Range Sheepherder

Job description

Must have 3 months experience with 800 - 1000 head flocks. One reference required.
Attends sheep flock grazing on the range or pasture: Herds flock and rounds up strays using trained dogs. Attends to sheep grazing on the range to include: Herding sheep on the range or in pastures while riding on horseback, riding ATVs, or walking on foot. Beds sheep down near the evening campsite. Guards sheep from predatory animals and from eating poisonous pants. Drenches sheep. May examine animals for signs of illness and administer vaccines, medications and insecticides according to instructions.
Range herding is completed when the vegetation is in a state of dormancy (i.e. winter). A range herder requires knowledge and maintenance of rangeland to avoid overgrazing of the range and prevention of animals ingesting poisonous plants. Proper grazing techniques directed by the herder reduces wildland fire fuel, controls noxious weeds and ensures vegetative diversity and vigor of the range ecosystem, and increases soil fertility. Experienced employees hired for this type of position need to have the knowledge of maintaining a herd on the range so the sheep are not lost on the open range and also controls predators using a variety of techniques.
The herder will bring the sheep to the ranch headquarters for vaccinating, drenching, sorting, culling, and loading the sheep onto trucks, and other animal husbandry practices. The herder may have to repair and replace livestock fences and corrals used to contain the herd as necessary, perform general maintenance on livestock watering systems,. The herder may need to work around or with a tractor or drive a truck to assist in providing supplemental feed for the sheep while the sheep are at the ranch headquarters. The herder may have to construct portable electric fences when the sheep are at the ranch headquarters.
May assist in lambing, docking, and shearing. The following seasonal duties will need to be performed. Herder will need to move pregnant ewes to lambing grounds. Be able to identify signs of ewes going into labor and identify potential problems during the labor process. Know how and when to assist during difficult births. Be able to properly constrain ewes for difficult births and able to graft orphan lambs to mothers. Ability to identify herd health issues including but not limited to malnutrition of ewes and lambs, prolapse and mastitis. Provide water to animals, including minor maintenance of water troughs and water lines. May need to haul water in truck to supplement animal water needs. May need to provide supplement feed for the ewes and lambs if the range has insufficient forage. Disperse livestock on the range to reduce overcrowding and increase the success of mother and lamb bonding. Protect vulnerable livestock (lambs & ewes in labor) from predators. Move Ewes and lambs and assist in branding, castrating, vaccinating, tagging, and worming. Ability to safely catch lambs with a hook. Move ewes and lambs to summer range grounds.