The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: clivemaz on April 22, 2012, 06:17:41 pm
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Hi,
We are after approx 10 easy care tegs plus 5 with lambs as a starter flock.
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What's a teg?
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Ditto?
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I think it's a lamb before it's first shearing.
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Usually in it's second year and before shearing.
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Where are you based Clivemaz? What do you mean by easy care? I have yearling ewes and 2 year old with singles and twins but no sheep is completely problem free. Mine are bucket trained so easy to gather for treatment/movement etc. They, like all sheep will need regular vaccination, worming, foot trimming & shearing once/twice (if you want good fleece) yearly. They'll need an optimum stocking rate of 6 to an acre of good grazing plus hay and hard feed at sparse times. They are a meduim size breed so not too awkward to tip but I'm troubled by the 'easy care' request. Could you give us some more info?
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Where are you based Clivemaz? What do you mean by easy care? I have yearling ewes and 2 year old with singles and twins but no sheep is completely problem free. Mine are bucket trained so easy to gather for treatment/movement etc. They, like all sheep will need regular vaccination, worming, foot trimming & shearing once/twice (if you want good fleece) yearly. They'll need an optimum stocking rate of 6 to an acre of good grazing plus hay and hard feed at sparse times. They are a meduim size breed so not too awkward to tip but I'm troubled by the 'easy care' request. Could you give us some more info?
I think he/she means the 'Easy Care' breed. They are a shedding bred developed by Iolo Williams, for which he won a nobel prize. Blood is mainly wilts horns put to welsh mounatins, with some Lleyn in there somewhere. I'd considered them, but I can't find anyone who has anything nice to say about the breed, so I thought I'd make my own by putting Lleyns to a wilts ram and then those offspring to another wilts ram. There are improved inds of polled, shedding sheep, such as the Exlana: http://www.sig.uk.com/ (http://www.sig.uk.com/).
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Ahhh. Thanks SteveHants. That makes sense. Did know about the self shedders. Didn't know 'easy care' was terminology for them though. Something new learned every day!
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The native breeds (soay, boreray, moorits) are considered 'easy care' in that you don't have to do too much to them, their coats drop off (about now) and they lamb without your help. You do have to gather them twice a year for worming, feet, injections, tags etc and care for the lambs if there are problems, but twice a year is hardly a hassle. You can train them to the bucket or we train ours to the trough and then put the trough in the sheep shed for a week so they get used to it before shutting them in if we need to do anything (so they aren't suspicious). Soay and Castlemilk Moorits are quite popular now and you will probably find some near you (although they are registered as 'rare breeds'. No livestock are completely easy peasy. When you have livestock you have problems - somewhere.
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Its also a principe as well as a breed - easy care management is lambing outdoors with minimal shepherding, feeding no concentrates etc. It works, but you have to have the right sheep, strict culling policy and plenty of grass - ie a low stocking density. If they are lambing outside, you need to give them plenty of room. Wooled 'easy care' breeds include: NZ Romney, Lleyn, Highlander and its associated Primera...
Heres the breed society website: http://www.easycaresheep.com/ (http://www.easycaresheep.com/)
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I have up to twenty Easycare ewes available for sale, from now.
They are pure stock. My ewes are from Anglesea. The ram is from a separate pure easycare flock in the South East.
These are the lambs from ewes that lambed out without aid, and shed well.
Vaccinated and generally pretty healthy.
Email me if you are interested.
Best wishes,
Neil
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I have up to twenty Easycare ewes available for sale, from now.
They are pure stock. My ewes are from Anglesea. The ram is from a separate pure easycare flock in the South East.
These are the lambs from ewes that lambed out without aid, and shed well.
Vaccinated and generally pretty healthy.
Email me if you are interested.
Best wishes,
Neil
[email protected]