More than just lambing. Come and get stuck in!
Looking for a veterinary AHEMS placement where you’ll gain hands-on experience, build confidence and feel part of the farm team?
At Heaton House Farm, on the borders of Staffordshire, Cheshire and Derbyshire, we offer two-week lambing placements for veterinary students completing their Animal Husbandry Extra-Mural Studies (AHEMS).
With around 150 ewes lambing indoors and cattle calving at a similar time, we’re a relatively small farm. But that’s one of our biggest strengths, as we can offer plenty of individual attention and support.
We don’t want you standing at the side watching everything happen. We want you to get involved!
We believe the best way to learn is by doing, with someone experienced nearby to help. We love sharing our knowledge, hearing your ideas and learning from you too!
Placement 1: 20th March to 2nd April 2027
Placement 2: 27th March to 9th April 2027
We’re a seventh-generation family farm, run by Mick, Margaret and their daughter Sarah, alongside our farm team, Sam and Lucy.
Mick manages the farm, with Sam helping out (and between them, there’s never a shortage of jokes!). Margaret is our resident mother hen, keeping everyone well fed and looked after. Sarah runs the family’s wedding venue, catering company and pub, but loves getting back into the lambing shed. Lucy specialises in lambing and brings valuable clinical knowledge, veterinary terminology and practical animal health experience to the team.
You’ll work mainly alongside Mick, Sarah and Lucy. We’re an informal bunch who love a laugh, sharing our knowledge and watching students grow in confidence. Most importantly, we want you to feel at home and enjoy your time with us!
Lambing is obviously a big part of your placement, but we believe understanding what happens before and after birth is just as important.
You’ll have opportunities to get involved in:
We also try to arrange a visit to another working farm, giving you the chance to see different approaches to livestock management.
During your first few days, we’ll work closely alongside you, covering the basics and helping you understand our routines. These initial days may involve longer shifts while you find your feet.
As your confidence grows, we’ll move towards shorter shifts, mixing early mornings and late evenings to give you a realistic experience of working on a livestock farm.
We’ll encourage you to think independently, make observations and have a go yourself, always with appropriate supervision and animal welfare coming first.
And please don’t be afraid to ask questions or share ideas! We love learning from our students too. In fact, one of our most recent useful lambing tips came from Instagram, so we’re always open to new ways of doing things!
We’re also home to an award-winning wedding venue and employ over 100 people across our wider business. We’re very used to helping young people develop their skills and confidence.
During lambing season, we host public lambing open days, where students can help visitors understand what’s happening on the farm.
It might feel daunting at first, but we’ve found that students soon enjoy chatting to visitors and sharing what they’ve learnt. It’s a great way to develop your communication skills too!
Once your placement is confirmed, we’ll add you to our Lambing WhatsApp group so you can start getting to know us and the farm.
We’ll share videos and updates showing what’s happening with the sheep, how we’re preparing for lambing and anything interesting along the way.
You’ll have a better understanding of what to expect before you even step foot on the farm, and plenty of opportunities to ask questions!
Your placement, accommodation and food are completely free.
You’ll stay in our on-site self-catering accommodation, with your own private bedroom and shared kitchen and living areas.
We’ll take you shopping for groceries, which we’ll pay for, and provide a hot evening meal after a busy day on the farm.
We’re not expecting you to arrive as a lambing expert. We’re much more interested in your attitude!
We love students who are enthusiastic, curious, willing to work hard and happy to get stuck in. Bring your questions, ideas and willingness to learn!
Complete our short application form, telling us about yourself, your university, experience and preferred dates.
We’ll invite shortlisted applicants for a friendly chat to get to know each other and answer your questions.
Once confirmed, we’ll send you the details and add you to our Lambing WhatsApp group!
No. We welcome veterinary students with different levels of experience and provide plenty of guidance throughout your placement.
Yes. Our placements are designed for veterinary students completing Animal Husbandry Extra-Mural Studies (AHEMS). Please confirm any specific requirements with your university.
Yes. Accommodation and food are completely free. You’ll have your own private bedroom with shared kitchen and living facilities.
We have cattle calving around the same time, so there may be opportunities to get involved, depending on what’s happening during your placement.
We accommodate a maximum of three students at any one time, allowing plenty of individual attention and support.
