The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: plt102 on July 10, 2012, 04:43:48 pm
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Hi there, had some advice on here that I should shear the lambs now. They are quite fluffy so we have dagged them but with the wet cold weather should I shear them? They are about 10 weeks old.
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They should be shorn by 31st July so that the fleece has time to grow in time for the Autumn inspections.
Mine are due to be done this coming weekend - it may be wet but it's not cold (for a sheep anyway) - they should be fine.
Be warned though - they can be quite wriggly. ;D
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Whats gfd lambs? Lambs don't need shearing in the first year.?
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Greyface Dartmoor. They are longwools and the welfare guidelines are that lambs must be shorn by the end of July :) - not that there is much to shear! To be registered, the tups are inspected in the autumn, and by then the fleece has grown enogh to be judged.
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Ahh I see, learn something new every day ;D
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The first year that I had GFD ram lambs for meat I didn't bother with shearing them as they were only for the freezer. However, their fleeces were SO THICK that they actually went 'backwards' in condition and it took ages to get any condition on them to get them anywhere near a slaughter weight, so now I shear them (by hand) even if they're going in the freezer. :thumbsup:
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Most of my GFD lambs are born feb/early march, and get shorn along with the ewes in early may.
Shearing - lambs left, ewes right...
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa43/crazysheep-795/P5121276-1.jpg)
Naked sheep! the legs are left woolly.
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa43/crazysheep-795/P5121284.jpg)
One of the lambs 4-5 weeks later...
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa43/crazysheep-795/P7081939.jpg)
A GFD ram lamb followed by ewe lamb before hand shearing...
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa43/crazysheep-795/P5271562.jpg)
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa43/crazysheep-795/P5271551.jpg)
The same lambs 4 weeks later...
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa43/crazysheep-795/P7081976.jpg)
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa43/crazysheep-795/P7081981.jpg)
The lambs definately grow better after shearing, and it's easier to keep their back ends clean.
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Naked sheep! the legs are left woolly.
Great pictures Hazelwood - that's quite an impressive shearing set up you have there!
What's the story behind keeping the legs woolly?
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Perfect. Thanks for the clarification. Just a couple more things. We have a gfd lamb born 2 days ago. When should I shear that one? Should I shear our shetland cross gfd's they are quite wooly. Xxx
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hazelwood, they are gorgeous looking :thumbsup:
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I think we shall be shearing again in September, or at least a very comprehensive dagging exercise to remove most of the below-stairs wool. Ours went through last winter with too much wool covering too much sheep.
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Thanks Hazelwood - really useful advice and lovely pics! I've never kept sheep before and my first ones are arriving this Friday. I'm getting 5 in total, 3 of which are GFDs - one ewe with her wether lamb and one other wether lamb. My land neighbour is very experienced with sheep and he also said they should be shorn in their first year to make them grow stronger. I've also heard that another reason to shear is that they can end up with such a thick, heavy weight of fleece on them in the winter, that when they get wet, they struggle to get to their feet and are cast down. My neighbour will shear my GFD lambs along with his. Intrigued by the leaving the legs woolly thing!
The other 2 sheep I'm getting are a Hebridean/Leicester Longwool cross wether (he has already been shorn) and a sweet little Shetland ewe lamb. Really looking forward to it and exchanging sheepy tales on TAS!
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Don't you just luuuurve these sheep :love: :love: :love: . I love my Ryelands, but these GFDs are just so adorable and so placid that they are definately my first love. (Hazlewood - I did EVENTUALLy get the shearing done last Saturday :thumbsup: :wave: ).
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Hi Blackird :wave: , What a lovely mixture. I am sure you will have great fun with them and it will give you experience with different temperaments :thumbsup: . I have GFD's and Shetlands/crosses too.
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Well done Blinkers, I know you've been wringing your hands over shearing!
The main reason for leaving the legs woolly is protection (much as a clipped hunter's legs are left hairy!), it also gives the lamb the appearance of having bone, something which is important in showing. If the legs are shorn they don't look as sturdy, even if bone wise they are the same as unshorn lambs due to the wool re growing in tight curls on the legs. Thirdly, shearers hate doing their legs...nuff said!
Regarding the newborn, if it's not a ram lamb for registration don't worry. If the weather is agreeable in early october just reduce the fleece by half with hand shears. :sheep:
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My... I love this learning... I know very little about GFD's but feel like I have just had a crash course! Brilliant I think I have a new sheep crush in the breed department ;D
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My... I love this learning... I know very little about GFD's but feel like I have just had a crash course! Brilliant I think I have a new sheep crush in the breed department ;D
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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As another GFD owner remember there's always a reason for a rare breed to be rare!
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Agreed! like getting woolly then stuck on their backs, clipping out the ewes' udders before lambing so the lambs suck teats not wool, not reaching slaughter weight within 4 months, or being fly magnets if not kept sprayed....no surprise really! a commercial farmer's nightmare.
On the up side, they are stupidly docile and my personal experience of them lambing has been a doddle - only one ewe in 14 years refused to rear her lamb. They are the prettiest sheep too... :eyelashes:
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My... I love this learning... I know very little about GFD's but feel like I have just had a crash course! Brilliant I think I have a new sheep crush in the breed department ;D
Should you ever decide to get some and want to hire out the tup...
Just thinking about the cross onto my girls and the fleece that would hopefully result :love: :love: :love:
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Mmm love my gfds but totally agree about them being high maintenance hee hee. Our shetlands are a doddle in comparison. Got serious fly strike last autumn and caught them just in time this year and their feet are high maintenance in this wet weather. Love em to bits though and they are so pretty.
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Hi
Just to say that I have had Zwartbles and Shetlands and they are both lovely breeds but have learned over the years that there are lots of points to take into consideration - many of which you only learn with experience.
Zwartbles are very hansome and very friendly but they are big and heavy and ours were prone to foot problems, and that is why we stopped keeping them.
Shetlands are much smaller and easier to handle and ours are also very friendly but they are very goat like and eat leaves, strip bark and so can do damage if there are trees in their field.
My advice is as a newcomer get sheep from a small hobby breeder who bucket trains their flock and insisit on friendly ones. It will make your life as novice shepherds a lot easier and more enjoyable.
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My... I love this learning... I know very little about GFD's but feel like I have just had a crash course! Brilliant I think I have a new sheep crush in the breed department ;D
Donna....I was thinking about the fleece crossed onto my shetlands and shetland x's too!!!! LOL. If you want a tup for this Autumn i know the farm in Trudoxhill has just gone into GFD's.... wonder if they have a spare tup????
Should you ever decide to get some and want to hire out the tup...
Just thinking about the cross onto my girls and the fleece that would hopefully result :love: :love: :love:
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A example of what you get ......
Shetland ewe crossed with Greyface Dartmoor ram = (http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae26/thomsett_bucket/lambs099.jpg)
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae26/thomsett_bucket/lambs098.jpg) :thumbsup:
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We've crossed GFD ewes with a Southdown ram and got a much faster growing lamb which doesn't need early shearing. Feet seem better but it's early days.
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We have crossed a gfd ram with our shetland girls and the lambs are awesome! They are almost as big as their mums already and are very pretty.