I love sheep-dipping day. It’s one of my favourite social events of the year. That might sound strange, but it’s always a good laugh, lots of stories and no arguments!
We started around 8.30am, myself and Donnie walked our sheep out to the fank. All the animals were in shortly after 9, so I went home to grab some breakfast.
We got cracking shortly afterwards. It didn’t take too long as there were less than 200 animals to dip and there were plenty bodies to carry out the work. Of course the older ones were still barking out the orders….
Everyone has a job though. My dad and Neil feed the sheep into the dip.
The sheep are dunked under by myself & Domhnall Chops, and swim to the other end.
Where Donnie, the elder statesman, is waiting to divert them into the relevant pens.
We put the sheep in the village park for a week or two, to let them dry off. Lots of villages no longer dip, but use the pour on option. I’m not a fan, as we had problems the years we used it. With dipping, any parasites on the sheep are killed, as well as the dip dripping off them and killing parasites that might be in the park too.
Anyway, that’s the last big communal fank of the year, apart from gathering them to come home again. Next is preparation for letting the rams loose!
Here are some other pics:
Donald, that was very interesting reading about the dipping of the sheep’s.Your photos as usual are just beautiful. I do hope you are keeping the photos in a album.