UPDATE –
Thankyou to the many many local people who have now got in touch to say how much they enjoy seeing the sheep at Swangleys or have let us know in general how supportive you are of our farming. We really appreciate the positive feedback.
I think there was some confusion originally by some people about the sheep and about this grazing technique in particular, so here is a little more information :
Firstly, although these sheep are not owned or managed by Swangleys, they are looked after by an attentive and professional shepherd who we know has their wellbeing in mind, checks them every day and takes action where needed. Any important news that we get from our local community – for example a sheep found itself on the wrong side of the fence the other day – is always passed on to the shepherd.
It is worth explaining why these sheep are at the farm. These sheep are “Mob grazing” a crop of stubble turnips under an environmental initiative in order that their droppings fertilise the soil and therefore reduce the farm’s need to apply artificial fertilisers. Mob grazing looks very different to the sheep grazing over grass that you might be more familiar with. In grass grazing, sheep densities are low in order that a field’s grass supply is self sustaining. However, in mob grazing, large numbers of sheep are grazed on a relatively small area that is initially high in a food supply and then they are moved to a neighbouring fresh area once they have grazed the feedstock down sufficiently. This maximises the environmental benefits of the technique, without impacting sheep welfare. At no time are the sheep ever short on feed – they are simply moved to fresh feed at the right time to a new well-stocked home right next to the previous field strip. In this way they gradually move around the farm.
Over the time the sheep have been with us, people have noticed the occasional lame sheep – that is, sheep with a limp. Lameness is a recurring theme with sheep and, in reality, any substantial well-kept flock will at any point in time have some lame sheep. Each of the sheep hosted at Swangleys had their feet trimmed (the main cause of lameness) on arrival and are treated as necessary or, where the shepherd has greater concerns, are routinely removed from the flock for closer care elsewhere.
Finally, can we say a special thankyou to the members of the community who stepped in to confront a group of youths who had broken some of the fence and were inside the field harrassing sheep. Your actions protected the entire flock from a potentially very serious situation and are very much appreciated by both us and the sheep’s owner.