The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: john and helen on November 06, 2013, 05:30:05 pm
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when we get there, !!! shouldn't be to long now, after i have hedged and stock fenced, i am going to over seed the paddock with a sheep grazing grass seed (with clover) the field at the moment, has had cows grazing..i have read on here, that cattle and sheep worms are specific ..so thats good news ..but there will be a 4-5 months where no animals will graze over the winter period, and hopefully the new grass seed would have helped produce a good graze
i have been looking at the Welsh black mountain sheep, a bread that seems to have a good name,
so am i on the right tracks for getting the paddocks ready, looking to keep 4-5 sheep , 2 for the freezer and 2-3 to breed later next year
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Just to say it is the same fluke that infects sheep and cattle, so that is one you may want to keep an eye out for.
Dans
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thanks dans
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But when you get your sheep worm them (probably with Zolvix) and keep inside or in small pen until you get a clear worm count 10 to 14 days post worming. Otherwise you may just import a nice new load of worms onto your clean pasture.... been there, done that and still wearing the damn t-shirt... :-[
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Don't get too stressed about the worm thing, all sheep have/get parasites, its part of keeping livestock. Just make sure that they are good healthy looking animals that are well kept, are wormed before they get to you, and you have a decent worming routine :thumbsup:
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:thumbsup:
not worried about worming, but just want to get things right from the start,
as you say Novice, its all part of keeping livestock,
Anke , thats a great point and makes sense, who ever i buy off, i will be looking for good breeders with a good name
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Speak to your vet about a flock management programme re: worming, and try and get as much knowledge from either them or your local friendly sheep farmer regarding other parasites (esp. fluke - your area may be prone to fluke, although I think every area was affected by fluke last year as it was so wet)
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you may also want to think about getting them, and if you've got the space doing a worm count on them before worming them (a fairly swift turn around if you've got the kit ready to go). No point in worming stock if they've got no worms to be wormed for as it just makes them even more resistant...
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You probably don't have a vet in the new area yet but Bush House in Llandeilo is very good with worming etc. One of the vets in particular is very keen on the subject and has done talks on it for their customers.
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Paddock or paddocks?
Ideally you want to have a paddock rotation system, where you have several (6 is perfect) paddocks and the sheep are moved one from to the next in sequence every week or so (depending on the size of the paddocks, number of sheep etc). You will get much better grass utilisation this way, and it will mean you will have more grass available over winter.
In the height of the grass growing season you may find that the grass grows too fast for the sheep so then you can remove one or two of the paddocks from the system and let that grass grow long for cutting for hay or silage. Then reintroduce them once the aftermath has grown sufficiently.
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Might be worth trying to handle black welsh mountain sheep .......... most mountain breeds are quite lively!
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Backinwellies has a point. We liked the idea of Black Welsh Mountains, but our next door neighbour (who has a few decades of experience on this subject) said that they were not called that for nothing - they don't respect fences and are likely to rapidly head off for the black welsh mountains! I read another post from someone who said (perhaps a little tongue in cheek) that they did most of their inspections using binoculars since they could never get anywhere near the darned things!!
Think seriously about something a little less flighty that will happily come to a bucket - makes life easier! We have some Ryelands but mainly Grey Faced Dartmoors who will happily form a (disorderly) queue at mealtimes!
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Might be worth trying to handle black welsh mountain sheep .......... most mountain breeds are quite lively!
If you want calm sheep buy from a calm flock :) . There are plenty of non-lively BWMs about, just ask the breeder(s) when you go to look for some to buy, say that you don't want any that are escape artists or super-flighty. And to be honest it's mostly about how you manage/shepherd them; if you manage them calmly then they will be calm around you, and they are very easy to bucket train etc.
Mine come when they are called, and I don't need a dog to move them.
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thankyou all, plenty of food for thought :thumbsup:
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I bought my first couple of ewes from a showing flock. They were well handled for the show ring and very easy for me. When I bought more the others just followed the original ones.
As I mentioned in another post I never had any trouble with mine, though everyone told me they would be difficult
lHave a look at the society website there are some good breeders on there
http://www.blackwelshmountain.org.uk/sheep-sale (http://www.blackwelshmountain.org.uk/sheep-sale)
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without trying to disrespect anyone's answers,
I sort of look at it from coming from a total novice's view, I wouldn't know what was difficult from easy,
I can imagine if you have a calm herd/flock of any animal , then get a different breed ,that play up, you instantly know ;D
when i learnt my trade as a floor layer, they told me i had picked the short straw :roflanim: I was put with a great guy called barry, the lad is sadly no longer with us , barry had this way of training,that..this is how you do it…now get on with it, if you made a mistake, he would then show you where you went wrong, but he liked you to work out things 1st on your own :thumbsup:
I will always put the animals health and condition 1st, and i know i will more than likely be chasing the sheep around a field looking like a complete fool :roflanim: but i have this feeling inside saying, if others can do it, so can I
this may sound weird, but i hope we don't get a 100% smooth ride, i want to learn from the mistakes i make, i want to be the best Smallholder i can be…we have waited so long for this, and to be honest, we are the sort of people to crack up with laughter at our own mistakes,
saying all that, i do listen to what folk suggest, it would be silly not to, you guys are the one's with experience,
we are so excited about keeping a few sheep and pigs etc etc , and having you guys in the background is priceless :thumbsup:
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Don't worry, there will be plenty of mistakes your sheep will help you to make, even if you manage to follow every piece of advice the good folks on here give you!
What is it they say?
A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. A fool not even from his own.
;)
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I know an elderly couple with small flock of Black Welsh Mountains. They rent little pockets of land and have to move the flock on a regular basis. Sheep handle well to the bucket (no dog) and kept in by normal stock fence. Think a lot of it is to do with the way you handle. They seem to have few problems. Lovely sheep. :sheep: ;D
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I take your point about hands-on being the best way to learn but you have to remember that sheep aren't flooring. If you get it wrong a sentient animal could suffer. Get Tim Tyne's book, go on a course, ask a local sheep farmer if you can help out or rent out your grazing to him and hang around while he checks his stock and does sheep tasks.
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Get Tim Tyne's book and get yourself (and your other half if possible) onto his lambing course. He has a good management system in place and you can also see how his small farm (with pigs/milking cows and some poultry) works. Food is good too...
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We had our neighbours sheep on our land for a while before we took the plunge. We kept an eye on them and told him if there was a problem. He sorted the problem eg. feet and we watched. He also told us when he was doing any sheep related work up at his farm and we went along to watch this eg. drenching, ringing lambs, bottle feeding, vaccinating. Built up a good relationship with him and his wife and when we got our few sheep, he was there to help.
Another way of learning and then having someone there to give advice in the future.
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John, You might want to go to the Royal Welsh Spring Festival at Builth Wells on 17th and 18th May. It used to be called the Smallholders Festival so you will find plenty there that is appropriate for you. Lots of sheep to see too and you can talk to the breeders and breed societies. Tim Tyne is always there doing demos too.
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yes sal, we thought about this..thats going to be on out to do list..I have been to the devon County show, and i have heard the RWSF is good :thumbsup:
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Get Tim Tyne's book and get yourself (and your other half if possible) onto his lambing course. He has a good management system in place and you can also see how his small farm (with pigs/milking cows and some poultry) works. Food is good too...
You are sooo right Anke,the duck pie was stupendous! :yum: :yum: :yum:
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just ordered the book Anke :thumbsup: