The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: FarmerJase on February 05, 2012, 08:51:01 pm
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Hi Everyone,
We are hoping to be in a position to a keep a few sheep (5-10) soon. We've kept some White Face store lambs over the last 3 years for 6 months at a time before putting them in the freezer, but this has been mainly down to limited space. Now, I've always fancied Herdwick's, but are these a good choice for beginners?
Cheers
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do you like running?... because you will be chasing them for ever more... they don't like being kept in a field and are escape artists... but they are Hardy... as with all breeds some good points some bad
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In a word - no :D
They are lively, escape artists and not easy to corral. We started with Rough Fells and Herdwicks. When we sold the Herdies, much as I loved the pretty, wilful little things, the whole place, including the Roughs calmed down.
I might have some again now I've learned more about sheep, but I'd start with something more biddable.
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No idea what they are like on the hoof so to speak but my sister knitted my OH a hat for Christmas from their wool. SHe had really taken time over it and told him al about their history as associations with Beatrix Potter etc.
He calls it his horse hair hat and only wears it if he had been especially bad! It is more than a little itchy!
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Hi
I have kept herdwicks on my small holding for about 5 years and must say that they are easy to care for,and biddable,this is probably due to the fact that all my stock came from flocks outside the Lake District.
Stock from the Lakes are nearly wild and are known as flying Herdwicks :sheep:
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Lol, wild flying Herdies, that's what we had. Tame ones would be lovely, they're very sweet.
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Herdwicks are hefted to a place, that means they live somewhere. They will wander about within what they see as their home, they learn where they live from their mothers. So if mum thinks your field and the next two neighbours fields are home she'll teach her offspring that too.
I had some Badgerfaced that were similar, one ewe in particular taught her offspring to get out, unfortunately she had twins so I had 3 of the b.ggers escaping.
Think about it, you buy a Herdwick, it's hefted to a place, you get it to your field, all it wants to do is go home so it escapes.
I live in The Lakes I thought about Herdwick 'till a farmer said 'aye put em on there, you'll niver see 'em agin'
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We have a couple of Herdwicks, bought locally, one is a bit nervous, the other one takes food from our hands or a bucket. Neither have tried to escape so far, but I agree about getting them from their true home, they would be pretty wild. I would love to have some but probably not a good idea. I also have a charolais x herdy, don't know the origin of the herwick bit, but she's a wild as wild. We got her as a lamb, and she's lambed here, but still keeps her distance and difficult to catch, although she does go in the pens with the others.
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I was told that 6 is the magic number as far as sheep are concerned re getting a shearer and other lists!!!!
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Our neighbouring farmer has some Herdwicks which were bought as presents for his wife as they are 'pretty'. He says they are a **** nuisance and always escaping. They go through hedges, under gates (lifting them off their hinges) and over fences. If he leaves them on a wild bit of ground, about 10 acres of woodland, they stay put. But that does nothing for his stock control. On a more serious note, the ram gets out too and has got into my field with my ewes. Another neighbour has watched their antics and says they 'defy physics' with their escaping.
I suppose it depends what amount and type of land you have. And whether you like your sheep to be tame.
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Ours used to run up the drystone walls vertically to get out of the holding pen and the tup did a three foot vertical take-off once to get out of the quad-bike trailer. I had to put hurdles on top of the mothering pens as well round the sides and watching my ex trying to put raddle on him was the final straw in deciding to sell them - there were a number of non-standard shepherding term used on those occasions ;)
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Glad to know I am not alone! ;D I have always fancied the Herdwicks and thought I'd get a couple to add to my coloured flock of ewe lambs. Well, it was not my best decision - they are incredibly flighty, the girl selling them said they kept escaping from the field and going off across her uncle's crops, taking the others with them ::). The uncle said he said he would shoot them if he saw them on there again :farmer: so they had to go. I stabled them for a week to see if I could get them to calm a little, but the only way I could get near them was to pen them in sheep hurdles. One nearly jumped over the top, and the other one just lay down and nearly died when I came near it.
Now they are out with my ewe lambs in a very well stock-fenced field, but they are always on the lookout and when I feed them, they shoot off like scalded cats if I so much as look at them while they are eating! ::)
I need to worm them this week, that will be an interesting exercise .. :P
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Sounds like Herdwick's are not the option then!
Cheers for the feedback everyone - what about Texels? I know they look like woolly coffee tables, but they do seem to offer a lot of meat? Also, there are lots of local farms selling them on a regular basis.
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They do, but to risk being a bit rude - they're rather ugly and boring (runs and hides).
Whatabout Ryelands or some of the downs sheep like Hampshires, Southdowns? Calmer, quite cute, meaty but more interesting and rarer?
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Texels would be a good commercial breed, if you can get them for a reasonable price then I'd go for it - if your plan is to produce good market lambs. I started my flock with six cade lambs, four were crossbred ewes and the other two were crossbred wethers. I got myself a pedigree Ryeland ram at a very cheap price and I've had some fantastic lambs!
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If you are only keeping a few sheep on a non-commercial basis, I'd suggest that you go with a British rare or traditional breed. No disrespect to the Texel as it seems to be a very popular commercial breed and I'm sure it's very good at producing big meaty lambs for the suppermarket but it is fugly. Not as fugly as a Beltex but close.
You have an opportunity to invest in a British breed that, for now, doesn't meet the demands of the supermarkets for lean, muscley, uniform carcases - and help to protect the genetics of these wonderful breeds that are part of our social history for the future. Plus you'll get something pleasing to the eye and that tastes wonderful too.
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust has information about sheep breeds on its website but try and visit some shows, sales or local breeders of breeds you fancy. Most breeders of rare breed sheep are happy to wax lyrical about them for hours ;D
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Oh dear, poor Texels ;D
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I'm afraid I concur on the fugliness of Texels, they are also prone to get stuck on their backs, and the broad heads can cause difficult lambing.
What kind of land do you have?
Rich, improved grass, or heath and scrub?
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http://www.rbst.org.uk/watch-list/sheep (http://www.rbst.org.uk/watch-list/sheep) ;)
Also
http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=21140.0 (http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=21140.0)
http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=20481.0 (http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=20481.0)
:thumbsup: