RANGE SHEEPHERDER
Employer: Round Grove Ranch Company
Location: TOWNSEND, MT
Workers needed: 3
Pay: $2132.41/month
Season: Feb 1, 2027 – Sep 30, 2027
Experience: 3 months
Employer-provided housing; Transportation provided/reimbursed
The job
Must have 3 months experience with 800 - 1000 head flocks. One reference required. Attends sheep flock grazing on the range or pasture: Herds flock and rounds up strays using trained dogs. Attends to sheep grazing on the range to include: Herding sheep on the range or in pastures while riding on horseback, riding ATVs, or walking on foot. Beds sheep down near the evening campsite. Guards sheep from predatory animals and from eating poisonous pants. Drenches sheep. May examine animals for signs of illness and administer vaccines, medications and insecticides according to instructions. Range herding is completed when the vegetation is in a state of dormancy (i.e. winter). A range herder requires knowledge and maintenance of rangeland to avoid overgrazing of the range and prevention of animals ingesting poisonous plants. Proper grazing techniques directed by the herder reduces wildland fire fuel, controls noxious weeds and ensures vegetative diversity and vigor of the range ecosystem, and increases soil fertility. Experienced employees hired for this type of position need to have the knowledge of maintaining a herd on the range so the sheep are not lost on the open range and also controls predators using a variety of techniques. The herder will bring the sheep to the ranch headquarters for vaccinating, drenching, sorting, culling, and loading the sheep onto trucks, and other animal husbandry practices. The herder may have to repair and replace livestock fences and corrals used to contain the herd as necessary, perform general maintenance on livestock watering systems,. The herder may need to work around or with a tractor or drive a truck to assist in providing supplemental feed for the sheep while the sheep are at the ranch headquarters. The herder may have to construct portable electric fences when the sheep are at the ranch headquarters. The worker may perform maintenance on water systems that are used exclusively by the sheep for watering the sheep.
May assist in lambing, docking, and shearing. The following seasonal duties will need to be performed. Herder will need to move pregnant ewes to lambing grounds. Be able to identify signs of ewes going into labor and identify potential problems during the labor process. Know how and when to assist during difficult births. Be able to properly constrain ewes for difficult births and able to graft orphan lambs to mothers. Ability to identify herd health issues including but not limited to malnutrition of ewes and lambs, prolapse and mastitis. Provide water to animals, including minor maintenance of water troughs and water lines. May need to haul water in truck to supplement animal water needs. May need to provide supplement feed for the ewes and lambs if the range has insufficient forage. Disperse livestock on the range to reduce overcrowding and increase the success of mother and lamb bonding. Protect vulnerable livestock (lambs & ewes in labor) from predators. Move Ewes and lambs and assist in branding, castrating, vaccinating, tagging, and worming. Ability to safely catch lambs with a hook. Move ewes and lambs to summer range grounds.
Housing: Employer-provided (including mobile or range)
Meals: Housing contains free and convenient cooking facilities and employer will provide three prepared meals a day or adequate food, free of charge, based on the requisition by worker, for workers to prepare their own meals while in camp or on the range. Employer may at times provide prepared meals for workers consumption. Employer will provide worker a minimum of 4.5 gallons of potable water per day per worker for drinking and cooking purposes. Additional clean water will be provided to meet the workers laundry and bathing needs.
Transport: Transportation from point of recruitment to worksite and from the worksite back to the point of recruitment will be arranged and provided by Employer. Employer will reimburse worker for subsistence costs during travel to worksite no later than the end of the first pay period upon presentation of receipts and from the worksite at the end of the job based on rates established in the applicable regulations.
Experience wanted: 3 months
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