[littleelle109]

hey everyone i am new to sheep keeping and was looking for helpful hints and tips the breed we have choosen is the oxford downs as we have family members with this breed already any help would be appreciated many thanks

[smallflockshearing]

Hi littleelle, have you bought any yet?  How much grazing do you have access to?  What are you keeping them for (wool, meat, mowing)?  Are you clear on those sort of questions, or is it about the annual routine of keeping them where you are looking for advice?

[littleelle109]

we haven't bought any yet, still browsing the market for a couple of nice ewes, we have acess to 3 acres of land at home and then in talks with the neighbouring farmer to board sheep on his land for a few months of the year to rest the grazing, I was mainly looking for advice on annual routine such as vaccinations and rough prices hoof care etc we are planning on sending our wool to japan with my partners uncles wool and toying with the idea of breeding however would not have a ram at home

[devonlad]

we started with 3 ewes (wiltshire horn). 5 1/2 years ago we stuck them in our 4 acre field and away we went. would like to think that in that time we have got better and more organised. probably the single most important investment was in 4 sheep hurdles as we spent the first year with me taking flying rugby tackles at them every time we needed to catch them. like you we have always had the possibility of other grazing elsewhere but we have found that it pays to be able to do without it just in case- as when relying on others it doesn't always quite work out the way you wanted. Our field is now split in two by a permanent stock fence and we have also created 3 further small areas ( our little orchard, a holding pen by the lambing shed and another pen that we have used on occasions for pigs). all this means that we have the ability to manage a variety of situations independently if necessary. currently we have a ram running with this years wethers, ewes preparing for tupping and this years ewe lambs all contained at home which previously was impossible. We were able to cut a couple of acres of hay this year which has meant we have more than enough to get us through plus we could sell a further 100 small bales to cover the cost of making it. it it also enables us to rest the ground more often reducing worm load . we now drench far less often than we did at first. we heptavac about now, drench post lambing and again pre-tupping. this along with flystrike treatment and wormer can be massively expensive for a couple of sheep (smallest hepatavac bottle is for 25 doses and costs over £50). our local vet also provides smaller doses of wormer. key for us quite early was teaming up with another local chap with a small flock to buy vaccines etc. it also helps at shearing time to get a shearer when there are more to do.
we now have 12 ewes(wilts horn, lleyns and crosses), a ram and 5 of this years lambs growing on. its all been a learning curve but we love it and enjoy developing our land and just generally becoming more knowledgeable and more efficient.

[Foobar]

Don't buy two, get three instead.  They will feel more like a flock then, and also if anything happens to one of them then you won't end up with one sheep left on it's own, which will fret.

[SallyintNorth]

we heptavac about now

Just querying that devonlad - I assume you mean you heptavac this year's lambs about now?  And the ewes get their annual booster about 3 weeks before lambing?

[ZaktheLad]

Goodness that's expensive Heptavac for a 25 dose bottle!  Have a look on the websites such as Bestpet Pharmacy as you will find them cheaper - half price of what you are paying at over £50, and it's free P&P (current price on that website if £24.60).  Even my local Countrywide Store is nowhere near the price you pay and their price is £5 more than most web prices. 

[devonlad]

Spot the deliberate mistake- it's Click that's round the £50 mark for smallest bottle. heptavac quite rightly nearer £20-25 - still expensive if its only for a couple especially when it doesnt keep and you throw most away- but not quite as dear as my previous post.
Heptavac- oh !!! we first used it on our first sheep- 3 just weaned ewe lambs about 5 years ag0 -they arrived here about this time of year and we immediately injected them and again 4 weeks later. since then we have always given them theri boosters at the same time of year to keep within the 12 months- plus we've done all the lambs at the same time- plus their booster 4 weeks later. Sounds as if not been doing it properly tho ?? ooops. does that mean that lambs have never been covered as we had believed that as long as you kept within the time period immunity would be passed on ?

[shep53]

Just gave my hill lambs their second heptacac p + ,  the ewe hoggs will get a booster next june  then as in lamb gimmers  a booster in  march and march every year after , to pass on the maximum antibodies to the lambs  born april

[SallyintNorth]

Yup, it is normal to give the ewes their annual booster about 3 weeks before they are due to lamb, to maximise the antibodies in their systems which will be passed to the lambs to give them passive immunity.

At some point you have to decide - as do we all  - whether to delay the booster for a gimmer lambing for the first time, or give her an extra one that first time.  Thereafter she'll get her annual booster pre-lambing, along with all the other breeding sheep.

[smallflockshearing]

3 acres is plenty for 2 or 3 or more...  don't think you'll need that extra keep! 
Heptavac in spring£££, clik in summer£££, flukiver or similar in autumn£££, worming when£££...  (when, erm, high faecal egg count/ pooey bum / strict regular dose - oops not that anymore cos we don't want to increase anthelmintic resistance do we...)  shear early summer£££, trim feet couple times a year depending on surface they are on£.  But they are cheaper than a ride-on mower.
Please tell us about this wool to Japan scam!  Do they give you more than the BWMB???

[littleelle109]

Hey thanks for Everyone's help it has been very useful and about the wool situation I am unsure on the ins and outs I am te horse side of the farm and my partner is the sheep side as the sheep generally weigh more than me lol not ideal for wrestling/rugby tackling sheep a lot of things r starting to come together and will keep everyone posted on our progress