The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Legs on June 07, 2011, 12:10:33 pm
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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
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Hi there :wave: 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 :sheep: :sheep:
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Hi :wave: 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.
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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?
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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.
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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! ;D
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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! ;D
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
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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! :D
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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! :D
ahem.... yes, back after a short break :)
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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.
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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.
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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 (http://selfridgestoscats.blogspot.com)
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MelHolly, you'll just have to get more sheep ;D 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 :)
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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 (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.
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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.
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That's great advice thank you all on the tag front! Jaykay - are you serious?? More Sheep?!! I've already been persuaded to let my 2 Dorset Mums get in lamb again, which will be my first experience lambing next spring! As you know, not doing too great with the ducks at the mo! Thanks for the advice on fields too - thankfully it's already fenced into 4 paddocks but interesting you should mention it as was going to rotate them this weekend but it suddenly dawned on me how am I going to get a flippin sheep to move?! The orphans should be fine as they walk to heel better than my lab does but my feisty mums and their extremely skittish lambs??
With the tags - I bought them from a farmer in April - neither of the 2 lambs have tags (nor do my orphans) but I have them ready to do. they are all girls and I intend keeping them longer than 12 months so I've got 2 tags, one of which is a chip thingy (thats right isnt it?) Am a bit scared (I know I know!!) doing it though to be honest! The 2 Mums had only one pink tag each??
Thanks again!
Mx
http://selfridgestoscats.blogspot.com (http://selfridgestoscats.blogspot.com)
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melholly, it sounds like both the mums are 2007-born or older, so only needed one tag. (Have I got the year right? I think double-tagging came in for 2008-born lambs, didn't it? Then EID for 2010-born.) Assume that they predate double-tagging anyway - check with the farmer you got them from and/or get someone who knows how to check how many 'big teeth' they've got and how old that makes them.
If you've got new tags they'll come with instructions - if you do it as shown and with conviction, it won't hurt - honest.
Your paired tags should have one yellow (the chip is in this one) and one other colour - this has no chip in it.
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melholly, when you think its time to move on to the next paddock, just leave the gate open just enough for the sheep to get through. They will be much happier if they think they have escaped to the greener grass on the other side of the fence, and no stress for you.
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melholly, when you think its time to move on to the next paddock, just leave the gate open just enough for the sheep to get through. They will be much happier if they think they have escaped
I do this! Whenever the sheep aren't moving where I want them (and I don't have a dog to use), I run at them out of wherever it is I want them to go, then turn away and walk off. About 7 times out of 10 they start to move where I want them - because they think it's exactly where I don't want them!
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melholly, when you think its time to move on to the next paddock, just leave the gate open just enough for the sheep to get through. They will be much happier if they think they have escaped to the greener grass on the other side of the fence, and no stress for you.
I second that ;D Sheep psychology ;) Pretty soon they will be standing at the next gate tapping their feet asking to be let through onto the next new grass - sheep know how to train their owners as well as dogs do :sheep: :dog: and they learn the ropes very quickly.
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I love this, sheep whispering! Well I achieved the tagging - none screamed and had no dramas other than trying to understand the tag instructions and which way round to fit it in the clipper! Doh! Escaped with minor grazes and nicks off the barbed wire too! Created a v makeshift blue Peter style pen that enabled me to get the out into the other field post tagging. Also separated my mega fat feeding lambs from mums to give them time to recover (I read on here I should do this?) lambs seem ok with it, mums a bit concerned by it all. Feel a bit mean actually! So a good sheep day. Apart from keeping my own flock register what do I do next? Do I need a scanner/ form to send to defra? I think my mums are 2007 but can easily check!
Thanks everyone
Mx
http://selfridgestoscats.blogspot.com (http://selfridgestoscats.blogspot.com)
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Sorry and meant say despite my worrying they were a slave to the sheep nut bowl and went in the pen angelically!!
Mx
http://selfridgestoscats.blogspot.com (http://selfridgestoscats.blogspot.com)
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You don't need a scanner not unless you want to part with lots of cash, they are very expensive to buy, and only really needed if you've got lots of sheep to go to market or move around your holding. As said before if your girls are pre 2008 they don't have to be EID tagged.but remember from 2012 every sheep needs to be individually recorded on movement licence and holding books, so no more batch numbers.
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no reason why you can't use a dog scanner I will be trying it out very shortly will let you know if it works if so they are very cheap to pick up.
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I know farmers with 100's of sheep who don't have an EID scanner. They are only really needed if you are mving animals regularly between different holding numbers or have too many to make notes on a piece of paper whilst checking them over before logging that information in your holding register /computer based system.
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MELHOLLY all you need to do is fill in the page titled RECORD OF IDENTIFICATION