The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: SheepCrazy! on February 05, 2013, 05:50:31 pm
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There has been a bit of bad press for the Soays and other primitives recently on a different thread,
so I thought I'd share a picture of my girls for all you primitive enthusiasts out there to enjoy,
It would be nice for others to share there pictures to! :)
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SheepCrazy, can't see your piccy.... :(
WRT Soays....it takes some folk a little longer to "see the light" :-J and see them for the fantastic little sheep they are... would not be without them. much more friendly than our shetlands. here a piccy of a couple :thumbsup:
Jon
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ooops having difficulty uploading!
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very nice.... :thumbsup:
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Thanks,
I do like the blaze down the face of yours and the 'caramac' colour!!
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They're so pretty!
So how old are they before you can send them to the butcher and what sort of weight are they then?
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Why is there such a difference in appearance between two pics? White soay look like sheep and dark ones look like deer. Both lovely I just have no experience of the breed.
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Peronally love my Castlemilks - so bonny, elegant etc - never going go make me a fortune but I wouldn't swap for 'pig faces' - pics tomorrow
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:love: both lovely little flocks.
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Hi Scots Girl, If you check out the RBST or the Soay sheep website for the full breed standard, they also come with horns, polled (no horns) or scurried little stumpy horns and the colours range from 'caramac' ;) to black with white some even piebald.
Looking forward to seeing Brucklay's pictures tomorrow. :excited:
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Being a keeper of soays I am realy biased towards them previously worked with Scottish blackface grey face and suffolks not a patch on my little soays. They are great little characters that have become realy tame in the two years I have had them. Last autumn I bought a cracking little tup lamb and this year I will be able to enjoy his prodigy this year and when I learn how to post photos on the forum you will be all able to see them
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So how old are they before you can send them to the butcher and what sort of weight are they then?
Similar sort of age to shetlands, i'm still building up my flock so not sent any Soays off to slaughter so not sure about the weight, i keep a few shetlands for meat.
Why is there such a difference in appearance between two pics? White soay look like sheep and dark ones look like deer. Both lovely I just have no experience of the breed.
one of the reasons i like Soays there is such diverse colours ranging from light mouflon (my picture) to the dark mouflon. i'm interested in the genetics so i've got a range of colour and plan to put a coloured tup against them.
Peronally love my Castlemilks - so bonny, elegant etc - never going go make me a fortune but I wouldn't swap for 'pig faces' - pics tomorrow
Brucklay...i love CM too...wished i'd got more land.
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To add pictures Click 'attachments and other options,' then Attach, and Choose file to upload images from you computer, can't wait to see the pictures!
Here is whats to look forward with your Soay's lots of lambs like my little Belle at two days old!
Sorry couldn't resist!
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such a little cuttie.... :thumbsup:
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Can't wait realy am jealous now hope mine are as cute as that one
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that little lamb is just gorgeous :thumbsup:
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Great piccies :excited:
Kumquat - the one ewe lamb that we had last year, looks just like the two you have posted. Exact colour and markings. Beautiful aren't they?
Will try and post some piccies when OH can help me. No idea how to do it. :thinking:
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Super pics - love the little lamb - too cute for words!!!
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Kumquat - the one ewe lamb that we had last year, looks just like the two you have posted. Exact colour and markings. Beautiful aren't they?
[size=78%] [/size]
definitely - those two light mouflons are really friendly and normally lead the charge when it comes to feeding.
[/size]Although I've got a couple of shetlands and one soay with a touch of orf. I've put in a couple of salt licks and quick spray of septiclense to help it on its way. Purple lippy on a primitive isn't a good look :innocent:
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kumquat - ours had a touch of what we assumed was orf last year. Seemed to be self-limiting. It was nowhere near as bad as some images of orf that we looked at and cleared by itself in a short time. We did try spraying the purple stuff on them but it seemed to irritate them, they rubbed their heads on the ground and made it worse ::) so in the end kept a close eye on them and applied vaseline as a barrier (fly season) to a few of the worst affected. They had been nibbling thistles so maybe something to do with that and not orf ..... who knows .... but it passed very quickly.
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A few Castlemilk pics - I get a bit carried away with taking pic's these days now we're in the digital era :innocent:
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kumquat - ours had a touch of what we assumed was orf last year. Seemed to be self-limiting. It was nowhere near as bad as some images of orf that we looked at and cleared by itself in a short time. We did try spraying the purple stuff on them but it seemed to irritate them, they rubbed their heads on the ground and made it worse ::) so in the end kept a close eye on them and applied vaseline as a barrier (fly season) to a few of the worst affected. They had been nibbling thistles so maybe something to do with that and not orf ..... who knows .... but it passed very quickly.
Seems to be going quite quickly, the salt licks seem to be doing the job...definitely don't need to worry about flies ;) Ours have been having a go at a patch of brambles in hedge.
Brucklay....great photos - they are lovely sheep and great steppy stones :thumbsup:
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So cute Brucklay, that's a gorgeous shot of the ewe and lamb :)
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....just to say enjoying the lamb piccies :sheep: :sheep: :sheep: , :love: Tilly :wave:
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Lovely sheep and lamb so cute, how do you keep them in the field as my lambs often go walk about no matter what I do.
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Will try and post some piccies when OH can help me. No idea how to do it. :thinking:
Ahemmmm........ :eyelashes: :eyelashes: (here's a lovely guide.... :innocent: )
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??? An invisible guide, Jon. ....... diolch yn fawr iawn.
Well you may or may not be able to see these sheepies.
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Oops...must remember to copy the link next time....Mae'n ddrwg gennym
Tracey, they're absolute stunners... :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Were you pleased with this years ram?
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I keep shetlands and although very happy with them i'm tempted with the soays.
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Lovely pictures ITH - come on all you hard core sheepy people there's a place/need for these wee guys/girls - got to be the best looking lambs :innocent: :innocent:
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A call to arms!
Top - my characterful (but probably too aggressive with other sheep ::)) and very much loved Manxes.
Next - Goldie Horn, a real softee of a Castlemilk Moorit.
3rd - yep, these CMs really are as wild as a bag of cats... ::)
and finally, what it's all about (well, that and fleece, and lambs... more pics later this year!)
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What have people got aginst Soays? OK, they are nimble when you are trying to catch them but you don't do your back in trying to turn them over. They are pretty hardy, have good feet and rarely suffer from flystrike. Oh, and you don't have to shear them.
The photo shows two of our Soay lambs, Finn and Felmar, from a couple of years ago. Now all grown up and in the freezer.
JayKay, you asked about sending them to the butchers. Most of ours go at 18 months, but a few of the smaller ones stay an extra year; we generally get 8-10kg of meat back. While they may not grow fast the meat is very lean and dark and the flavour is excellent.
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Soay just seem to have a "reputation" don't they? ???
Have no experience with any other breed so I suppose I can't compare in a fair way but have to say that ours have been no trouble at all so far.
Those lambs are just sooooo cute though, Richard. :thumbsup: The only trouble I'm going to have is sending mine on their final journey. :'(
Jon - Our ram has been returned to his brill owner. He was a real star. Really calm and absolutely no aggression at all. Gentle with the ewes and could let my children in with him no problem. Quite chilled and took everything in his stride ...... children, dogs and me nearly landing on him when sliding through our glorious mud. :roflanim: Was sad to return him .... would have asked if he was for sale if I had more land.
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[size=78%]The photo shows two of our Soay lambs, Finn and Felmar, from a couple of years ago. Now all grown up and in the freezer.[/size]
[size=78%]we generally get 8-10kg of meat back. While they may not grow fast the meat is very lean and dark and the flavour is excellent.[/size]
Hi Richard, love the piccys of the lambs and the quote that there in the freezer now OH's face was a picture (bless her) she went from "Ahhhhh" to "Oh!!" in about a second.... :roflanim: :roflanim: . Love the taste of soay and plan to keep one or two of our shetlands and do some Shetland x Soay crosses for meat next year.
Don't think its Soay bashing per se....everyone is different and we all have our favourite breeds. Each to their own.
Was sad to return him .... would have asked if he was for sale if I had more land.
High praise indeed, chuffed you were so pleased with him,be interesting to see the mix of lambs he produces.
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just adoralbe photos :love:
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JayKay, you asked about sending them to the butchers. Most of ours go at 18 months, but a few of the smaller ones stay an extra year; we generally get 8-10kg of meat back. While they may not grow fast the meat is very lean and dark and the flavour is excellent.
8-10kg/Soay sheep is pretty good, I'd say. :thumbsup: I got back 55kgs labelled and packed meat from 4 full grown (29 month old) Castlemilk Moorit wethers. They were 33-36kgs liveweight. As you say about Soays, CM meat is lean, dark and full of flavour - somewhere in the triangle between mutton, venison and game.
My only problem with Soays would be that they self-roo - and I spin! :D :knit: :knit:
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Sorry, are these sheep or goats? :innocent:
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Sorry, are these sheep or goats? :innocent:
My Dad calls them 'geeps' = goaty sheep! :eyelashes:
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plan to keep one or two of our shetlands and do some Shetland x Soay crosses for meat next year.
Nope, I'm stealing all of them remember? ;) :innocent: