About the Farm
Sheep
We have around 1,000 sheep on the farm in total. Lambing starts at the end of March and continues into May when the hill lambing finishes. We now do most of the lambing indoors, which can be busy and sometimes hectic, but it’s not long until mum and baby lambs are back outside in the fields again.
Shearing is another high point in the calendar and very weather dependent. Robin and Finlay shear all our sheep between the end of May and the end of June. Drop in to see them while you are here – he may give you a try, and they’ll be grateful for the chance of a breather!
August brings sheep sales when a lot of beautifying happens – can you believe every sheep at this time of year has her face washed before going to market? There are lots of days with sheep in the handling pens for you to see when you pop by.
Cattle
The predominant breed of cattle here at Mains of Collin is Limousin, a French breed known for their hardiness, ability to milk well and produce lean, fine-grained meat with relatively low fat cover. To allow us to keep a closed herd to protect from various diseases, we calve most cows in the spring and some in the autumn. We have around 100 cows that produce a calf each year. We have two or three bulls on the farm, although most of our cows are put in calf using artificial insemination which means that we use the best of the breed and therefore produce a high quality animal for both breeding and meat.
In winter time we bring our cattle inside. Calving time is a very busy time of year and we are very often up during the night to check or help a cow deliver her new calf. After a bonding time in the shed, mum and baby trot off to the field. You will see them in various fields throughout the year on your walks around the farm tracks.
Dogs
Our dogs deserve the best as every day they give their best to us. They work tirelessly whether it is with sheep or cattle and they are part of our family. They all have their own personalities and their stories to tell, and Robin will happily tell you that a day spent with his dogs is always a good day.
Farm Tours
Seeing new life on the farm is magical at any time of year, so please arrange with us if you would like a personal tour with Robin. His passion for the farm and his animals is evident on these tours – ask him lots of questions, you may be surprised at some of the answers!
