The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: cambee on March 02, 2017, 10:07:57 am
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Hi all. After all the good sheep advice in my last post please can you give me a view on this. We are still at the planning stage for our first sheep, fencing etc and I've been looking at breeds. The initial plan is a flock of no more than 6 so that I can bucket train them. Eventually the idea would be to breed lambs some to eat and some to sell. As this is not a commercial venture (yet) we have been looking at Pedigree breeds and are down to 2 very different breeds-Icelandics and/or Ryelands. We have very enthusiastic local breeders of both and the flocks I have seen have been delightful, calm and tame. I can't choose. Both seem good for meat and fleeces. Does anyone have a view OR could I start with 3 of each? Do different breeds mix? My gut instinct is that this may not work but does anyone do this successfully? Thanks
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I don't have knoledge of those 2 breeds but I have kept several breeds of sheep nover the years. My first were blue faced leicester and Kerry Hill and they were a bad combination as they need very different management and feeding. Even keeping Kerry Hills and Mules didn't work as the Kerry Hills did well and the Mules/BFL struggled with their weight and melted away when they had lambs on them.
So, fine to mix breeds but I'd go for a similar size ewe and weights
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I agree with bj_cardiff. They need to have similar management requirements or you will be making your life very difficult.
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I believe my Southdowns would be similar in temperament to Ryelands, and my Badger Face possibly similar to Icelandics. All have been raised as one flock for six generations but there are still differences. The Down sheep get fat on fresh air, whilst the BF's eat 40% more hay than the Down ewes when in the shed pre-lambing. The Down sheep are very docile whereas the BF's start to go stir-crazy if in the shed for more than a week and like to move fields every ten days. We put our BF's to the Down rams every three or four years, to give a commercial type cross that sells well as store lambs
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Obviously you have took a look at the breeds around you because they will give you an indication of what does well where you live. That doesn't mean you can't try something else but it is a starting point. There is no reason why you can't mix and manage different breeds but bear in mind tupping time and whether you are going to need more than one breed of tup.
If you buy locally they maybe able to help at tupping time but don't assume. Buying locally gives you a useful contact not too far away!