Winter mornings here start a bit slowly for the flock.  The valley sits below 750m high escarpments to the east, so the sun does not hit the valley floor till 9am or so,  and we are often under fog for the first few hours after dawn — not a lot to inspire an early start for the flock!  They tend to wander and lightly browse the flats along the river at this time,  which is when we meet them for a quick hello and look over everyone, make sure all is well, check for any new additions. Then we are in our way, and they’re on their own.

In winter they usually go up the mountains to the east – not along the river flats — working the hills. The grasses and shrubs change this time of year and they know it, there is less lush riverside growth to lure them south and so they browse higher rather than grazing low. The granite rocks up there do us a huge favour – grinding their hooves down naturally.  Our ewe flock never needs hoof trimming as the rock takes care of it.  It is time however that we pay attention to the ram flock hooves – as the boys have their own ¨bachelor paddocks¨ along the river which is nice sandy ground, whoever is not with the ewes can tend to need a trim at this time.

They eat whatever they find — wattles, peppercorns, she-oaks, gums, blackberry. They chew on the invasive tussock grass (never enough to control it though) and despite the grasses heading into dormancy they still have a lot to work with. Around midday they tend to come home, rest up for a few hours, then head back out in the afternoon — usually hitting the northern river flats and visiting the boys  before the light goes.

We always have bells on them. Fifty or sixty animals can disappear completely into scrub — they blend into the scrub so well you’d walk past them. The bells let us find where they’ve got to, in case they have decided to do an unusual camp out on the hills … it does not happen often, but when it does, we are very glad of the bells, as they work even when the GPS tracker is out of battery.

We’re lambing at the moment, so the nursing ewes get a little extra TLC. They find plenty of their own forage — the browsing here is good even through winter — but we supplement with dried distillers grains for the extra protein while they’re raising lambs, and a small lick of molasses and salt as things start to dry off. These are animals that don’t need much, but we’re running a breeding flock and we want them in top condition. They repay it reliably: Damara can lamb successfully every eight months, naturally, without intervention. Keeping them in excellent health is how we give back.

In the evening, everyone comes home. They have their favorite spots to settle and they use them – mostly right in the middle of the road to the house.  They let us know they are home – the bells, and a lot of calling out as they settle.  We do a final check — everyone back, everyone looking right. Then sleep – and of course, perhaps an overnight or early morning birth.

If you would like to keep up to date with the flock as they adventure through this winter, we update our instagram regularly – which is reflected on our Gallery page on this site. if you have any questions about the flocks management, their daily life, or how they would work at your place, just contact us.