Author Topic: Thinking of keeping sheep (Read 24330 times)

cameldairy · « **Reply #15 on:** September 19, 2009, 04:36:55 pm »

Well, I raised this breed of sheep for over 12 years and had a herd of more than 30, this was the only "mental" one among mine. How about you share your personal experience with the breed. I'm not defending the whole species, just my own.

MiriMaran · « **Reply #16 on:** September 19, 2009, 07:21:02 pm »

Pig and sheep would look like a Mangalitza I suppose!

Moleskins · « **Reply #17 on:** September 20, 2009, 11:47:44 am »

Quote from: cameldairy on September 19, 2009, 04:36:55 pm

Well, I raised this breed of sheep for over 12 years and had a herd of more than 30, this was the only "mental" one among mine. How about you share your personal experience with the breed. I'm not defending the whole species, just my own.

My personal experience of the breed is that I haven't owned any, I've seen them, I own other mountain breed sheep and owned commercial Mules and Texels. Mountain breeds by their very nature climb - so they go over fences, walls and hurdles without thinking twice about it.
My suggestion to the original question - to have Ryelands - is based on research I did recently as to which sheep are suited more to those new to sheep. Someone else either in this topic or similar topic suggested Kerry Hills, these are no doubt lovely looking animals but as you enter the field in the one corner they tend to beat a hasty retreat to the furthest point from you. Hardly great for a newcomer to deal with.
On this forum which I have followed for a while those new to animals come on and ask for advice. The advice tends to be 'have what I've got' or 'well I don't have sheep / pigs / but I've got a hamster'. Surely we should be only chipping in if we have actually kept that type of stock (sheep, pigs, horses etc) and advising on something suitable.
If I want a horse, never had one and ask what to get, would you advise to 'go and get a retired racehorse as they need a good home'. Lets not 'have a go' at each other, lets try to encourage others to go into things with their eyes open.
I recently met someone who has three Shetland rams, now at 18 months old, no ewes just the rams - who told them that would be a good idea?? And yes they are intact !!
Thanks.

cameldairy · « **Reply #18 on:** September 21, 2009, 02:07:16 am »

My personal experience of the breed is that I haven't owned any, I've seen them,-----Mountain breeds by their very nature climb - so they go over fences, walls and hurdles without thinking twice about it.------Someone else either in this topic or similar topic suggested Kerry Hills, these are no doubt lovely looking animals but as you enter the field in the one corner they tend to beat a hasty retreat to the furthest point from you. Hardly great for a newcomer to deal with-----On this forum which I have followed for a while those new to animals come on and ask for advice. The advice tends to be 'have what I've got' or 'well I don't have sheep / pigs / but I've got a hamster'. Surely we should be only chipping in if we have actually kept that type of stock (sheep, pigs, horses etc) and advising on something suitable. These are all the incredible highlights from this last post of moleskins. Kind of stupid saying that last one since he or she admitted they never had any of these sheep

Moleskins · « **Reply #19 on:** September 21, 2009, 05:35:15 pm »

We can, if you like trade insults, but my point was that the original questioner wanted some calm sheep. As such I suggested Ryelands, they are known for being docile.

I said we should only comment on stock we have experience of because of this post on another topic.

Knowing nothing about pigs but quite a lot about dogs my answer would be - depends what you are going to do with him.

Note the use of the word 'stock' just because I haven't kept a particular 'breed' of sheep, pig, or whatever doesn't mean I know nothing about them. I may have opted out of having them for good reason.

The purpose of my post was to try to help someone else to choose the right type of sheep for them. As I say I do have experience of mountain breed sheep. Could there be some differences in your sheep which are in the USA (?) to those that the person asking might buy in Derbyshire (?) UK.

This forum is a mine of information and there is a wealth of experience out there ..... but .......
we should try to be courteous, un biased and less keen to leap in with a post just for the heck of it.

I know I'll be less keen to post in the future if I'm going to get my head bitten off.

shetlandpaul · « **Reply #20 on:** September 22, 2009, 09:40:48 am »

play nice folks. We have shetlands and cheviots. both are happy to come to the bucket but a few are pains. we tend to eat those that are difficult. most sheep should chill out when they know your going to feed them. why wuld the new sheep keeper want wild hill sheep.

chickenfeed · « **Reply #21 on:** September 22, 2009, 01:33:08 pm »

my parents kept a small flock of southdowns with no problems they were friendly and quite easy to handle quite cute looking too,
they also look like teddy bears my kids loved them when they were small ( now the only interest they have with the animals is when are they ready to eat my freezers empty!!!)

MiriMaran · « **Reply #22 on:** September 22, 2009, 09:09:19 pm »

Please don't squabble on my account! I know nothing about sheep, but most breeds of things (i.e. dogs horses) have certain personality traits, but there are always the individuals that like to test the norm. Just to get back to a question I asked earlier on this thread does anyone know whether sheep can share a field with pigs or will the pigs have too much impact on the Copper levels?

Moleskins · « **Reply #23 on:** September 23, 2009, 10:45:43 am »

I keep both, I would suggest you fence off an area for the pigs. I alternate between two areas to rest and reseed.
Electric fence is ideal because you can move it easily, but the pigs need to be trained to it. Young pigs get a shock and run forwards, straight through the fence. Once that problem is overcome it works superbly. Even if you take the electric fence down they won't cross the line of where it was for some time.
This means that you have sheep and pigs separate so worry about copper is minimal. Quite how you would measure the copper levels in the soil after pigs I don't know. However some of the copper in the feed will have been absorbed by the pig so it won't all be in the excrement. Sheep do need a certain amount of minerals themselves including copper. Please see this link www.merricks.com/tech_copper_req.html
As I say having kept both types - seek out sheep with a lower desire to escape. You must also like your animals, choose some that you like.

Don't be afraid of having to clip some either, you can buy some hand shears cheaply and if you get the wool off reasonably well it can be washed and used.

PS I've just quickly read that article and you should go through it, even though it appears to be rocket science !!

PPS I'd probably worry more about problems like Pasteurella, even though vaccinated against this I just nearly lost my Ram Lamb to it. This was last week, this week he's sniffing the 'ladies' so I assume he has responded to the jabs!!

shetlandpaul · « **Reply #24 on:** September 23, 2009, 03:17:55 pm »

i thought the same but the sheep in shetland are in need of copper so we have put out a red lick.

MiriMaran · « **Reply #25 on:** September 23, 2009, 07:36:14 pm »

Thanks for that Moleskins - I read the article, nodded a few times, but got there in the end! We are planning to rest the field until the Spring and will then decide what to do. Thanks for all the advice from everyone, but as always I will keep on dithering!