The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: thenovice on March 17, 2013, 09:02:28 pm
-
Cant make my mind up about which breed of sheep to try next. In the past ive had, hebrideans, southdowns,shetlands and poll dorsets. All had their good points, and the southdowns were so placid and tame, but i havnt found the right breed for me yet. Im going to look at some portlands in 3 or 4 weeks time, and im getting a few wiltshire horns very soon, but any suggestions folks? I would like to try something a bit unusual, but am not a fan of primitives. Before anyone comments, they are just not my cup of tea! Thanks :thinking:
-
Where are you based? Have a visit of some of your fellow TASers who have sheep.
-
A few questions...
why do you want to keep sheep?
(lawnmowers, meat, showing, wool, pets, etc)
What other animals could you keep to do same thing? Do any of them appeal?
List good points of sheep you have had
List what you definitely dont want
that should narrow down search...... and maybe hekp someone on here to give you some specific ideas.
-
If you liked the docility of the Southdowns then anything with the word "Down" in it - Oxford Down, Hampshire Down, etc. - will have a lot of Southdown in the original breeding. Also the Ryeland and the Suffolk. If you like docile then keep away from any of the mountain and upland breeds.
-
My Ryelands are docile (except when you want to catch them for something) and they aren't escape artists.
-
Depends what you want from them. I have found Lleyns to be trouble-free but some have had problems with them...
-
We have Wiltshire Horns - they're very hardy, stay out all year and seem to be good mothers from my limited experience (last year was their first lambing). And of course, they don't need shearing. Having said that, I dont think they are as easy to handle as our old Mules and are not as easy to tell appart. We also have a Wiltshire Ram who is actually very friendly.
-
We have Wiltshire Horns - they're very hardy, stay out all year and seem to be good mothers from my limited experience (last year was their first lambing). And of course, they don't need shearing. Having said that, I dont think they are as easy to handle as our old Mules and are not as easy to tell appart. We also have a Wiltshire Ram who is actually very friendly.
Thats the one thing I don't like about Wiltshires is handling them as they are a big sheep....with horns. However, you don't really have to handle them much, so I guess its swings and roundabouts...
-
Just to second what Marches Farmer said, we used to have an Oxford Down ram where I used to work and he produced the hardiest, most long lived lambs and ewes that farm had known. He was a great ram and they were great crosses. The ones payed the time and heed did become tame. All the ones that were kept outlived most of the pure-bred Charollais and Border Leicester ewes that were kept to restock.
-
Zwartbles have calmer temperaments than a lot of breeds, many seem to like people, I think with originally being used for dairy as well as meat they had to be more docile for being handled and milked in small flocks. Very smart too, and good mothers.
(http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/c67.0.403.403/p403x403/374480_479403872119108_1449206060_n.jpg)
-
I have a flock of Southdowns, among other breeds, and I understand the breed is so docile due to having been grazed on South Downs (short downland grasses and wild flowers) during the day then brought back and folded onto cropped arable fields at night, thus bringing the fertility of the hills back to the farmstead in the form of dung. The Downs are chalk, not noted for its fertility! This meant, of course, that the shepherd stayed with them most of the day, almost every day.
-
Thanks for the opinions folks. Reason for keeping sheep is i love working with them, must be a frustrated shepherd ;D . I rent all my grazing, and would like to run mine alongside my day job, on a mini commercial basis. I did really like the southdowns, but not the easiest lambers in my experience, and more prone to flystrike. I know your experience is different marches farmer, but im starting from scratch again, so im buying in someone elses strain of ewes.
-
If you don't like flystrike, woolshedders are a good bet. My commercial flock will be composite woolshedders when I have finished messing about with breeding.
I can put you on to people with them, but in the meantime you could do worse things than look at Tim White's website: http://www.provensheddingsheep.co.uk/Default (http://www.provensheddingsheep.co.uk/Default)