The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: lizzypeg on December 02, 2012, 07:36:34 pm

Title: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: lizzypeg on December 02, 2012, 07:36:34 pm
we recently got3 pet sheep.what breed or crosses are they do you think.we were told they were shetlands or cross shetlands.
Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: colliewoman on December 02, 2012, 07:59:04 pm
The lil one stamping her foot has VERY shetland like ears ;D
That is my intelligent input for the evening :thumbsup:
Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: ScotsGirl on December 02, 2012, 08:09:27 pm
Well the black ones don't look a lot different from my Black Welsh Mountain but then I think most primitives look the same!  Someone more experienced will probably tell you. Cute though
Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: bigchicken on December 02, 2012, 08:47:27 pm
Shetland x maybe heads look short and thick set so maybe a cross with a breed having these caritaristic  ?. what are there tails like,  anyway good looking sheep
Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: lizzypeg on December 02, 2012, 08:52:10 pm
the one stamping foot it doris...shes going to be a trick sheep.
Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: zarzar on December 02, 2012, 08:59:09 pm
they look like they could be shetlandxsoays just a guess as their faces look very similar to my soay girls
Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: lizzypeg on December 02, 2012, 10:31:27 pm
more pics
Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: lizzypeg on December 02, 2012, 10:32:19 pm
and this one
Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: Raine on December 02, 2012, 10:58:07 pm

 :wave:

I have to admit, the dark ones do look a little Welsh Mountain to me....


But I am a novice  :excited:
Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: katyd1991 on December 03, 2012, 01:39:04 am
i'd say that they are ryeland x welsh mountains!!
Maybe a coloured ryeland on white welsh ewes or the other way around  :) 
Failing that no idea  ???
Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: Anke on December 03, 2012, 03:50:11 am
Definitely not Shetland - long tail. Probably not even Shetland crosses, or if - then with something with a long tail, so maybe BWM X?
Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: SallyintNorth on December 03, 2012, 05:13:04 am
The white one has the look of a Texdale, which is a Texel on a Swaledale.
Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: littlelugs on December 03, 2012, 05:17:29 am
My guess would be ryeland x black welsh mountain. They look a lot like my bwm's but they have ryelandish heads. Whatever they are they are very cute.  :)
Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: quiltycats on December 03, 2012, 10:22:43 am
Ryeland x swaledale for the white one Ryeland black welshmountain for the others and the little one in the coat is a real cutie ;)
Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: bigchicken on December 03, 2012, 05:04:23 pm
Could they be Shetland x Ryeland  or Zwarble who knows the one thing for sure they are sheep.
Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: Ladygrey on December 03, 2012, 07:38:05 pm
I had two (now one) shetland/ryelands and they dont look much like your sheep at all  :thinking:

Note sure what they could be but they are very cute :)

Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: lizzypeg on December 03, 2012, 08:10:25 pm
he actually said they were shetland x south downs....but i know nothing about the breeds so just said ok..
Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: SallyintNorth on December 04, 2012, 05:15:32 am
he actually said they were shetland x south downs....but i know nothing about the breeds so just said ok..
What are their fleeces like?

Southdown on primitive is a cross I've considered to get a good fat lamb and a lovely fleece....  :thinking:
Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: Blackbird on December 04, 2012, 04:27:45 pm
The tiny white one with the coat in your last pic looks like a sheep x dog to me!
 :roflanim: (at own joke - pathetic..)
Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: lizzypeg on December 04, 2012, 07:33:15 pm
erm i don't know much about sheep fleece but seems to be dense and thick and doesnt part easily if that helps...
Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: SallyintNorth on December 05, 2012, 04:10:11 am
erm i don't know much about sheep fleece but seems to be dense and thick and doesnt part easily if that helps...

Well, yes, it does help  ;D  You wouldn't say that of a Shetland fleece; not parting easily suggests something like a Texel cross to me, but I am not very familiar with the fleece on the hoof of many other terminal sires - so quite likely Suffolk or even Southdown might feel the same. 

Anyone?
Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: Fronhaul on December 05, 2012, 02:17:59 pm
I am inclined to go with the description of what they were sold as.

I really do not think there is much if any Black Welsh Mountain blood there.  The shape of the head is wrong, the appearance of the fleece is wrong, and one of them isn't black which is fairly unlikely if the other half is Southdown. 

The heads do look a little like the Dorset Down heads of my youth.  The variations in colour may well indicate Shetland.

Whatever they are they are nice and obviously very happy with you.
Title: Re: what breeds or crosses are my 3 sheep?
Post by: Gunnermark on December 05, 2012, 06:28:00 pm
I'd say there was a strain of Suffolk in there as my Suffolk cross Jacob lambs a couple of years ago looked like the brown lambs! The white one looks like a Suffolk x Texel crossed again with something as I have a wether with similar markings!