Shepherd (Schaapherder)
Information on this skill...
A shepherd is a person who herds a flock of sheep. Another name for a shepherd is also called scheper. A shepherd generally uses at least one or more shepherd dogs for his or her work. In earlier days, sheep herding was mainly done to take advantage of unused land. These were mostly territories, which were not very accessible due to their capricious subsoil. The former shepherd usually went out with sheep, which were from different owners. Nowadays, there are still commercial shepherds, who generally rent themselves out to various clients, such as managers of natural landscapes, so that their land can be grazed by means of sheep. Think, for example, of grazing dikes and nature reserves. The profession of shepherd is in most cases exercised by self-employed shepherds, who work within their own grazing company. The work of a shepherd must be seen more broadly than just grazing sheep because a good shepherd must also have knowledge of ecology and different types of surfaces. Anatomy, care, nutrition, laws and regulations, animal health and housing are also important areas of attention of a shepherd. A shepherd always moves from land to land so that the sheep can graze the land. Grazing land by means of sheep has the great advantage that no machines have to be used, which may disturb the nature reserve with all their flora and fauna. In addition, the natural grazing gives a better impression for a nature reserve than a tractor. A shepherd uses the shepherd dogs to keep the flock of sheep together and to steer them.
A shepherd is therefore a companion, who herds a flock of sheep. In addition, a shepherd can be regarded as a temporary manager of a nature reserve. As described earlier, in many cases a shepherd uses shepherd dogs to keep the flock of sheep together and to steer them. A shepherd can only do this by using well-trained shepherd dogs. It is important that the shepherd and shepherd dog(s) form a good team. It is not the case that shepherds are only used within nature reserves. A shepherd can also be used for grazing dikes. Nowadays, the activities of a shepherd must rather be regarded as landscape management. This means that clients consciously choose to have their soil grazed by sheep. As a result, there is no need to use contractors or agricultural drivers, who mow the grass with heavy machinery. A shepherd will generally take care of the sheep on a daily basis and possibly help with births of lambs and trimming the hooves. Shearing sheep can also be done by a shepherd. This does not always have to be the case because there are also special sheep shearers.
SHEEP
Sheep should be considered as utility animals. Utility animals are animals that are kept in order to use their products. Consider, for example, the use of meat, milk, skins, wool, honey and eggs. In addition, utility animals, such as sheep, can be used to carry out fieldwork. Other utility animals that can perform fieldwork include horses and oxen. Horses and oxen used to be used by farmers to work fields. Utility animals, such as sheep, can in some cases also be considered as companion animals (pets). Sheep casings are also used to make strings for violins and other string instruments, for example.
THE SHEEP AND WOOL
The sheep is a cloven-hoofed mammal and is a ruminant. Sheep are kept by man for their wool, milk and meat. The sheep's milk can also be used to make so-called sheep's cheese. But of course, it is also just fun to keep sheep and perhaps lambs at home and are then a companion animal for some people. Approximately 900,000 sheep are currently kept within the Netherlands. Australia is the largest sheep farmer in the world and also the largest wool exporter. The wool of a sheep is also called virgin wool and must be sheared from a healthy and living sheep to be allowed to use the name. There is also an international wool brand that makes real wool easy to recognize and is legally protected in more than a hundred countries. Wool is very popular for its good insulating effect and has a high elasticity.
WHAT DOES A SHEPHERD DO:
TRAINING TO BECOME A SHEPHERD
There are some training opportunities through usual schools for the profession of shepherd. The profession of shepherd has no protective title, and anyone can just call himself a shepherd. This does not alter the fact that there are also external training opportunities for the profession of shepherd. Following an education is certainly advisable so that the new shepherd knows how to recognize the behavior of sheep and also knows what possible health risks are of the sheep. In addition, there are also plenty of external training institutes where you can follow a course. Accounting is also important as an independent entrepreneur.
COMPANIES WHERE A SHEPHERD CAN BE EMPLOYED
Most shepherds must be regarded as entrepreneurs, who work for different clients. In addition, a shepherd can be employed by a nature organization or municipality. The vast majority of shepherds should be regarded as entrepreneurs. In addition, it is conceivable that a shepherd is a hobbyist. The profession of shepherd has no further professional protection, so everyone can work as a shepherd. In some cases, a shepherd can also be regarded as a nature guide.
COMPETENCES SHEPHERD
The most important competences of a shepherd are the professional knowledge of sheep and animal care. In addition, the profession of shepherd will require a lot of independence because you usually work alone. But also physically you will have to be very strong because you will walk a lot every day. Another important competence is communication. Communication is important because most shepherds can also be regarded as educational staff and as guides. Most shepherds are regularly confronted with information work. Consultations with other craftsmen, such as the forester, will also occur regularly. Generally important words are motivation, energy, planning, fun, passion, sense of responsibility and vigilance.
LABOUR MARKET PERSPECTIVE AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AS A SHEPHERD
Within the profession of shepherd we can not really speak of a labor market perspective or career opportunities because it is not a profession for which vacancies can simply be found. Most shepherds are volunteers or part-time shepherds. There may be some shepherds who do have a paid job, but there are certainly not many more. As a shepherd, there are no real career opportunities to name.
WORKING CONDITIONS AND SALARY SHEPHERD
Terms of employment and salary as a shepherd do not apply to this profession. As described earlier, there may still be some professional shepherds, but there are certainly not many more. It is also conceivable that the modern shepherd also performs other tasks, such as giving educational lessons.
The content on this page has been automatically translated from the Dutch language. For this reason, texts and videos on this page may contain small errors.
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