Range Sheepherder
Employer
10702 CR 16
Dalhart, TX 79022
United States
Job description
Required to be available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week and spend the majority of workdays on the range. All job duties are closely and directly related to the production of sheep.
Perform any combination of the following tasks to attend sheep on the range: administer emergency minor medical care to sick/injured pregnant ewes using roping methods to gently immobilize animal without causing undue stress; apply herbicides to noxious, invasive and poisonous plant species on grazing areas; assist with gathering and sorting lambs for shipping; assist with loading trucks with lambs and/or ewes for transportation; assist with sorting and cutting of culls; assist with supplemental feeding (when weather or quality of forage precludes use of range forage); assist with weed control on grazing areas (including noxious, invasive and poisonous plant species); bed down flock at appropriate night site; build and/or maintain fence and facilities to ensure the safety and health of animals and forage; cut and clear noxious trees and shrubs that harm grass and plant species in grazing areas; feed and water and ensure adequate provision of both; feed supplemental rations; feed, water and tend to the dogs (both guard and working dogs) and horses; guard against predatory animals and from eating poisonous and/or noxious plants; herd mature ewes and young offspring between grazing areas in a manner to assure body condition is maintained in mature ewes and growth of offspring; identify and administer appropriate medication for various health issues such as internal parasites, respiratory issues, injuries, etc.; load bales of hay and/or sacks of grain onto truck or trailer used for feeding; make certain animals have access to fresh water; monitor animals for weight gain, thrift and health problems; monitor available grasses and adjust herding methods to ensure an increasing plane of nutrition to facilitate estrus cycling in ewes ; monitor forage on grazing areas to identify dangerous plants and assess available feed; observe ram interaction with ewes and report problems to employer; report to rancher on water/forage/weather conditions; round up strays using dogs and/or fence; spray livestock with insecticide.
Perform any combination of the following tasks to attend sheep on the ranch: administer emergency minor medical care to sick/injured pregnant ewes using roping methods to gently immobilize animal without causing undue stress; apply herbicides to noxious, invasive and poisonous plant species on grazing areas; assist in the maintenance of tools, equipment and handling facilities necessary to production; assist with loading trucks with lambs and/or ewes for transportation; assist with sorting and cutting of culls; assist with the vaccination of livestock by herding into corrals and/or stalls or manually restraining animals ; bed down flock at appropriate night site; build and/or maintain fence and facilities to ensure the safety and health of animals and forage; cut and clear noxious trees and shrubs that harm grass and plant species in grazing areas; feed and water and ensure adequate provision of both; feed, water and tend to the dogs (both guard and working dogs) and horses; guard against predatory animals and from eating poisonous and/or noxious plants; identify and administer appropriate medication for various health issues such as internal parasites, respiratory issues, injuries, etc.; load bales of hay and/or sacks of grain onto truck or trailer used for feeding; make certain animals have access to fresh water; monitor animals for weight gain, thrift and health problems; monitor forage on grazing areas to identify dangerous plants and assess available feed; move sheep to appropriate pens; spray livestock with insecticide.
Special Requirements
Required to: perform tasks capably and efficiently without close supervision, spend the majority of work days on the range, live and work singly or in small groups of workers in isolated areas for extended periods of time, to operate equipment and machinery required to perform job duties indicated in a safe and responsible manner, to ride, handle and tend horses in a manner to assure the safety and health of the worker, co-workers, horses and livestock, to maintain equipment and machinery to a standard established by the employer, work outdoors in all types of weather and may experience occasional exposure to hazards such as poisonous snakes, biting insects and extreme temperature, attend animals during all hours of the day as required for their safety and well-being, maintain and manage remote housing locations in a safe and responsible manner, work with and around farm machinery such as tractors for supplemental feeding purposes and ATVs for movement of livestock.