The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Birdie Wife on October 17, 2008, 12:39:16 pm
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Hi, I wonder if I could pick your brains please? I would like to get some sheep for meat and pelts (equal priority) and nice fleece (if possible) and they need to be able to do well on rough grazing.
I am not an experienced sheep keeper so it would be nice if they weren't huge animals, but docile enough to be able to herd fairly easily without a dog. I have been thinking about Icelandic sheep but the prices I have seen are waaaay out of my budget (although I could only find one place that sells them, there might be others which offer . Does anyone have any experience with Shetlands or Jacobs? Any other recommendations/tips/advice?
Thanks in anticipation!
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personally i would go for Gotlands if you want all of those qualities AND friendly sheep!
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I've just had a look on the 'net - they are stunning... and the lambs are beautiful too! Okay all lambs are really... but those ones especially! They certainly look like they would fit the bill. Now I just have to work out if I can afford them... and whether there are any breeders within a 200 mile radius of me! Thanks woollyshepherd.
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Where are you?
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they are behind you ...... ;D
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Well that's either in the Firth of Forth or a big field depending on which door you are at ;) Right Rosemary? ;D
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;D ;D
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http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php/topic,1070.0/topicseen.html
;)
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Hi guys, resurrecting this thread to try and get some more information. North Ronaldsay mutton is being marketed locally and I'm wondering if I can jump on the bandwagon, so to speak. Does anyone have any experience with this breed, how hard are they to tame etc?
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I kow people with NRs and I have a lot of their wool......very nice sheep.....very nice meat......very nice wool.....and super lambskins!
Need to be kept tame as are primitives and can get a bit flighty
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Thanks WS :) so they aren't impossible for a newbie then, as long as I put in some time with them? :farmer:
PS are there any sheep you DON'T like? ;)
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;D ;D ;D not too fond of anything that is mad and jumps......several breeds and crosses spring to mind :o :o However I just like sheep and can do something woolly or tasty with every type of sheep ;)
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I know woollyshepherd won't agree with me here but Soay sheep - if treated right - can be fabulous little sheep to keep. Low maintenance, HUGE range of colours, nice healthy meat - fantastic ;D
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Oh I don't mind tame soays and they taste wonderful......its just that everytime I get called by someone with a really serious problem.........it always seems to be soays rear ends dissappearing at speed that I encounter ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D. I just love sheep that stand still....for a moment at least!!!!!
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You'd like my Soays - they are very friendly girls. Most people are surprised when they see them because they expect them to be jumping over fences ;D
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We keep boreray's they are a nice size, hardy, not sure about the meat we are breeding them just for the wool which is really nice and increasing their numbers as they are listed as critical by the RBST. There are some pics of ours on our website www.caithnessrarebreeds.com
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Hi confusedwhippet - think we may have spoken in the past when you were first looking for Borerays. If you ever do consider eating your sheep the meat is delicious - I prefer it to Soay meat :)
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Hi confused whippet, I'm interested to know what the wool is like - what do you use it for? Have you ever tried getting the pelts tanned and what are they like?
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The wool if fantastic. You get a range of colours from a light brown to an almost black. We have Castlemilk Moorits as well and their wool is good also.
My partner uses it for making scarfs and gloves. Never had the pelts tanned.
Would you like me to send you a ball of wool to see what you think?
We are hoping to increase our flock and then be in a position to sell the wool we are just having difficulty at the moment finding anyone that wants to buy it.
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I'd never say no to a freebie ;) Pm on its way.
I had heard that the wool was quite coarse and only suitable for weaving so I'm interested to find out. How much are you selling it for? Have you tried the craft shop at Skerray? They sell lots of craft-related items as well as locally grown food.
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It is a very common fable that primitive sheep fleeces are no good!! This is just not true!! However many have a coarse coat of 'hair' not wool over the top and it is this that gives the impression!
Before increasing your flock you must decide how you are going to market your wool.....as raw fleeces, as processed knitting wool, as felt sheets, or as finished goods such as hats and scarfs.
Selling raw fleeces is often problematic in that spinners are fickle and not regular buyers!!........customers may be found who will take the whole lot and have it processed......but why in that case not get it done yourself?
There is very little Boreray or Castlemilk knitting wool around and I'm sure it would go like hotcakes at events such as Wool Fest, Wonderwool and Fibrefest!
I would therefore look as getting some processed and going from there!
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Thanks for that. Yes I think we were looking at getting it processed and the selling knitting wool perhaps alongside some items that Tracy has made.
Good to know that is a possibility. Need to find a job as the company I worked for has gone into liquidation and would really like to devote as much time as possible to the sheep.
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wel as a person whose had a great deal of experience with the jacob sheep my thoughts are mixed on the breed. From the personal experience i've had they are very good mothers which produce good lambs and carcasses and a fleece of good quality, but can be rather flighty sheep in terms of handling. There is also the added danger of they're 2 or 4 horns. The sheep which i'd suggest which would do well for the type of system your doing would be the Badgerface welsh mountain sheep. They are long lasting prolific ewes which aren't big at all and have an excellent coloured fleece of 2 colour variteys.
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Hi, I wonder if I could pick your brains please? I would like to get some sheep for meat and pelts (equal priority) and nice fleece (if possible) and they need to be able to do well on rough grazing.
I am not an experienced sheep keeper so it would be nice if they weren't huge animals, but docile enough to be able to herd fairly easily without a dog. I have been thinking about Icelandic sheep but the prices I have seen are waaaay out of my budget (although I could only find one place that sells them, there might be others which offer . Does anyone have any experience with Shetlands or Jacobs? Any other recommendations/tips/advice?
Thanks in anticipation!
Hi, I know this is really late but I have just discovered the site! Did you manage to get sorted with some sheep? I keep Jacobs, Shetlands and Hebrideans and my parents keep White Faced Woodlands. WOuld be good to hear about what you decided on!
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Hi WoodyBuzz,
No sheep yet - waiting for grazing to come down to a reasonable price and maybe get a bit more experience with handling a flock before taking the plunge. You've got some lovely breeds - what's your favourite out of the ones you keep? Do you have anything on the 'wishlist'?
I'm off to a rare breed auction on Saturday - not sure if they will have sheep as last time, but the sale before they had some lovely Gotland and Herdwick crosses. I also fancy Boreray, especially as confusedwhippet lives not far from me. I suspect my final choice will very much come down to what is available at the time of choosing! My personality is very inquisitive though and I read a lot and get a lot of advice around a subject before I take the plunge. Plenty of time yet :) !
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'Hi guys, resurrecting this thread to try and get some more information. North Ronaldsay mutton is being marketed locally and I'm wondering if I can jump on the bandwagon, so to speak. Does anyone have any experience with this breed, how hard are they to tame etc?'
North Ronaldsay mutton is LUSH. I live on one of the islands away from North Ronaldsay, the sheep are lovley, tame and all its brill! :D:D
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Shetlands - easy to handle (if tame), - and mine do respect their electric fence, but it is mains powered - good meat, sell lambs as lightweights, easy births, usually twins and good mothers. The fleece is very good, lots of colours available, although I only keep white ones. They will do well on rough grazing. Also the bigger ones (go for commercial Shetlands) can be readily crossbred, and for example cross txl lambs make fat lambs with not much additional feeding in good time. But before you get any - read the book(s) on sheep and go to a lambing course, preferably longer than the usual one-day courses offered.
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Shetlands, I started of with them and found them very easy to manage and have never had one problem lambing in seven years touch wood. Very thrifty and good doers and the lamb and mutton is yummy. Pelts look great when tanned.
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'Hi guys, resurrecting this thread to try and get some more information. North Ronaldsay mutton is being marketed locally and I'm wondering if I can jump on the bandwagon, so to speak. Does anyone have any experience with this breed, how hard are they to tame etc?'
North Ronaldsay mutton is LUSH. I live on one of the islands away from North Ronaldsay, the sheep are lovley, tame and all its brill! :D:D
Hi Steph,
I see you're on Westray - I spent a couple of summers on Papa Westray (Papay) as the RSPB summer warden - I still use my alias from there, ie Birdie Wife, as my username! I've found a website that sells North Ronaldsay yarn online.. They are definitely on my shortlist!