Ashdown Forest

There has been a wonderfully positive response to the project so far, many people are very excited about seeing sheep out grazing the heath again, under the watchful eye of our shepherd, Louise, and her sheepdogs.

Louise has now bought some sheep and The Conservators are now the proud owners of 56 Hebridean ewes.

“Why Hebridean” - you might ask?  Well, it has been scientifically proven that these sheep are the best at grazing on heathlands – preferring to eat coarse grass and even scrub, ignoring the heather and allowing it to grow.  They are also incredibly hardy and require very little management to stay healthy.

Louise and her three dogs will be walking the sheep out from fenced in-bye land onto the Forest to graze daily.  However, things have been put on hold due to the outbreaks of Foot and Mouth. Please see the sheep blog for the latest news on this.

Before the sheep venture out onto the heath together, Louise needs to be sure they will keep together as a flock under some stressful conditions, such as dog attack.  They must also relax and graze when being herded into particular areas.  So far, they are progressing really well and have been out on heath on a few occasions, once restrictions are lifted they will be back out again.  So keep a look out for them!