The Poultry Keeper

leebarton · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 365 Location: Elgin, NE Scotland

I've got my landlady to agree to us having sheep. She has a 250 acre farm (of which we have about an acre), and what she doesn't know about sheep will fit on a postage stamp. This made the idea of sheep a good option as she is willing to advise and support us.

I am looking for beasties that will be good for the table, wool suitable for spinning, fairly docile and easy lambers. So not a huge requirement! Rolling Eyes

We have been recommended Lleyn which are not widely known, but I thought I would ask on the forum for your wonderfully experienced thoughts. Very Happy

(bit of flattery, you know!)

debcat · Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 3:37 pm Post subject:

hi,
I'd never handled a sheep til I moved here, now I wouldn't be without them Laughing

Mine are all friendly (eat out your hand) which makes handling them loads easier
What rams has your landlady got? She would most likely let you use hers for breeding, crosses often make the best lambs

I have a mixture of scottish blackfaces and suffolks.
the blackfaces can have trouble lambing if they are ram lambs (born with horns). They are quite flighty but the horns make it easier to get hold of them. they are not really bred for the table, the ewes are generally crossed with something else. The wool from these is supposed to be good for spinning

The suffolks seem to have less problems but are more likely to have multiple births. They are alot more docile. They are a good table breed but the wool is not as good

another good docile breed for the table is the texels, the wool is not as good on these either.

Hope this helps
Debs

Dorset Poultry · Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 4:40 pm Post subject:

Have you thought about shetlands?
*they are small so you can have more of them
*they are very hardy so you don't need to bring them in and they can lamb outside
*they eat hardly any hay, and get fat on the sparsest grazing
*they hardly ever need help lambing
*the lambs grow really quickly
*they have a really high quality fleece
*they come in loads of different colours!

Not that I'm bias or anything... Very Happy

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6973 Location: isle of lewis

i love hedridens,their meat is ment to be good ,texel are lovey a couple of really friendly over the back ,i'd go with what the locals have they know what suits the envioment ,although you could go not go wrong with shetlands they must be tough as old boots ,
suz

Dorset Poultry · Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 5:51 pm Post subject:

Hey! I wouldn't recommend them if i didn't like eating them, my stomach comes first,(literally, i mean it starts crossing the road before I've stepped off the pavement!). Texel are good though if you want big lambs to cull sooner as they mature really quickly, but I'd get some texel mule crosses so they ar ea bit hardier if you live in Scotland! Very Happy

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6973 Location: isle of lewis

i ment they must be hardy ,i bet they are tasty,everyone here has scottish blackface or the others deb mentions, sorry edited it to say not after i posted.

suz

leebarton · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 365 Location: Elgin, NE Scotland

Shetlands look good, but I've heard they are quite flighty. With two children who want to be involved (boy says he will be vegetarian as long as he can still eat meat!!!) they have to be easy going.

When you say they can stay out at winter - do you mean that they don't need shelter at all? Shocked

debcat · Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 7:05 pm Post subject:

Mine stay out all year, the barn backs onto the field and there is another small barn in the field so they shelter behind these.
We lamb later here (end march / beginning of April), the only time they come in is if they have any problems lambing

jaydee67 · Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 7:24 pm Post subject:

Living in Shetland I can guarantee that the sheep are out all year around! The Shetlands tend to be the ones left in the hill and not tended to during lambing unlike some of the other breeds which seem to need extra feeding during winter and more help with lambing - bleary eyed crofters everywhere! The Shetland sheep my bro in law raises certainly taste good and I would think if you raise them in a small area with attention there is no reason why they wouldn't be tamer. Just like hens - the more attention they get the more responsive? If you want wool for spinning that is another good reason for going for Shetlands. I don'k keep sheep before anyone asks - but you can't avoid them here! My daughter has a t-shirt saying Shetland, 395,795 sheep - 21, 050 people, not sure if the figures are correct - but you get the idea!

George · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 5661 Location: London

Dorset Poultry · Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 9:07 pm Post subject:

That sounds just like my house let alone an island!

leebarton · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 365 Location: Elgin, NE Scotland

I've been back to see Jill and tell her my decision to go for shetlands and she knows a farmer and has arranged a deal. She will hand pick four or six of the best for us, and she has arranged to see a ram before they come to live here.

How cool is that! Cool

She did say that they are very difficult to contain so any ideas on that would be very gratefully received.

jaydee67 · Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 10:57 pm Post subject:

I have seen persistant offenders with wooden 'collars' made from 3 strips of wood in a triangle - that means they can get their heads through a fence but the rest of the body can't follow.

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

I know nothing whatsoever about sheep, so here come my daft suggestions for containing them.
Do they jump ~ have a higher fence.
If they get through small holes (going along with your triangular necklace) can you not put up smaller mesh wire fencing on your wooden fencing (if you have wooden fencing that is).
Sorry if these are daft suggestions, just all I could think of

leebarton · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 365 Location: Elgin, NE Scotland

Jill thinks they dig their way out. They are quite elusive - you just realise they have made a bid for freedom - a bit like a sheepie version of chicken run really!