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 Care
and Costs
As
with all wild and domestic animals,
sheep need (and truly deserve) a
lot of
care.
Together
with his dogs, John Kissane walks
up the mountains every day to check
on his sheep or to gather them and
bring them safely to the farm where
they get the care they need. The
sheep are wild and the mountains
are high and wide. It takes several
days and sometimes even weeks to
find and bring in all the sheep.
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 Extra
Food
Feeding the sheep is our first priority. During the summer and autumn
months, sheep will find plenty of food in the mountains, eating grass
and heather. During the winter and spring, the mountains do not provide
enough food. To keep the sheep from starving before the grasses begin
to grow, John Kissane walks up the mountains every day to bring them
food. In some months, the costs of food can exceed €150
a day. (That is more than €4,500
a month!).
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| Medical
Care and Other Costs
In addition to being fed, the sheep need to be protected against diseases
and vermin. They get a vaccination every three months and each dose
costs €1
to €2. In July, their fleeces are ready to be sheared. The price received
for a kilogram of wool in Ireland hardly
covers the costs of the shearing.
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 It
is easy to see that with a flock
of more than 1,000 sheep, and six working
dogs, veterinary costs can become quite high.
Safe
fences and
gates near the roads and the farm protect not
only the sheep, but also the visitors on the
roads near the farm. None of the cost of running
the farm nor maintaining the sheep is subsidised
by the government. We must bear the expense
ourselves. |
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You
Can Help
Visit our Adoption Page to
see how you can help the sheep! It does not cost you much and the
rewards are many. Won't you take a moment to look?
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Kissane
Sheep Farm
John, Anne & Sean Kissane
Moll's Gap
Kenmare, Co. Kerry
Ireland
Tel +353 64 66 34791
info@adopt-a-sheep.ie |
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