The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Marches Farmer on April 26, 2014, 01:28:58 pm
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Been asked to show our Southdowns in a couple of local shows and feel we should do it properly for the sake of the breed. Any experienced showers out there that could teach us? Could barter two nights in a 4* farm holiday cottage or rare breed hens or home-produced GOS pork ....?
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To get results: Start with oversized examples of your chosen breed, preferably buy from judges, then stuff cake into them... get to know all judges personally... wait half a lifetime... that's about it! I will take payment in GOS pork! :eyelashes:
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then stuff cake into them...
The judges or the sheep? :D
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The most difficult thing was learning how to clip te sheep out! Imagine a nice rectangular sheep and then round off the edges... Do this over a period I time so you don't take off too much! Feed them well but don't make them obese as teach them to lead properly.... It's all about having fun! I was lucky enough to win with my ewe lambs the first time I ever showed them! Pouring rain probably helped as the biggest "gun" didn't show up but I was thrilled anyway! Just go and have fun, you'll meet some great people and learn a lot :)
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MF! I hope your go at it works out better than ours did last year.
We took 2 ram lambs with us to the local show, a Ryeland and a Coloured Ryeland. In the only class available to them they were up against a bunch of huge 'yellow' Suffolks.
My 2 were placed last and the judge admitted he had never seen Ryelands before and didn't know how to judge them.
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Its easy to judge Ryelands! You pick the biggest, fattest one as long as it belongs to your mate or you have related stock (I thought I had already covered this...) :rant:
And Henchard - its both! Obviously :dunce:
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i may be completely wrong but i thought show sheep got shorn really early in the year, and kept inside, so they had a good thick fleece in time for the show season.
it is a shame but it is often who you know.
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i may be completely wrong but i thought show sheep got shorn really early in the year, and kept inside, so they had a good thick fleece in time for the show season.
Not if they live here they don't! Yes, many people will do that, but ours will be clipped when our hoggs are, first week of June, but will be hand clipped to leave a wee bit more on. And they will be staying outside, although they might stay in the night before a show if it is tipping down.