Profession shepherd
Shepherds manage the welfare and movement of livestock, especially sheep, goats and other grazing animals, in a variety of surroundings.
Would you like to know what kind of career and professions suit you best? Take our free Holland code career test and find out.
Personality Type
Skills
- Work independently in agriculture
Perform tasks individually in livestock and animal production services by taking decisions without help. Handle tasks and tackle with issues or problems without any outside assistance.
- Maintain pastures
Ensure that animals on pastures or grazing lands have enough feed. Employ pasture-conservation measures such as grazing in rotation.
- Care for the flock
A shepherd needs a gentle touch and warm demeanour to make the sheep comfortable and receptive to her care.
- Ensure flock safety
Protect the flock from wolves and other predators. Keep them from eating harmful plants.
- Provide flock medical treatment
Treat livestock medically, providing adapted medical treatment and administering medications and vaccinations when required.
- Organise shearing
Set up a woolshed for the shearing of sheep. Work with the shearers to reach standards described in the farm policy manual.
- Move animals
Move grazing animals between pastures to ensure that they have enough fresh grass to eat.
- Assist animal birth
Assist in animal births, and care for newborn livestock.
- Provide nutrition to animals
Provide food and water to animals. This includes preparing food and water for animals and reporting any changes in the animal feeding or drinking habits.
- Examine animals
Examine animals in case thay are injured, sick, or having a disease. Check up on physical characteristics, such as rate of weight gain.
- Milk animals
Milk cows and other farm animals, manually or using mechanical means.
- Move the herd
Move the animals safely to another location. Lead them to grazing locations, managing their journey and accommodation needs.
Optional knowledge and skills
maintain farm equipment create solutions to problems carry out cheese productionSource: Sisyphus ODB