The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: OhLaLa on April 04, 2016, 12:22:32 pm
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What breeds would you suggest for a new small flock (NO HORNS though! Have been butted too many times), am looking for motherly ewes that lamb well without much intervention. Not for making money but for the pleasure of having them and to feed the family.
Currently have Suffolks but considering a change.
:hugsheep:
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If you can tolerate horns on the tup, Shetlands. Great fun, friendly, nice to look at, taste wonderful, so far I've never had to assist a lambing nor help a lamb. And you can use the fleece too, if you're that way inclined. :spin:
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Doesn't it make it more difficult if they don't have nice convenient "handles"? :)
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No, not really, because you can catch them by putting an arm around their neck, without the risk of losing an eye. Besides, it can't be fun having your handles pulled, can it? ;)
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Gotlands - no horns, lovely fleece and really docile. Plus they aren't too big for handling but you can still get a good meat carcass from them
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There will be many suggestions on what everyone loves the most, so heres mine. Lleyns all the way. When my family started keeping them way back in the early 2000s we thought, and still do think, that they are one of the best breeds of sheep out there (depending on the breeder you buy from). We have found that they mother very well, you do get the odd one who doesn't mother well;Lleyns have a lot of milk and the carcass is well sought after commercially. The meat is also wonderfully tender and sweet. Plus they're really easy lambers, very rarely have to intervene. I hope that this helps and do let us know on what you decide on. I must admit when we chose them it was a difficult choice, as there are so many more phenominal brreds out there.
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Coloured Ryelands. I chose them so I could graze after the hay crop using just electric wire.
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Thanks for the suggestions so far guys, looked at a photo of each in turn then wanted them all.
The Lleyns are very pretty.
The Gotland - lovely colour - prob a fav at the moment.... but the Coloured Ryelands are soooo cute!
So now I need to see how their size compares to Suffolks (a bit smaller hopefully and not so heavy to handle on me old back these days) and read up a bit on their characteristics (and where to buy).
Shetlands look nice but those horns.....
:hugsheep:
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Shetland ewes are normally polled, so it would just be the tup, if not polled, and any unpolled tup lambs. If you get them ringed, they won't develop so much horn, and they'd be away before the horns were much of a problem.
You can get polled tups, but I'm not sure how easy they are to come by, nor to what extent his offspring would be polled.
Sounds like CRs might suit you better, though ;)
There's also Polled Dorsets, of course. Fabulous meat, and able to breed at any time of year.
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My Coloured Ryeland ewes have just weighed in post lambing at 50 to 60kg. So certainly smaller than a Suffolk but a bit bigger than a Shetland.
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You're welcome to come and see mine.
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Lleyn :thumbsup:
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http://www.cotswoldsheepsociety.co.uk/ (http://www.cotswoldsheepsociety.co.uk/) for big friendly motherly types.
http://wensleydale-sheep.com/ (http://wensleydale-sheep.com/) similar and stunning looking.
My preference is rarebreed longwools (obviously)! both breeds are easy lambers in my experience.
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Thanks for that - aren't those Wensleydale sheep gorgeous.
I'm seriously spoilt for choice!
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Oh, if you like the Wenseys... What about black Wenseys? Cute overload!!
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Black Wenseys? I'm soooo gonna have to look those up! I can see you know exactly what my sheepy penchant is.... Gothic Sheep!?
:innocent:
I love having sheep (but I've lost so many hours sleep over them at lambing time and spent a small fortune at the vets, so I have to question my sanity).
PS: Still one Suffolk to lamb - I'm looking and thinking first timer with twins... oh oh....
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A Down breed - polled, very docile, superb meat, small enough to clamp one between your knees for sheep tasks. You're welcome to have a look at my Southdowns, without obligation.
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I have always thought Wensleydales looked gorgeous but was put off by how big they were and the fact they needed feeding so much whilst pregnant.
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Well, my two black Wenseys live alongside my Shetlands and Shetland crosses, and get treated exactly the same. They've both just produced a cracking tup lamb (to the Shetland tup) with no bother at all. They're not huge gimmers, mind - and they maybe would have been bigger if they'd been harder fed. The lambs are stonkers ;D
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Get thee back temptress
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Crossed my two Wensleydale ewes to my Cotswold ram. Both produced twins 1 ram 1 ewe lamb each. No assistance. Shot out like bars of soap. Never seen lambs get to their feet so quick in all four cases. On the milk before I could find the iodine!!! Starting to grow into their legs after 2 weeks.
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Completely bucking the trend here - but Texels are my favourite!! Not the silly big headed show type but just common or garden texels. They are so tame, friendly, easy to handle and if you have a flock of texel ewes you can experiment with different sires.
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I looked into buying black wenslydales last year, but the prices are so expensive. You have to be sure that you're buying hardy ones and not ones which have been pampered all their lives, so the breeder choice is crucial too. Here is a list which may help! http://www.nationalsheep.org.uk/know-your-sheep/sheep-breeds/ (http://www.nationalsheep.org.uk/know-your-sheep/sheep-breeds/)
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what about this breed anyone? http://www.vendeen.uk/ (http://www.vendeen.uk/)
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Aww cute.
Found a few ads selling them but the nearest is just under a 600km round trip from me. They only have 3 Vendéen for sale and they are all are related. Next seller is 720km there and back, and not in the same direction.
One to keep a lookout for though. Thanks.
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Herdwicks every time for me. good mums, tameable, very pretty and intelligent, the cutest lambs and they need little intervention at lambing time. a good all round sheep.