We Keep Sheep

Archived sheep-check guide

What’s involved?

Thanks for agreeing to check in on the sheep. Here’s a little more detail about what the checklist means.

Sheep aren’t terribly good at preserving their own lives, so we’re looking to check in on them every day.

It sounds slightly ridiculous, but it’s important that we account for all of them, so please count all 8 when you arrive.

We also want to catch any obvious health problems early. Have a quick look to make sure they’re alert, moving normally and don’t appear injured or lame. If anything looks off, pop a message in the group with a photo of the lamb in question.

There’s a 100L+ water butt behind the big oak trees in the centre of the paddock. Please check that it’s more than half full and that there’s water in the trough, which fills automatically from the butt. If either look wrong, top them up, or pop a message in the group.

The lambs are already surprisingly well trained on the bucket. If you shake a bucket with sheep nuts (pellets) in it, they come running. Don’t worry, they won’t trample you, although they do get excited. The point of training them to the bucket is to make it easy to gather them in one place when we need to move them, inspect them more closely, or carry out any treatment.

You can find sheep nuts and a bucket in the cold frame beside Michelle, Dave and Amelia's house.

By checking on the sheep, you’re contributing to the day-to-day operation of the cooperative. We want those contributions to be recorded and recognised. Once you’ve finished your check, please post a photo of all 8 sheep in the group. We’ll use that photo as a simple record of the contribution — and as a bonus, we’ll end up with a nice record of the sheep as they grow.

If you have any questions or concerns, or anything looks off and you’re unsure, just message the group.

Sheep Check Checklist