Things to See at Mains of Collin
Life on a Working Farm
Sheep
We have around 1,000 sheep on the farm in total, and these are split into three groups. Lambing starts at the end of March and continues into May when the hill lambing finishes. The majority of lambing is done outside but we do bring some sheep inside to lamb. Please enquire if you would like to feed a pet lamb – we may not always have orphan lambs as Robin tries very hard to get them new Mummies. Shearing is another high point in the calendar and very weather dependent. Robin shears all of our sheep between the end of May and the end of June. Drop in to see him while you are here – he may give you a try!!
Late August brings sheep sales when a lot of beautifying happens so there are lots of days with sheep in the pens for you to see when you pop by.
Cattle
The breed of cattle here at Mains of Collin are Limousin cross cows and they are put to a Limousin bull. These are red or black in colour, and we have around 100 cows that produce a calf each Spring. We have two 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 some of our cattle inside. Our 100 cows calve between mid-March and the end of May. It’s a very busy time of year and we are very often up during the night to check or help a cow deliver if she is having trouble. Seeing new life on the farm is a magical time of year, so please arrange with us if you would like to visit the cows and calves. After a bonding time with their new calf 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
We couldn’t manage day to day without our team of working collies. We currently have 5 dogs – Sam, Roy, Ben, Glen and Jenny. They help us with rounding up, gathering and catching sheep and sometimes cows too.
However, the dog who thinks she is the most important is Maisie our Jack Russel Terrier. You will no doubt meet her on your travels.
