A dedicated outdoor pit or channel with running water designed for washing sheep, cattle, or other livestock. Animals are driven through the water to clean their coats of mud, manure, and debris. Historically essential before shearing to improve fleece quality, these structures are less common now but still exist on traditional pastoral farms.
Heard on the job
Drive the flock down to the washpit so we can get the worst of the mud off before the shearers arrive.
Also heard as
- wash pit