The Poultry Keeper

Sparklepeeps · Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 1967 Location: Cheshire

I think I have pretty much sussed out chicken keeping now.

Time for a new challenge and I am considering renting a field and having two sheep. Not immediately, I like to do my research before commitment, so my time scale is simply before the lambing season.

I have read up on how to choose the sheep you want, now I have to get it sorted in my mind what I would need to buy before hand. (This is bound to be very nieve, but its my start, any help greatfully appreciated)...

Animal Trailer
Feed trough
Water Trough of some description
Foot trimming implement (or whatever it is that is needed)
Food
Field! (ideally with two spearate areas, with some sort of shelter - will a tree do? what happens in winter when it has no leaves?)
Shears
Wormer
Food Store

I also have a list of learning things, can you suggest anything else I should be researching?

Sheepcare - the shepards year - course
Successful Lambing course
Sheep shearing course.
Learning about DEFRA stuff and ear tags

Ooooh, this is exciting. (Those of you who got me through the traumas of getting an electric fence will now groan disparingly at the thought of another brand new venture to support me through!!!!) Laughing

bronskibeat · Joined: 09 Sep 2007 Posts: 1768 Location: Clawddnewydd

Yes, find a knowledgeable friend close by for when things go pear-shaped (which they inevitably do Rolling Eyes

) who you can call on at short notice to give you a hand Very Happy

Shelter will all depend on breed of sheep foremost followed by what the fences are made of. If they are nice tall(ish) thick hedges, then they should suffice for shelter (again, breed dependent) If the field is undulating, there may be shelter to be had in a dip etc. Shade is probably a bigger factor in the summer so the tree will be fine.
As far as learning goes, I was on the Cheshire Smallholders Assoc. committee (many moons ago!!) but they are invaluable as a resource for novices. Reaseheath run short courses for all kinds of things and the CSA worked closely with them to provide training (I'm not sure if they still do though) Here's the link to their page www.cheshiresmallholders.org.uk

They were a friendly bunch when I was a member and still allowed me to join even though I wasnt classed as a "smallholder"!!

Have fun s'peeps Cool

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1452 Location: Leicestershire

Groan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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You know you will need to register don't you?

And have a holding number?

etc?

DEFRA hoops?

Are you planning on breeding with them?

Lambing season is upon us already . . . I will have scanned the first of this seasons by the end of this month (scanned at 12 weeks)

I'm not too sure you want to be going down the shearing them yourself course.

I don't think you'll need a trailer, not at first anyway.

Trees and hedges make good sheep shelters - they don't need to be indoors apart from for ease at lambing time, and it's more human ease than sheep necessity.

To obtain two seperate areas in the field you could always. . . .

gulp. . . .

gulp . . . .

use electric fencing . . . . gulp.

Most fields have a water supply

Beware the type you go for. . . . don't go for some rare hill breed, you'll never keep them in a paddock.

Also think seriously about buying two female orphan lambs in spring, if you bottle feed them they will always be tame, find a breed you like, find a producer of that breed and go and do the deal for a 3 or 4 day old orphan, don't get one that's been with it's mother for weeks, you'll never get it on the bottle. If you go for this don't buy at market, you will end up with a terminal bred lamb that will only get fat and not be a good breeder.

Don't go for a big breed like a Suffolk or Texel - only because they are so difficult to manhandle.

Look around for a course to go on - look in Country smallholder or some such magazine, my local ag college ran day courses for sheep owners (I went on the shearing one, hence the above comment).

Itsybitsy

nigel · Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 7:25 am Post subject:

The first thing the lecturer on my smallholding course said on the subject of sheep

Sylvia · Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 7:36 am Post subject:

Itsybitsy, first tried to read you reply at about 5 this morning, laughing so much I had to abandon and come back to it.
Another example of what a lovely friendly forum this is.

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7424 Location: isle of lewis

agree with itsy about the rare mountian breeds ,we had to catch some soay sheep the other day it took me a deb all day and ended up with a trapping thing so we could stand 70 feet away ,and pull the gate shut on them with a long piece of string a dog was no good they scattered being made ,they were more like deer ,i'm sure there are ones that are ok ,but i still have the bruises and this was 3 weeks ago they just paniced and ran though you .told my other half if i ever suggested them then have me commited Rolling Eyes

don't forget as well double tagging is needed now ,and in the new year we are going to have to go to eid ,electrontic tagging Wink

i started with bottle feeds getting my first ewes back this year ,i've done the lambing course ,i don't find keeping sheep difficult at all ,and agree divide the feild into 2 using yep Wink

Sparklepeeps · Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 1967 Location: Cheshire

Thanks for your replies (Itsy you do make me larf!)
'Fraid I cant reply properly until Wednesday but Ive got loads to discuss.

...Just a quick question. What breed are the ones that you commonly see knocking about with white wool and a black face? They are my favourites.

debcat · Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 7:42 pm Post subject:

scottish blackfaces?

http://tinyurl.com/5xcyvx

Sparklepeeps · Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 1967 Location: Cheshire

humm, not sure. The ones I had seen were shaved so looked different... difficult to tell... and they didnt have horns.

OMG. I am SO supposed to be doing my homework for night school tomorrow, but cant help looking! Twisted Evil

(Itsy, dont faint, I totally agree with buying a normal breed for my first ones Rolling Eyes

, but I absolutely love these...)

South Devon

Romanov, so I could have lots of lambs

Jacob

Herdwick

nigel · Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 9:20 pm Post subject:

Herdwicks have the best mutton i have ever tasted

bronskibeat · Joined: 09 Sep 2007 Posts: 1768 Location: Clawddnewydd

White wool plus black face = suffolk

take my advice, DONT!!!!!!!!!!!! they are more trouble than enough when it comes to lambing Shocked

If you want a nice quiet breed that is fairly well easy care and tough, doesnt need much of a hand at lambing and are exceptional mothers, try Kendal Rough Fells. I bought a couple of ewe lambs 2 years ago, they lambed as shearlings this year by themselves, fabulous attentive mothers and the lambs have grown like stink with no feeding.

Oh, and they are very attractive too Wink

Chris Kurzfeld · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 1712 Location: Carmarthenshire

Know Herdwicks, lovely sheep but escape artists personified!!!!!!! So unless your fences are like Fort Knox - steer clear.

I have Rylands - they are a docile breed, easy to tame and don't escape - even if you leave the gate open - they just can't be bothered!

I started out with 3 ewes almost 4 years ago and they have been (touch evey bit of wood around!) really easy - healthy, easy to lamb, great mums, not susceptible to footrot and best of all - look like big teddy bears Laughing

. I now have 5 ewes (2 this years lambs), 1 coloured ram - 2 ram lambs (for sale or freezer) and 1 mower (a vasectomised runt who is a pet Very Happy

).

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1452 Location: Leicestershire

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7424 Location: isle of lewis

I think BB and itsy are right, Very Happy

Be aware that hill breed sheep have to be fairly wild there are the occasionally that aren't but they don't tend to respect fencing and can be hard to bring in for drenching. And they tend to have rougher wool. If your looking for good wool production the Leicesters are really nice.

Don't go for the terminals (texel, beltex, charalais, suffolk) as itsy and BB said very large Sad

I don't think Romanov would be ideal as that's alot of lambs if something doesn't work and sourcing them would be difficult in Britain I'd think but never looked seriously at them. If you had 2 you could be talking 6 lambs and say you keep 1 lamb would you be able to eat that much meat and thats alot of drench over the year. They must take a fair bit of feed for milk for that mainly lambs. Sad

but they are pretty. Twisted Evil

Have a look around at lambing as you'll find orphans fanastic to tame normally. Look around the local area (Some breeds may not be suited to your area)

Have you thought about the Llyen which is a quiet sheep I believe from wales they tend to have 4 lambs at top limit but mainly singles and twins, they tend to be very easy going, easy lambing as well and the flock is self shearling which actually is a plus in flocks up here but not be what your looking for. Wink

I love my blackface and kendals (BB do you know any breeders in Scotland) But tell us how you get on and what you decide Very Happy

Nonie

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1452 Location: Leicestershire

Lleyns had crossed my mind too - not too big, very pretty looking sheep, lovely wool, good prolific breeders and excellent mothers, crossed with the Charollais to produce the - I think they were called "Meadow Valleys" as a viable Mule substitute (I don't think it took off to any great degree though) that was in the 80's, there don't seem to be too many of them around now - Meadow Valleys that is not Lleyns, the come from the Lleyn Peninsular in North Wales, so they're not a hillbreed.

Itsybitsy