The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: MiriMaran on September 02, 2009, 08:37:17 pm
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OK we are toying with the idea of keeping a couple of pet sheep - it took us 3 years of researching and worrying before we finally made the decision to keep pigs, so it may take just as long to decide about sheep! ::)
We have a 2 acre field split into 3 unequal sections. This year the pigs have had 2 sections, but next year we plan to let them only wreck one section a year and then we can rotate. Where the pigs haven't rooted, the grass and knapweed is very long, so we thought about getting some sheep. I would rather have pet sheep then ones to slaughter, but don't even know where to begin! The plan is to rotate in a different section to where the pigs are.
Are there any good laid back breeds for beginners - I would prefer hornless and also ones that shed their fleece (are they called hairless?). Two ewes would be good. Would getting 2 old ewes past their best be an option and if we did get 2 old ones would they learn to become friendly? Or are we better off getting lambs?
I went to a children's farm where their we an ancient looking ewe who was so soppy - I sat with her for half an hour stroking her.
(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h214/MiriamVernon/2009/DSCN31700.jpg)
Any advice would be great and like I say it could be another 3 years of whittling before we take the plunge. We've had a bee hive for over a year and still haven't got any bees - maybe we research too much and should stop worrying and take the plunge!!!
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What a lovely photo ;D :sheep: I'm a soft old sheep keeper that gives all my old ewes a happy retirement. They all have served me well, and personally I'm happy that they spend their golden years as pasture cleaners - but we have plenty of grass to do so. Most old ewes get sent for mutton, so I don't know how easy it would be to find old ladies to re-home. Sock (cades) maybe a better/easier to find an tame as pets next spring.
The copper residues in pig poo, could be a problem when grazing sheep after pigs - depending on pig feed, time elapsed and breed of sheep, some sheep are more copper tolerant than others. I know nothing about goats, but maybe they can process copper better than sheep ?
HTH :sheep:
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Most breeds will react well to a friendly owner...particularly at feed time...but better to get a lamb or shearling rather than an older/ retired ewe...they can get a bit set in their ways and may never become the 'pets' that you want and worse still may die just when you are getting to know them...sheep have a tendency to do that...ask any Shepherd!
Not sure about fleece shedding sheep, but the close coat varieties wouldn't be too much of a problem, although you will need to have them sheared at least once a year. I would suggest you consider one of the smaller breeds...of which there are quite a few...and research them all to find a breed that is most suited to your area and weather conditions...don't be afraid to approach a local sheep farmer for advice and he/she may be prepared to sell you a couple.
Sheep are not the easiest of creatures to care for...they can suffer from a myriad of illnesses and infections...but don't let that put you off...they are wonderful animals and well worth the bother.
Good luck
Farmer
:farmer:
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I have a pet shetland castrated tup called Bertie. pet sheep are completely different to your usual sheep. To be honest, they can be a pain sometimes. Bertie is an escape artist. He tries to go out the gate as you come in, if there is the slightest gap in the fence he will get under or over it. He follows you round the field wanting a fuss. He thinks every bit of food is for him, and has been known to tip the rabbit runs and chicken pens over to get at bits of feed.
On the plus side, having a pet sheep makes it easier to treat them if they are ill, clip their feet, shear them etc. They just stand there!!
I agree there are things that can go wrong with sheep, and any sheep illness or loss is not nice, but seems worse when it is a pet. So do think about that - how upset you would be if, heaven forbid something happened.
Copper can be an issue. I have to watch Bertie does not eat the goats feed as that has copper in. Keep him away from the neighbours garden because of any poisonous bushes etc. Fly strike and the maggots can be a problem, they do get prone to foot problems, and you may have problems getting someone out to shear just a couple of sheep. They do eat the field down until you could play bowls on it, so you do need another well fenced area to put them in while it rests.
Oh yes, and dogs. I have a footpath down a track next to my field, and am constantly worrying about dogs off their leads, so try and make sure the fences are as high as you can, both to stop the dog, and keep the sheep in!!
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We started with 4 orphan ewe lambs, that we bottle fed, so they are incredibly friendly and easy to handle. We bred from them the first time this year and trhey are all wonderful to have, if you only have small number its easy to keep an eye on them, they seem to get more potential things go wrong than pigs, but so far the worst we've had is the same 2 fly struck twice. I am fortunate to have experienced people nearby to help me and have learnt tons! Hoping to do a shearing course next year too, I'd say go for it they are lovely to keep :sheep:
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Hi, if you are thinking of keeping just a couple of sheep as pets can I make some suggestions. Do not start with bottle fed lambs if you have no experience of sheep. Weaned lambs or older sheep are fine if you choose the right ones. Do you have any farm parks or similar near you? Most rear some bottle fed lambs for the visitors during the summer then sell them at the end of the season. They will be friendly and people orientated and often are attractive rare breeds. Choose wethers as not only will you be saving their lives but they are often more friendly than ewes. Alternatively seek out a local small flock keeper with some well handled bucket trained sheep for sale.
Try to find a contract shepherd to come in every couple of months to do routine stock tasks rather than worrying about doing it yourself(unless you want to). As he will know what he is doing and will probably do it better and quicker than you can so will be less stressful for the sheep.
Sheep can make great pets and I have not found them prone to illness or sudden death. On the contrary I have been keeping sheep for 8 years now and have never had any suicides! I have only had to have several put down due to old age. My favourite breed is Zwartbles they are big but naturally tame and friendly. I highly reccommend them as a pet breed. Small size does not mean the sheep will be easier to handle.
Lots of people around here keep pet sheep - and I always try to sell my wether lambs as pets/grazers before sending them for slaughter.
There are potential problems like fly strike but just make sure they are sprayed with Crovect or similar. Obviously if they are your pets you will know them and be aware if they seem unwell and can take the necessary action just as you would with any animal.
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I used to raise Black Welsh Mountain sheep. They are a very hardy breed with very few health issues. They do shed their own wool. If you have them around your part of the country they are worth the expense.
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I've just bought some Balwens Cameldairy...the ones with the white socks and face blaze...were yours the same breed?
Farmer
:farmer:
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My Black Welsh sheep were solid black, even their tongues were a dark blue color :sheep:
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Thanks for all your advice. I think Lindy had a very good suggestion about bottle lambs from a children's farm! We will dither about it and do loads more reading before making a definite decision. Part of my problem is that as a child I was told that sheep have to aims in life - to escape and die = which is slightly off putting!!!
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Hello,
I would suggest Ryelands, think teddy bears!! They are reputed to be the best for beginners, don't go in for escaping and are just very nice to look at, also the fleece is worth something rather than chuck it away value.
Black mountain sheep are mental, at least the ones I've seen are. Brilliant at escape too.
All sheep will quite quickly tame with a bucket of food. Don't dither get some Ryelands and enjoy.
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My Black's weren't mental, they were very easy to deal with and even came to me when I would call them.
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Our pigs went today and our field is empty except for 40 hens. In the admag there is an advert for sheep was very tempted to phone, but not sure enough yet.
I need to find out whether pigs and sheep can mix in a field and how having pigs will impact on copper levels in the ground.
In our porch we have a poster of sheep breeds and Ryelands are very beautiful.
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I have to tell the crazy story about the time I had a yearling Black Mountain sheep ram I was keeping out the herd so he couldn't breed his sisters. Well the only place I had to put him was in a pen that also had a female pot belly pig in. So I thought they could just keep each other company, well they did more than that! I walked up on them one day and the ram had just hopped down from breeding the sow!! :o. i could not understand why she would allow this and then I saw what he had been doing... he was ramming the poor girl in the side untill she stood still for him to breed her! Around here we call that rape! >:( So I yanked his black woolly a$$ right out of there and onto a trailer and off he went to the butchers! But what kind of weird offspring would they look like if they could actually cross :sheep: X :pig: ?? Would we call it a shig or a peep? ;D
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I rest my case !!
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;D ;D Well, I raised this breed of sheep for over 12 years and had a herd of more than 30, this was the only "mental" one among mine. How about you share your personal experience with the breed. I'm not defending the whole species, just my own. ;)
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Pig and sheep would look like a Mangalitza I suppose!
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;D ;D Well, I raised this breed of sheep for over 12 years and had a herd of more than 30, this was the only "mental" one among mine. How about you share your personal experience with the breed. I'm not defending the whole species, just my own. ;)
My personal experience of the breed is that I haven't owned any, I've seen them, I own other mountain breed sheep and owned commercial Mules and Texels. Mountain breeds by their very nature climb - so they go over fences, walls and hurdles without thinking twice about it.
My suggestion to the original question - to have Ryelands - is based on research I did recently as to which sheep are suited more to those new to sheep. Someone else either in this topic or similar topic suggested Kerry Hills, these are no doubt lovely looking animals but as you enter the field in the one corner they tend to beat a hasty retreat to the furthest point from you. Hardly great for a newcomer to deal with.
On this forum which I have followed for a while those new to animals come on and ask for advice. The advice tends to be 'have what I've got' or 'well I don't have sheep / pigs / but I've got a hamster'. Surely we should be only chipping in if we have actually kept that type of stock (sheep, pigs, horses etc) and advising on something suitable.
If I want a horse, never had one and ask what to get, would you advise to 'go and get a retired racehorse as they need a good home'. Lets not 'have a go' at each other, lets try to encourage others to go into things with their eyes open.
I recently met someone who has three Shetland rams, now at 18 months old, no ewes just the rams - who told them that would be a good idea?? And yes they are intact !!
Thanks.
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My personal experience of the breed is that I haven't owned any, I've seen them,-----Mountain breeds by their very nature climb - so they go over fences, walls and hurdles without thinking twice about it.------Someone else either in this topic or similar topic suggested Kerry Hills, these are no doubt lovely looking animals but as you enter the field in the one corner they tend to beat a hasty retreat to the furthest point from you. Hardly great for a newcomer to deal with-----On this forum which I have followed for a while those new to animals come on and ask for advice. The advice tends to be 'have what I've got' or 'well I don't have sheep / pigs / but I've got a hamster'. Surely we should be only chipping in if we have actually kept that type of stock (sheep, pigs, horses etc) and advising on something suitable. These are all the incredible highlights from this last post of moleskins. Kind of stupid saying that last one since he or she admitted they never had any of these sheep ::)
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We can, if you like trade insults, but my point was that the original questioner wanted some calm sheep. As such I suggested Ryelands, they are known for being docile.
I said we should only comment on stock we have experience of because of this post on another topic.
Knowing nothing about pigs but quite a lot about dogs my answer would be - depends what you are going to do with him.
Note the use of the word 'stock' just because I haven't kept a particular 'breed' of sheep, pig, or whatever doesn't mean I know nothing about them. I may have opted out of having them for good reason.
The purpose of my post was to try to help someone else to choose the right type of sheep for them. As I say I do have experience of mountain breed sheep. Could there be some differences in your sheep which are in the USA (?) to those that the person asking might buy in Derbyshire (?) UK.
This forum is a mine of information and there is a wealth of experience out there ..... but .......
we should try to be courteous, un biased and less keen to leap in with a post just for the heck of it.
I know I'll be less keen to post in the future if I'm going to get my head bitten off.
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play nice folks. We have shetlands and cheviots. both are happy to come to the bucket but a few are pains. we tend to eat those that are difficult. most sheep should chill out when they know your going to feed them. why wuld the new sheep keeper want wild hill sheep.
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:pig: my parents kept a small flock of southdowns with no problems they were friendly and quite easy to handle quite cute looking too,
they also look like teddy bears my kids loved them when they were small ( now the only interest they have with the animals is when are they ready to eat my freezers empty!!!) :)
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Please don't squabble on my account! I know nothing about sheep, but most breeds of things (i.e. dogs horses) have certain personality traits, but there are always the individuals that like to test the norm. Just to get back to a question I asked earlier on this thread does anyone know whether sheep can share a field with pigs or will the pigs have too much impact on the Copper levels?
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I keep both, I would suggest you fence off an area for the pigs. I alternate between two areas to rest and reseed.
Electric fence is ideal because you can move it easily, but the pigs need to be trained to it. Young pigs get a shock and run forwards, straight through the fence. Once that problem is overcome it works superbly. Even if you take the electric fence down they won't cross the line of where it was for some time.
This means that you have sheep and pigs separate so worry about copper is minimal. Quite how you would measure the copper levels in the soil after pigs I don't know. However some of the copper in the feed will have been absorbed by the pig so it won't all be in the excrement. Sheep do need a certain amount of minerals themselves including copper. Please see this link www.merricks.com/tech_copper_req.html
As I say having kept both types - seek out sheep with a lower desire to escape. You must also like your animals, choose some that you like.
Don't be afraid of having to clip some either, you can buy some hand shears cheaply and if you get the wool off reasonably well it can be washed and used.
PS I've just quickly read that article and you should go through it, even though it appears to be rocket science !!
PPS I'd probably worry more about problems like Pasteurella, even though vaccinated against this I just nearly lost my Ram Lamb to it. This was last week, this week he's sniffing the 'ladies' so I assume he has responded to the jabs!!
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i thought the same but the sheep in shetland are in need of copper so we have put out a red lick.
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Thanks for that Moleskins - I read the article, nodded a few times, but got there in the end! We are planning to rest the field until the Spring and will then decide what to do. Thanks for all the advice from everyone, but as always I will keep on dithering!
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Zwartbles, very friendly docile and nice looking. see www.zwartbles.org