Shearing

One of the most exciting times of the year - shearing is the "harvest" period for the wool enterprise. Station staff bring the sheep from all corners of the property to the shearing shed, where a contract shearing team remove their fleece. The sheep are then provided with husbandry treatments before returning to their paddock, whilst wool is baled and sent to market.

Sales - Prime Lambs (or 1st Cross Lambs)

Prime lambs are sold at varying times of the year, either to a feedlot or transferred between properties so that they can be finished prior to being sold. Other names can also be used to describe prime lambs (1st cross lambs, fat lambs etc) but are generally describing the same animal.

Sales – Sheep

Sheep are sold at various times of the year, mainly after shearing. This can be done to reduce the pressure on available stock feed. Sheep are also assessed for overall health and desired traits and sheep that do not meet the property criteria are sold.

General Maintenance

There are always many jobs to do when you are not busy with stock or crop work. These could include assisting with vehicle maintenance, building and maintaining fences and yards, building upkeep and checking waters.

Sales – Wool

After the wool is harvested from the sheep the wool is put into bales and trucked off the property to the wool store. The wool is tested and sold via auction or direct to trade.

Sales – Sheep

Sheep are sold at various times of the year, mainly after shearing. This can be done to reduce the pressure on available stock feed. Sheep are also assessed for overall health and desired traits and sheep that do not meet the property criteria are sold.

Fertiliser - Paddocks

Fertiliser is used to increase the production of grasses in a paddock. These grasses are used for stock feed.

Mating - Sheep

Good management of breeding ewes plays an important role in achieving high lambing percentages. Rams are put out with the ewes at various times depending on the property. The gestation period for a sheep is 5 months.

Weaning - Calves

Calves are weaned between 5-6 months of age. Cows are pregnancy tested at the same time and any dry cows are sold at market.

General Maintenance

There are always many jobs to do when you are not busy with stock or crop work. These could include assisting with vehicle maintenance, building and maintaining fences and yards, building upkeep and checking waters.

Shearing Lambs

Lambs have their first shearing at 8-11 months of age on most McBride properties. Station staff muster the sheep to the woolshed, where they are shorn by a contract shearing team. Lambs are then given a husbandry treatment and are returned to their paddocks.

Mating - Sheep

Good management of breeding ewes plays an important role in achieving high lambing percentages. Rams are put out with the ewes at various times depending on the property. The gestation period for a sheep is 5 months.

Mating - Sheep 2nd run

Some properties might split the ewe mating period to take advantage of livestock or seasonal conditions

Sales – Cattle

Cattle are sold to reduce the pressure on available stock feed. Cattle are also assessed for overall health and desired traits and those that do not meet the criteria are sold.

Seeding

This is the process in which the seed is planted into the ground using large machinery, the depth the seed needs to be buried differs between crop types.

General Maintenance

There are always many jobs to do when you are not busy with stock or crop work. These could include assisting with vehicle maintenance, building and maintaining fences and yards, building upkeep and checking waters.

Mating - Sheep 2nd run

Some properties might split the ewe mating period to take advantage of livestock or seasonal conditions

Seeding

This is the process in which the seed is planted into the ground using large machinery, the depth the seed needs to be buried differs between crop types.

General Maintenance

There are always many jobs to do when you are not busy with stock or crop work. These could include assisting with vehicle maintenance, building and maintaining fences and yards, building upkeep and checking waters.

General Maintenance

There are always many jobs to do when you are not busy with stock or crop work. These could include assisting with vehicle maintenance, building and maintaining fences and yards, building upkeep and checking waters.

Drenching - Sheep

Drenching provides an effective way to administer parasite and worm control to sheep to keep them healthy. It is done at various times of the year.

General Maintenance

There are always many jobs to do when you are not busy with stock or crop work. These could include assisting with vehicle maintenance, building and maintaining fences and yards, building upkeep and checking waters.

Calving - Spring

Calves are born between August and September when there is plenty of feed around.

General Maintenance

There are always many jobs to do when you are not busy with stock or crop work. These could include assisting with vehicle maintenance, building and maintaining fences and yards, building upkeep and checking waters.

Lamb Marking - main

Lambs are usually marked between 2 and 12 weeks of age. Lamb marking involves tagging, castration of male lambs, tail docking and mulesing. Pain relief is administered to make this process easier for the lambs. Vaccinations are usually undertaken at this time.

Calving - Spring

Calves are born between August and September when there is plenty of feed around.

General Maintenance

There are always many jobs to do when you are not busy with stock or crop work. These could include assisting with vehicle maintenance, building and maintaining fences and yards, building upkeep and checking waters.

Lamb Marking - 2nd run

Some properties might split the ewe mating period to take advantage of livestock or seasonal conditions. This will create 2 lamb marking operations per year

Mowing/Baling

Mowing is done when the plant sugars are at the highest level during the growth period, this is to produce the best quality hay. Once the hay has cured/dried it can be bailed with a hay bailer, this can only be done when the moisture level gets down to around 14%. If the moisture is too high the hay can catch fire.

General Maintenance

There are always many jobs to do when you are not busy with stock or crop work. These could include assisting with vehicle maintenance, building and maintaining fences and yards, building upkeep and checking waters.

Crutching - main

Sheep and lambs are mustered and crutched during the year. The wool is shorn from around their face and breech area. This helps to prevent flystrike and provides a cleaner fleece at shearing time.

Calf Marking

Calves are marked with a property tag at approximately 2 months of age.

Mating - Cows

Cows are mated in late spring. The gestation period for a cow is about 9 months to allow calving @August-September.

Cattle husbandry

Cattle husbandry covers the health and welfare of the livestock as well as the farm infrastructure required to care for the cattle properly. Our cattle are bred for their meat.

Mowing/Baling

Mowing is done when the plant sugars are at the highest level during the growth period, this is to produce the best quality hay. Once the hay has cured/dried it can be bailed with a hay bailer, this can only be done when the moisture level gets down to around 14%. If the moisture is too high the hay can catch fire.

General Maintenance

There are always many jobs to do when you are not busy with stock or crop work. These could include assisting with vehicle maintenance, building and maintaining fences and yards, building upkeep and checking waters.

Crutching - 2nd run

Sometimes a 2nd crutching run will be needed. This could be due to either a wet season or the having a 2nd lambing program

Weaning - Lambs

Lambs are weaned after shearing. Lambs are separated from the ewes prior to shearing, shorn with the other lambs, drafted into ewe weaner and wether weaner lines and put in a paddock with other sheep of the same age.

Drenching - Sheep 2nd run

There are times when seasonal conditions dictate the need for a 2nd drenching for worms etc (wet season, high worm count)

Calf Marking

Calves are marked with a property tag at approximately 2 months of age.

Sales – Cattle

Cattle are sold to reduce the pressure on available stock feed. Cattle are also assessed for overall health and desired traits and those that do not meet the criteria are sold.

Mating - Cows

Cows are mated in late spring. The gestation period for a cow is about 9 months to allow calving @August-September.

Cattle husbandry

Cattle husbandry covers the health and welfare of the livestock as well as the farm infrastructure required to care for the cattle properly. Our cattle are bred for their meat.

General Maintenance

There are always many jobs to do when you are not busy with stock or crop work. These could include assisting with vehicle maintenance, building and maintaining fences and yards, building upkeep and checking waters.