The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: MiriMaran on July 11, 2009, 09:34:48 pm
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I don'e know anything about sheep, but have often wondered do different breeds have different personalities?
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I do know that sheep are racist and hate mingling with other breedswe have suffolks and mules and it is only when food is introduced will they actually get together. we also have two ewes who hate each other. If they are in the same lambing batch we have to pen one or the other as they will fight continuously
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Are the Suffolk and Mules different from each other? i.e one more flighty than the other?
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our seem to mix well together. the Cheviot's were more nervous but they all come running for food.
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suffolks are much more trusting. I can walk through the field and scratch the backs of some of them. Mules I can't really get near to. They will even distrust a cake bag until they see food coming out. suffolks will run to you at the mere sight of the bag
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I have two Ryelands that are tame as tame and one that's bonkers; their respective lambs are the same - pity the bonkers one had the only ewe lamb. The ewes all came from the same flock and have been treated the same.
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Different breeds do have different temperements and individuals have different personalities too. I keep 3 breeds Jacob, Ouessant and Zwartbles. All are reasonably friendly as they are fed and visited frequently, however the Jacobs are the most suspicious, in as much as they do not like going into dark places or confined spaces.
The Ouessants are more friendly and will race up for food and will tolerate having their heads scatched ( though this sort of physical contact is not natural for sheep) the Zwartbles are by far the friendliest and most docile - they will follow me anywhere if I have a bucket of food and some of them actually seek attention and seem to enjoy it. We have 2 wethers that live in a small field next to our gaden. We have a small bench in the field where we like to just sit and watch things and "the boys" will come over and ask to be made a fuss of by putting their heads down and offering them to us. When you stop petting them, one of them will kick you with his foot and put his head down again for more fuss in the same way as some dogs paw at you when they want more attention. They also join us for a walk round the field and are the only sheep I know that will let you put your arms right around them and cuddle them without moving away.
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I have a small flock of zwartbles and they are docile and friendly. Before I got sheep I had no idea that they have individual personalities but these certainly do. I can go up to mine in the field (without a bucket) and handle them. One of them will actually canter over to say hello, another will happily shuffle along beside you if you are ambling round the field, they definitely enjoy the attention. Mine too don't mind a cuddle (except one). I can even go up and sit beside them when they're lying down and they're quite happy. They're not like that with hubby tho - think they associate males with vets!