The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Introduce yourself => Topic started by: scotty on February 21, 2011, 03:11:19 pm
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Hi
what a wonderful site, so glad i found it! so many friendly and helpful people.
i have ducks at the moment, for both eggs and meat, and i am currently planning sheep. in fact need to pull the finger out and decide which sheep i would like to get, seeing as the lambing season is upon us!
so can't make my mind up, sigh
any hints to tasty lambs for fattening?
i will probably have loads of questions, so a huge thanks in advance, don't want you think i am a pest!
Di
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Hello from South Lanarkshire :wave: (Lesmahagow to be exact)
Can't help with the sheep questions, I'm more of a :pig: :pig: :pig: enthusiast ;)
Welcome to TAS and look forward to hearing lots more from you !
Karen
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hi and welcome from moray :wave:
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Hi Di! welcome to TAS from wet miserable worcestershire :)
I'd love sheep but hubby is not much of a livestock man so is putting his fluffy foot down ;) we do have goats, chickens, bunnies and lots of cats though and there are plans for a co-operative to keep their lambs here to fatten (paying for our land by means of a lamb for the freezer!) so will be learning with you all about woolly critters!
I don't think anyone will mind how many questions you ask, they are all lovely here and put up with my daft goatie questions for the past year bless them lol.
Lisa
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Welcome from Fife ;D
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Hi and welcome from dry (at the moment) Carnoustie :wave:
We have Ryelands and love them but everyone favours their own chosen breed. Ryelands are docile, generally friendly, produce excellent lamb and fleece - lambs go at 6 - 7 months off grass. Our two this year were each 26kg deadweight and very tasty.
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Hello and welcome from south Lanarkshire :wave: :)
We keep sheep - Hebrideans and Soay. As well as supporting rare and traditional breeds, our little sheep are extremely tasty as they mature slowly over 16 months. Most of our lambs go for breeding stock but those which don't make the grade for registration go in our freezer :yum: :yum: As Rosemary says, everyone favours their own breed which is of course why we keep them. You will have great fun choosing your favourite.
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Hi and welcome, have to say that I love my Shetlands and the flavour is amazing but......as they are not ready to go until they are at least a year old it means that you have to keep them through the winter and I have found this to be really costly this year. If I added on my feeding costs there is no way that I would be able to sell my meat, it would be way too expensive so I have reluctantly decided to cross them with a Texel this year.
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Welcome from a driech West Lothian :wave:
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Another welcome from North Lanarkshire, near Wishaw.
We also keep a few sheep (Hebrideans & Soays) and chickens. We're also planning a polytunnel, having just bought one but not got around to building it yet. Depending on how close to us you are, you're most welcome to visit - just PM us.
John
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Hi and welcome from me at Glentarkie on the Perth/Fife border...........I'm a newbie here also a great site with informative friendly folk.... So you keep ducks, what breeds?..........Don't suppose you have any Muscovy's for sale as I'm looking for some?
Enjoy the forum
Dave
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Hi , Welcome to TAS , from chrispy in Bulgaria :wave:
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Hi
so many friendly faces, thanks everyone!
yes the choice of sheep????? will decide soon , honest!
ok the ducks are a mixture, i have 6 khaki campbell, 2 white campbell, 3 runners. of which there are 2 khaki drakes an a runner drake. oh yes and i have just hatched out 6 cherry valley ducklings last week!
i also have a tunnel which took forever to get up, reluctant helpers! however had it up for 2 seasons now and its fab! very exposed and windy at mine so everything does so much better inside.
can't believe there are lots of you near me, great
Di
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Hi from North Yorkshire. :wave:
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Hi from Banff, :wave:
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Hi welcome from Brittany. Our land is at the bottom of a valley so most of the holding is too wet for sheep. Great for ducks though especially in the winter.
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any hints to tasty lambs for fattening?
Hello Di from Sally in not-quite-Scotland (just about 20 miles from the border)
Like everyone says you'll have loads of fun choosing your sheep breed and everyone has their own reasons for preferring their own favourite - but your question prompted me to share how very tasty (tender, lean, juicy and sweet), easy to manage and fast growing our Charollais crosses have turned out to be. Hardly native or rare, but definitely have their benefits. They can have a tendency to be thin-skinned (fleeced) though, so we were advised to get a tup with a woolly head, which should ensure that the lambs have enough of a covering for the Cumbrian weather. Seems to work, but we do use the wee plastic macs unless it's really dry and warm.
Envious of your ducks - mink took my Muscovies :-[
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Hello and welcome from just north of Lanarkshire- outside of Falkirk.
We keep dairy goats, and have chickens, ducks, and two of last years lambs which are due for the freezer shortly.
Beth