Sheep at Tablehurst Farm

February 2026

We are sad to share the news that we will be saying goodbye to our sheep enterprise. We understand this may be disappointing to those looking forward to the lambing season, so we'd like to share the reasons behind this difficult decision. 

There are four main reasons for not continuing with the sheep at Tablehurst, at least for the next years. They are:

1. The issue of Flystrike  

2. Maintaining diverse herbal leys 

3. Fencing and the amount of labour and time needed for the sheep enterprise 

4. Prioritising some of the other enterprises  

The issue of Flystrike. 

The microclimate of Tablehurst, with its comparatively small fields, lots of trees, lots of water, not so much wind and the tendency of warm humid weather create ideal conditions for blowfly and our sheep getting flystrike. Flystrike is when blowfly lay their eggs in the sheep’s wool, which hatch into maggots which then start eating the sheep. If not spotted and dealt with immediately, in hot weather it progresses very quickly and spreads over the sheep, which is painful and can lead to its death.

Because of this problem, several years ago we changed the breed of our sheep to Wiltshire Horns. Wiltshire Horn sheep self-shed which means they lose their wool by themselves and do not need to be shorn. A short fleece is not nearly as attractive for the flies to lay their eggs in. Before that we used to shear our sheep twice a year to try and keep the wool short. This was very expensive because of the double shearing costs, and the resulting short-staple wool being worth even less than long-staple wool. The reality was that not even the long-staple wool covered the cost of the actual shearing. Anyway, even with the short wool of the Wiltshire Horn, our sheep, particularly the lambs, are still prone to flystrike, just less so. 

Most flocks in this part of the country, compared to sheep on open breezy hills etc., are regularly treated with chemical sprays or pour-ons through the summer. These chemicals will kill any eggs and maggots on the sheep over many weeks as they are systemic and are in the sheep and their meat. We therefore do not use them, but it means that in hot humid weather we do have to treat some individual animals which is very time consuming as the sheep or lamb first must be caught! 

Maintaining diverse herbal leys 

We have been growing herbal leys for many years now and have been very pleased with the result, both for the animals grazing them and for what it does for the soil. A ley is a short-term pasture of say four years. A herbal ley is a ley with not just grass and for example white clover but a ley with many varieties of grass, many varieties of clovers or legumes as well as several different herbs such as chicory, plantain and others. This diversity is good for the soil and makes it more resilient to droughts etc.

It is also very good for grazing livestock and research shows that they perform better on such leys. How one grazes these pastures is very important to how well the pasture does. Mob grazing, where the animals are moved often onto fresh grazing, which is quite mature, is the best.

If animals, particularly sheep, are left too long on an area they will eat it very short and plants like red clover or chicory and plantain will struggle to persist in the pasture sward. We have experienced this, particularly while grazing over the winter months with the sheep while the cattle are in the barns.  

Fencing and the amount of labour and time needed for the sheep enterprise 

Our cattle are mob grazed through the summer, usually being moved daily by moving one strand of an electric fence. The sheep and lambs require three or four strands of electric fence to keep them in, and this is a lot of work and is time consuming if they are moved daily. This is particularly the case if it is a small group of sheep. A larger flock is much more economical labour wise.

The new land we have taken on at Great Cansiron Farm, which is all down to herbal leys having been arable land for decades, doesn’t have any decent permanent boundary fences on it. This makes it quite risky to graze with sheep in electric fences moved daily in case they should escape the electric fence. If they are not moved regularly the pasture will deteriorate as described above.

It is also the case that if sheep are not moved very regularly, they are prone to getting intestinal worms. If this happens they need to be wormed with chemical wormers which leave residues in the meat and are not good for the soil, the dung beetles and other soil life. The long-term aim is to fence the boundaries of the fields with permanent livestock fencing, but this is out of the question financially for now. Many of the fences around fields on Tablehurst Farm itself are in a poor way and we have started a large fencing project replacing them. If one adds up the time and money of caring for the sheep and doing the necessary fencing the enterprise struggles to be viable, even with the very best management. 

Prioritising some of the other enterprises  

Tablehurst Farm is very diverse with many enterprises. If one looks at the farm as a whole, this is very good, both for the farm itself and for our customers. At the same time, it makes it challenging to manage each enterprise to the level we would like as well as all the farm, buildings, machinery and field maintenance etc. Taking as many factors as we can into consideration, as well as the viability of each enterprise, we have decided to close the sheep enterprise for the time being. We will therefore be buying in good quality organic lamb from another farm for our butchery. Hopefully at some point in the future it might be possible to have sheep on Tablehurst Farm again.