Both my neighbour Alistair and I were 70 this year , we are a bit too slow, stiff and knackered for lambing outdoors on the hill so whats the solution. Housing the ewes from New Year until they lamb is a possibility. It would be more for the benefit of the shepherds than the sheep of course, we hear a lot abot animal welfare but not much about the herder's welfare.
The least cost plan is to erect a 12m x 6m monopitch sheep house using old telegraph poles for uprights, Yorkshire boarding on the walls and box section steel for the roof. A floor of compacted
stone is best for drainage. So as my neighbour Ivor was working with a digger next door and he offered to do the ground works we have started. but this is the easy bit; the Planners have said I don't need planning permission because its an agricultural building. I need a plan to BS5502 (Class2) to qualify for a grants from the Crofting Counties Agricultural Grant Scheme, two competitive quotations for the materials if we do the work ourselves and there's the application form to complete.
To complicate matters further, Jim Reid from Knapp Farm Buildings came over from Glenborrodale on Friday and proposed a much nicer alternative to the monopitch sheep shed. It'll be interesting to get his proposal but much depends on the cost!
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