[Legs]

Hi

First time poster - be nice!

I've got a small paddock - 0.25 acre - that is too much (and too awkward) to mow, and we don't have anything like a topper...  My wife and I are thinking of getting a couple of lambs each year, getting them to do the hard work, and having them slaughtered in the autumn so that (a) we don't have to overwinter them, (b) we don't get embroiled in long-term-sheep-keeping issues, and (c) we can fill up the freezer.

Does this sound like a realistic prospect?  The paddock is already fenced.  I am, of course, aware about the need to register CPH etc etc...  If so, what breeds would anyone recommend (main criteria are good grass-cutters, manageable temperament, tasty)?

Thanks in advance,

 - Tim

[Fleecewife]

Hi there  quarter of an acre isn't very much but if the grass is good then you might be able to fatten your lambs on it ok, and your intention is to send them off by the end of the grass growing season, so I would say give it a go.  You will need a breed which grows quickly, but not so quickly that they are normally sold straight off the dams.  On the other hand, my favourite breeds of Hebridean and Soay wouldn't finish quickly enough and would have to be kept over the winter.  What about Jacob wethers if you have a breeder near you?  The meat is very tasty, the carcases are a reasonable size and they are usually ready to go from about the end of Sept depending on where you live and when the lambs were born. Jacobs have two added bonuses in that they are beautiful to look at and you can get the hides tanned either for your own use or to sell for a tiny bit of income, or to recoup the initial cost of the lambs 

[feldar]

Hi  everyone will have their own favourite breeds and will advise you to get that particular breed. Look at your grass and ground the heavier meaty breeds like my hamps will finish quickly on good grass, but may need some concentrate to finish them on poorer ground.
bigger breeds sufolks etc don't like to go hungry, but you will get more meat in weight for your freezer so swings and roundabouts.
Maybe go for a crossbred of meat sheep and rare breed our cross Llanwenog/hamps have good feet and finish quickly. It's a minefield out there but perfectly possible, we have a lot of friends who have a couple of weaned lambs each spring to finish for themselves, good luck.

[jaykay]

I'd suggest whatever is the local crossbreed. They will grow reasonably but will need some fattening, as Fleecewife suggests and you'll be able to buy and sell them easily. Here in Cumbria it would be Mules, ie Swaledale x Blue-faced Leicester. Whereabouts are you?

[SallyintNorth]

Hereabouts (north Cumbria) you could get hill-bred texel crosses out of mules which on good grass lower down should finish by the back end maybe with a bit of cake (say half-a-pound per head per day) for the last month or so.

But you would be hard-pressed to get just two that would not need to over-winter; any being sold in small numbers were probably orphan lambs which take a lot longer to finish, whatever breed they are.  Oh!  I just realised I am answering like a farmer not a smallholder (again!  been told off about this before - sorry everyone!)  Thinking about it there are smallholders locally who maybe could sell a couple of lambs which you could fatten, and would be glad to not have to take their store lambs to the mart, so I take that back.

As everyone else has said, we need to know where you are to help further.

[Legs]

I knew there was something I missed out!  We're in Staffordshire, just a few miles outside Uttoxeter.
Thanks for all the encouraging stuff so far - obviously a very friendly place, here!

[farmershort]

I knew there was something I missed out!  We're in Staffordshire, just a few miles outside Uttoxeter.
Thanks for all the encouraging stuff so far - obviously a very friendly place, here!

you're almost a local then

there's always plenty of mules about (I hate them personally, but only co's they look naff)... or plenty of texel / suffolk crosses. There's also a fair few rare-breeds breeders around our way.

be aware that you're still going to have to get involved in some aspects of full-scale/term sheep farming - feet may need trimming or spraying, they will almost certainly need come sort of fly repellent on them (don't use crovect, it's crap in our area - the pink one is good though, vetrocin?).... plus a whole host of other things which *can* effect lambs, but usually doesn't. buy ones which look bright and happy in the face, and which stand/walk well on their legs.

If you're looking for the area to stay neatly cut, then you may be dissapointed. The grass will get away from them very quickly in the good growing months - may/june-ish, then they'll catch it up, and maybe not all that evenly

that said, I think it's a cracking plan, and as long as you have a plan B if you run out of grass, then it's very low risk

HTH

Adam

[SallyintNorth]

Well I knew your area but would be very out of date now - I was at school in Rocester for a couple of years in the 70s.  I have no idea what sheep would be around you now - but someone will.  Oh!  It's Farmer Adam - and he answered while I was typing! 

[farmershort]

Well I knew your area but would be very out of date now - I was at school in Rocester for a couple of years in the 70s.  I have no idea what sheep would be around you now - but someone will.  Oh!  It's Farmer Adam - and he answered while I was typing! 

ahem.... yes, back after a short break

[shetlandpaul]

1/4 acre is pretty small. maybe buy just buy a bigger mower. after all the fencing ect your likely to be raising expensive lamb.

[GeorgieB82]

I agree with shetlandpaul that 0.25 acres is a little small, especially as for keeping just a few sheep will mean registering with DEFRA, keeping flock records, movement licences, etc. Keeping a couple of sheep to mow the grass still requires you to follow the same rules and regs as someone with 1000 sheep. Hope I'm not being a bearer of bad news.

[melholly]

Hello!

I'm new to sheep keeping too - like u I wanted lawnmowers. I've 5 acres and thought 3 orphan lambs would do the job! Oh how naive I was! So thought I'd be clever and get some big mummies - 2 polled dorests and lambs arrived. They haven't touched the grass! Farmer laughed at me and told me '4 sheep an acre' that's 4 adult sheep!!
Agree with the defra stuff, it is a big deal and take today for example one of my mums has lost an ear tag! No flippin idea what to do!!

Good luck!
Mx
http://selfridgestoscats.blogspot.com

[jaykay]

MelHolly, you'll just have to get more sheep   And if you haven't already, divide your 5 acres into at least 4 fields and rotate your sheep around them, moving them once a week. Cos of worms. Sorry if you knew this 

[GeorgieB82]

Hello!

I'm new to sheep keeping too - like u I wanted lawnmowers. I've 5 acres and thought 3 orphan lambs would do the job! Oh how naive I was! So thought I'd be clever and get some big mummies - 2 polled dorests and lambs arrived. They haven't touched the grass! Farmer laughed at me and told me '4 sheep an acre' that's 4 adult sheep!!
Agree with the defra stuff, it is a big deal and take today for example one of my mums has lost an ear tag! No flippin idea what to do!!

Good luck!
Mx
http://selfridgestoscats.blogspot.com

What I would do (and I think it is correct) is to replace the tag with the next one in your batch, presuming she is pre-eid. We always seem to have tags left over from previous regimes (single tag, double tag now EID) and just replace the tag with one of the same regime. Then all you need to do is reference the old tag number to the new tag number in your holding register for traceability.

[feldar]

If you know her original number, flock number etc just order a replacement with that number in it. if she's pedigree she may have a reference flock number too, otherwise bang a red replacement tag in her and record it in your book, some companies can have replacement tags out to you the next day.