The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: spidge on March 17, 2018, 09:11:05 pm

Title: Got my first sheep!
Post by: spidge on March 17, 2018, 09:11:05 pm
Managed to grab my first 7 lambs at a good price at market today. Assuming these are a cross breed? Any suggestions which breeds?
Title: Re: Got my first sheep!
Post by: SallyintNorth on March 17, 2018, 09:24:27 pm
Congratulations!  :yippee:

They may be Texel cross out of Mules.  Or possibly Texel cross out of hill sheep - Blackies, Swaledales etc.

Whereabouts are you / which market?  That would inform a guess as to parentage ;)
Title: Re: Got my first sheep!
Post by: twizzel on March 17, 2018, 09:47:54 pm
The front one looks like a blue texel  :-\
Title: Re: Got my first sheep!
Post by: spidge on March 17, 2018, 09:58:16 pm
Got them from Sedgemoor Market, Somerset.
Title: Re: Got my first sheep!
Post by: SallyintNorth on March 18, 2018, 09:21:12 am
The front one looks like a blue texel  :-\

I thought that too. Might have a nice fleece :thinking: ... do you spin :spin:, [member=176849]spidge[/member] ?
Title: Re: Got my first sheep!
Post by: twizzel on March 18, 2018, 09:27:51 am
I reckon the others are texel sired out of Suffolk mules. Seems a popular cross in the south west
Title: Re: Got my first sheep!
Post by: Sbom on March 18, 2018, 09:54:25 am
 :thumbsup:

Boy? Girls?

If girls it’s worth an udder check....
Title: Re: Got my first sheep!
Post by: SallyintNorth on March 18, 2018, 11:38:05 am
I reckon the others are texel sided out of Suffolk mules. Seems a popular cross in the south west

Ah, yes - I think you're probably right
Title: Re: Got my first sheep!
Post by: shep53 on March 18, 2018, 12:26:11 pm
Apart from the pure blue texel the others could be anything , look like maybe  a bit of Hampshire of  Suftex .  Well done for buying  a good price as prime Hoggs are at an all time high , so stores are expensive
Title: Re: Got my first sheep!
Post by: spidge on March 18, 2018, 11:26:02 pm
The front one looks like a blue texel  :-\
Thats a ram
Title: Re: Got my first sheep!
Post by: spidge on March 18, 2018, 11:28:26 pm
:thumbsup:

Boy? Girls?

If girls it’s worth an udder check....
The one at the front is a ram. The rest are Ewes
Title: Re: Got my first sheep!
Post by: SallyintNorth on March 19, 2018, 01:11:14 am
The front one looks like a blue texel  :-\
Thats a ram

Ram (entire) or wether (castrated}?
Title: Re: Got my first sheep!
Post by: twizzel on March 19, 2018, 09:34:10 am
 :tired: :tired: :tired: hopefully it's castrated ! If not that might be why they were a good price as store hogs are flying at the moment  :yuck:
Title: Re: Got my first sheep!
Post by: roddycm on March 19, 2018, 05:58:17 pm
what a lovely bunch! congratulations!! I agree the ram is a blue texel and the rest are mule texel x. Congrats again  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Got my first sheep!
Post by: spidge on March 19, 2018, 06:01:26 pm
:tired: :tired: :tired: hopefully it's castrated ! If not that might be why they were a good price as store hogs are flying at the moment  :yuck:

Not castrated. I will be looking at moving him on ASAP. Don’t know if I should sell him as a useful ram or meat.
Title: Re: Got my first sheep!
Post by: spidge on March 19, 2018, 06:04:05 pm
One question I do have is regarding food. I have bought some finishing  pellets (as not much grass etc) but don’t know how much to give each day. I’d there a amount per weight of animal?
Title: Re: Got my first sheep!
Post by: twizzel on March 19, 2018, 07:10:23 pm
They shouldn’t need much more than good quality hay if there’s no grass, and a mineral lick and a handful of nuts once or twice a week to keep them tame. But I would also watch to see if they are in lamb or not if they’ve been running with a ram. Problem is this time of year is the wrong time to sell a ram for breeding, most people will be lambing and won’t even think about buying rams until the summer.
Title: Re: Got my first sheep!
Post by: roddycm on March 19, 2018, 07:18:48 pm
I would just keep him, hard to tell from the pic but he looks nice
Title: Re: Got my first sheep!
Post by: shep53 on March 19, 2018, 07:40:50 pm
The breeder considered him not good enough to keep ? looks fairly small ?
Title: Re: Got my first sheep!
Post by: spidge on March 19, 2018, 08:23:54 pm
I would just keep him, hard to tell from the pic but he looks nice
Thanks. He is quite a nice lad really and quite tame. Shame I cant keep him with the other Ewes about.
Title: Re: Got my first sheep!
Post by: Sbom on March 20, 2018, 12:56:09 pm
Apart from the pure blue texel the others could be anything , look like maybe  a bit of Hampshire of  Suftex .  Well done for buying  a good price as prime Hoggs are at an all time high , so stores are expensive

Not necessarily pure, they come out that colour from any white ewe. We’ve had one like that out of a romney ewe and a welshy x type.
Title: Re: Got my first sheep!
Post by: Sbom on March 20, 2018, 12:59:48 pm
And if he’s not castrated then you need to check ewe lambs as they are likely in lamb