Keeping Sheep (eBook)

CHAPTER 1

FIELD BOUNDARIES

HEDGES – ANCIENT FIELD BOUNDARIES

The decision to start a sheep flock on your land can be the beginning of a countryside restoration and species conservation project. An old hedge is a thing of beauty and great utility and has a long, unsung history at its roots. It serves many functions and looks very pretty in spring, summer and autumn, when it’s festooned with berries and hips. Traditionally, hedges were relied upon to provide a stockproof barrier to keep sheep and cattle from straying and shelter from winter winds, and to protect crops from grazing animals.

In winter, farm workers of old tended to the hedges by trimming them and ‘laying’ the hedge plants horizontally to block up holes and keep the hedge stockproof and healthy, with plenty of young thorny shoots. Cut twigs were stuck in the ground in gaps and would take root if there was sufficient moisture. It was time-consuming, labour-intensive but satisfying work. The process of cutting back renewed the hedge, the plants would live for longer and the new growth promoted flowering and fruiting, helping birds and pollinators like bees store up reserves for winter.

In summer, a hedge of mixed plant species is home to myriad insects for birds to feed on. Autumn brings seeds and fruits and places to hibernate. In spring, a thick-laid hedge provides ideal cover for farmland birds to nest in and shelters young lambs from cold winds. Look closely into old hedgerows and you can see gnarly old hedge tree trunks growing horizontally for sometimes 3m (10ft) or more, evidence of hedge laying carried out decades ago.

As farm workers moved to industrial areas in Britain or were lost in the wars of the twentieth century, hedges were no longer tended to in this age-old way. The postwar drive to increase food production and intensify and mechanise agriculture even led to the government paying farmers to rip out hedgerows. Between 1950 and 2007, over half a million kilometres of hedgerow were lost in Britain. Lack of management, development of land for building and roads and over-cutting the hedges back with tractor-mounted flails has also caused the decline of ancient hedges.

According to the Soil Association,1 studies have shown that organic farms have on average 50 per cent more wildlife than conventional farms. Part of the reason for this is that they have looked after and preserved their hedgerows, regarding them as important wildlife habitat. Fortunately, some government-led schemes now offer grants to help farmers reinstate and restore old hedgerows.

Renewing Field Boundaries in Winter

Fencing is usually a winter job. When the nettles and annual weeds on the field edge have died back, it is easier to see the ‘bare bones’ of your field margin. Fences are usually installed tight to the hedge itself, as most farmers do not want to lose even an inch of grazing to a wild hedge advancing into the field; historically, this would have meant less field area for which to claim subsidy money. With regenerative and organic agriculture this is not such a concern, as hedges are valued for their shelter, beauty and historic and ecological value.

Hedges provide an alternative mineral-rich food source for browsing herbivores. In some areas of Britain, it is common to see the fence positioned on top of the hedge bank so sheep can graze both sides of the bank. This is not good for hedge plants, as the leaf buds are nibbled away. Animals grazing the bank cause soil erosion, leading over time to the loss of ancient field boundaries and important habitats for birds and invertebrates.

RESTORING HEDGEROWS

Hedges that are not tended to or well fenced begin to deteriorate as sheep and cattle walk through the gaps. Damaged hedgerows full of gaps become too open and exposed for birds to nest in.

A good, thick hedge growing low to the ground allows the build-up of a rich layer of leaf litter and composted organic matter under the hedge. This makes a wonderful home for hedgehogs, mice, frogs, toads, invertebrates, fungi, wild flowers and much more wildlife besides. An open hedge bottom, on the other hand, exposes the leaf litter to the wind and bare soil to the feet of cattle, sheep or rabbits, leaving it open to erosion and taking away an important living and feeding space for wild creatures.

Coppicing

Working on a hedge in winter in the traditional style, using hand tools, is a great way to immerse yourself in the gentle rhythm of the countryside and a wonderful opportunity to get to know the wildlife and landscape around you.

An old hedge line full of gaps with intermittent mature hedgerow trees and bushes can be restored easily over ten years and transformed into a young and vibrant field boundary once again.

Coppicing involves cutting off old hedge plants at the base in wintertime. After cutting, the plant will regrow with multiple stems. This age-old art allows harvesting of wood for different uses while stimulating natural renewal. In the first few years after coppicing, you will need to protect the young regrowth of the hedge from grazing animals. This means dismantling old wire fencing and replacing it with new fence materials or, if the wire is still good, renewing an old fence by replacing the posts holding it up with new ones.

Once the coppicing is complete, the hedge bottom is laid bare. Gaps of naked soil where no perennial hedge plants are growing can be planted up with new ‘whips’. These are tree seedlings used to fill the gaps by planting 60cm (2ft) apart in a staggered double row.

The newly laid hedge should be fenced off from sheep. In the first few years you will see a strong regrowth of wild plants and flowers on the banks with the newly revitalised hedge growing through the middle.

After eight to ten years, you will have a fine, young, upright hedge that can now be laid. Basic hedge laying is achieved by trimming back the sides of the hedge and cutting out shorter or twisted gnarly pieces. The straightest upright stems are retained and laid by cutting through the stem at the base but leaving one third still attached to the root base. A hedge is usually laid in an uphill direction to help the sap rise to the ends of the stems in spring and promote new growth. Once laid down across each other, the stems are woven in and out of upright sticks that are banged into the earth at intervals of between 60 and 120cm (2–4ft). Small cuts can be made into the laid stems on the skyward side to promote new shoots of growth.

FARM FENCES

DIY fencing installed by new smallholders is often quite easy to spot by grizzled old farmers, who smile to themselves as they go bumping past in their tractor. The wire netting sags and bows between posts that stand too tall and at jaunty angles. The fence might even offer a proper belly laugh if the wire netting is fixed upside down, an easy mistake to make. And the incomers from town won’t have used any barbed wire on top because of the bad karma associated with it, meaning cattle and horses can easily push it down.

Unfortunately, a saggy fence is not a secure one. Fencing materials are expensive, but if you do a good job, the fence will keep your animals where you want them for a decade or more. Poor fencing is a source of sheep-related stress to the shepherd. Sheep will rarely escape when you have time to round them up. Instead, it is usual for them to choose a moment designed to cause maximum angst, such as when you’re just leaving home to attend a wedding or an important job interview.

The Advantages of Well-Fenced Fields

‘You can’t farm without fences’ goes the old saying, and it is largely true. ‘Good fences make good neighbours’ is probably the second most memorable nugget of rural wisdom I have heard many times. Farming without fences is more akin to ranching, and not a way to efficiently produce quality livestock.

Besides the obvious function of preventing your animals from straying and wandering into high-value crops such as vegetables and cereals (or your beloved garden flowers), fences are essential for good grazing management.

Fencing End to End

A line of fence is only as secure as the ‘strainer’ posts at...