Dog and Crook Farm
Border Collie Training, Sheep Shearing, Replacement Stock, Lambs, Pasture Management Consultation
Welcome to
Dog and Crook Farm! The name comes from what’s called “dog and stick farming” in the UK. Especially in the Lake District of England the age old system of shepherding using Border Collies is still practiced. On our little farm in Vermont we use our dogs every day to move and handle sheep keeping up a old tradition of farming with a dog and stick!
I’m Jim McRae. With my wife Liz and our 4 Border Collies we keep things going at Dog and Crook Farm. We raise a flock of commercial cross bred sheep. We also raise pigs, broilers and have a flock of laying hens.
We manage our flock using intensive rotational grazing. We lamb on pasture and our ewes have been selected through the years for their ability to lamb without our assistance. Ewes have excellent mothering skills and lambs are hardy and active. We have limited breeding stock available for people who are interested in these traits.
We sell live lambs and can help arrange for the processing of a freezer lamb for customers who prefer grass fed Vermont lamb to the grocery store alternative. You can contact us through the email below.
We enjoy our sheep, but Border Collies are our passion. I train working Border Collies and their handlers to work and manage stock. I work primarily with Border Collies and with shepherds learning to use their dogs. It is often a steep learning curve but a very useful partnership in the end. The idea is to reach a point where the dog and shepherd become a team that work flawlessly through the day’s chores.
We offer private lessons as well as our “dog days” where we invite handlers to bring their dogs to work our sheep. All levels of skill and any working stock dog breed are welcome. To find out more about our lessons or “dog days” email me at dogandcrookfarm@yahoo.com . We also occasionally have puppies or started dogs available, and do several working dog demos throughout the year.
Liz Willis (my longtime shearing partner) and I are professional sheep shearers. Liz was the New Hampshire State youth champion for two years. Along with Tom Bilodeau and Ian McRae (my grandson) we shear sheep throughout Vermont, New England and New York. We also do shearing demonstrations at various fairs and events throughout the year. We have a good knowledge of Vermont sheep history and an antique hand crank shearing machine. People tell us that we put on an entertaining and educational show. You can see us at the Pittsford Sheep Festival, The Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival or at the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival. We also in conjunction with UVM Extension and Vermont Sheep and Goat Association run an annual sheep shearing school. For sheep shearing, shearing school or demos contact me at:
Jim McRae
Dog and Crook Farm
3200 US RT. 7
Pittsford, VT 05763
dogandcrookfarm@yahoo.com – dogs & sheep
vtshearer@yahoo.com – shearing
802-483-2463