was confidence and money to be spent on buying in the next generation of ewes to be crossed to the Leicester. Although having said that the tup breeding men were also buying drafts off other tup breeding men, a route towards getting different genetics for breeding your own pure sheep.

 

Swaledale ewes were also in demand, although the buyers seemed to be sleeping when the first few pens entered the ring they soon woke up and saw the Swales making decent money.

 

Although a rarer sight these days there are still some hill farms able to enter the ring with a decent drove of sheep, these sheep off Low Bleakhope realised a top price of £100 although the top price of the day for 5 year old draft ewes was for the prize pen from Wolfhills which made £120 per head.

I thought the gimmers were probably a selective trade, they sold well but after my forays the day previous I was expecting greater things. Having said that, a pen from Sewingshields made £240 which wouldn't have been too disapointing for the Murrays I don't think.

 

The prizewinning pen of gimmers from Closehead sold for £180

 

Ewe lambs were also a good trade with these from Brieredge realising £112

Once again the sun shone, hot weather, almost a shame to be couped up at a mart but come hail or shine Shep wouldn't like to miss the ewe sale day at Hexham, I might not have got the tan topped up but I did enjoy my day.

I have to take my hat off to the mart staff. The elderly sheep keeper in Tarset was selling a number of sheep that day, they were gathered in the gloom at 6.30am, a very patient and kind wagon driver collected them at 7.30am and to the mart they headed. The gimmers were held seperate in the wagon but the other three groups of sheep were mixed in another compartment. On reaching the mart it was found that a lad on the unloading docks had got his catalogue out, worked out what sheep were entered where and caught them all out and penned them up in their correct pens. A great start to the morning.

As the sheep neared the ring there were other mart staff on hand to ensure the elderly sheep keeper safely found a way into the ring to sell her sheep, they showed great consideration and kindness towards her. The auctioneers also went out of their way to ensure her sheep realised a good price. The personal touch, one which may not have been realised by the elderly lady herself, but was appreciated by those assisting her on the day. Having traded with the mart company for the duration of her lifetime it just shows that some things do count.

Longtown Mart. Annual Border Ewe Sale 2011

Longtown Mart comes up in conversation often when Shep is working around the countryside. There are many I work for send their sheep across to Longtown to be sold claiming it is the place for horned sheep, especially store or fat lambs.

T'was whilst talking to one such person I admitted that I had never been to Longtown Mart, this remark was met with sheer disbelief quickly followed with the offer of a ride across for the ewe sale. I didn't refuse the offer, especially as there was a decent entry of South Country Cheviots on the day, my curiosity over these little blighters never fails to get the better of me!

The Annual Border Ewe Sale is a sale of hill sheep, catagorised as North Country Cheviots, Border Cheviots (southies) and horned sheep. A good variety of sheep to view and breeding sheep at that. It is always very interesting to see what sort of sheep come off farms you have heard of but not dealt with. A breeding sale gives you the opportunity to view the stock off these farms you're unfamiliar with.

There were a variety of ages of sheep forward on the day. Some stock sheep being sold due to dispersals, these were sold in regular ages (from ewe lambs right through to the older ewes). It was a bit disconscerting that the sheep being dispersed of totaled 1,100 out of the total catalogue entry of 8,772.

Anyhow, Shep was quite excited and trotted off with on Wednesday 28th September with a couple of farmers over into Cumbria to visit Longtown Mart for the very first time.

Looking down the pens at Longtown Mart with a pen of South Country Cheviots from Cowburn in the foreground, these 5 year old ewes made £84.

As the photo shows it was a roasting hot day - quite unbelievable for the time of the year, summer had arrived but for a very short spell.

I have to admit to being a tad taken aback when wandering around the pens of sheep outside. There were many which had been well turned out for the job, which is what I am accustomed to, however there were equally as many which weren't. By turned out for the job I mean a bit of pride taken in them - dressed, tidied up, mebbes even coloured, which is usual for anyone selling breeding sheep, they want them to look their best for the occasion. There were some which looked like they'd just been dragged in out of a field or off the hill without a second thought which seemed strange when it was the annual sale of breeding hill ewes.

Everyone to their own though, there isn't the staff around that there used to be and there are many older farmers around so maybe it just isn't practical to spend time trying to make your sheep look their best. As it happened the trade was very strong and it seemed to make little difference as to the quality of the animals you were selling.

I was told by a neighbouring farmer whom I bumped into that often the poorer end or second draws of ewes may be found at Longtown, whether this is the case or not they sold well, very well. The same man also told me he had grave concerns about me, apparently every time he sees me I'm looking at Cheviots rather than Blackies! Umm.......

On that note I would disagree that the South Country Cheviots were represented by the poorer end, there were some high quality sheep on offer and the prices reflected this

These South Country Ewe lambs from Castle Crawford sold for £90 with ewes off the same place realising £180

The ring at Longtown is able to hold a fair number of sheep as shown in this photo of the Glengeith ewe lambs with a hundred or more lambs being sold to cut (bid then say how many you require, the number you require is counted out of the ring with the remainder being put up for sale again). However I have to say the ring does not show off breeding sheep to the extent the ring at Hexham Mart does, but then the Hexham ring was purpose built for the job of selling breeding sheep and it does a very good job of it.

I couldn't help but take a photo of these Swaledale sheep, they were well turned out for the job, a pleasure to see come into the ring and I thought I ought to show that there was more than just cheviots present on the day. I foolishly did not record where they were off or how much they made but Swaledales were in demand on the day and draft ewes were up to £126 per head.

All in all it was an enjoyable day out, in good company and very interesting. I can at least now say that I have been to Longtown Mart!

Longtown Mart has a very good website, which also includes videos of some of the sales and a good selection of photographs, so anyone wishing to see how sheep or cattle are sold at an auction could take a peek at http://www.cdfarmersmart.co.uk/longtown/index.html

The monsoon season and shearing

Blimey, the past week commenced with tropical rains. Hot weather over the weekend and I mean hot, the sort of weather which leaves you looking like a lobster in no time. The sort of weather where sitting still makes you sweat, not only does the skin burn but the blood boils also - phew!

As with most of the good weather this summer in Tarset it was short lived, the forecasters predicted a downturn and they were correct.

Now Shep was very fortunate as for once I had decided I was having a day off, a day I wanted off not one determined by the weather. Saturday saw me head off to Kelso Show and having a great day, enjoying a good crack, excellent sheep on show and tremendous weather. Whilst Tarset farmers were sweltering in the heat battling on to get hay and silage crops gathered up before the weather broke I wandered around enjoying myself with not so much of a tinge of guilt. A day off which was long overdue and the weather was being kind as well.

I have lived on the memories of last Saturday all week as the tropical rains seemed to change into the monsoon season. The other half found himself battling to help a neighbour lead hay and silage in on the Monday night and into Tuesday morning as the heavens opened and the deluge began.

The start of the week saw high temperatures and heavy rain, this past weekend has seen lower temperatures and torrential rain. There are reports locally of fords in flood preventing access to vehicles, flash flooding causing rain water to run through full hay sheds, one apparently had six inches of water standing in it. Now there is wet and there is wet. We've definitely had the later - very wet. Ground is saturated and some still have fields of grass to cut.

There was however a slight miracle during the week. One local farmer still needed his 5oo hill ewes clipping. This was out door shearing, out on the hill with not a shed in sight. A dry day was needed and on the third attempt by the shearers they hit lucky.

Shep was on hand to help gather and assist on the day, not with the shearing however, after all, they did want them clipped on one day!

It was an early start, not quite as early as it ought to have been as Shep struggled to get out of bed, the alarm went off at 4.45 am and I rolled over - fatal! However, I was only half an hour late and the shearers arrived to find we were ready and waiting.

Plenty of dogs on hand to get the sheep moving through the pens and the lambs shed off, my three are in the foreground with one of the farmers dogs lying in the background.

On occasions it did seem that there were more dogs than sheep!

Finally woolly sheep were shed off from lambs and clipped hoggs (which by now you should know are called gimmers), the woolled sheep waited expectantly, they are swaledales by the way, similar perhaps to a blackfaced but lighter framed sheep and different hair on their heads and legs, I would also say they have grey noses and eyebrows but blackfaces are tending to look like that these days so there could be cause for confusion on that front.

Kale thought he ought to keep an eye on the lambs and gimmers held in the stell.

The shearers got into the flow of things and wool came off, the weather held out all day which seemed almost unbelievable. There was filming going on all day long as well, some sort of documentary being made I do believe, really hope the guy with the fluffy thing on the end of a stick (sound recordist) deletes some of the swear words going on in the background!

My view of proceedings along with the view the farmers wife experienced was slightly different to the norm. The wool is kicked by the shearers below the race and wrapped at the back of the trailer, fortunately a sheep knocked some of the boarding off the race and we had a little hole to peek through and view the proceedings. Can't say I've ever spent the day viewing the world below a sheeps belly before - first time for everything!

 

Moss and Glen had been kept busy keeping sheep forward and were only too keen to take a rest when bait times arrived, hopeful also of the odd crust being shared with them. Moss here is taking forty winks with an ear open just incase he misses anything.

500 sheep clipped outdoors on the Friday. 500 sheep wishing they could have their jackets back on on the Saturday as it rained cats and dogs. The Scottish National Sheep dog trials held just over the border had cause to halt proceedings on the final day due to the weather, a football match with Newcastle United was stopped due to the weather, rain fell and kept falling, flash floods occured and then there were 500 sheep finding they were getting soaked to the skin. Fortunately they are far tougher than us, they would head for some shelter somewhere and give themselves a good shaking when it eventually faired up. The farmer was relieved as were the shearers, they had finally hit lucky and managed a day when the weather held out and the job got done.