[jacob and Georgina]

I am fairly new to the idea of smallholdings  and as i have several acres going spare at the minute I would like to keep some sheep in order to graze the land and eventually for the freezer. i have done quite a lot of research in books and on the internet into which breeds i should start with and at the moment i have narrowed the list down to two breeds, these being the Shetland as i hear these are small and easy to handle and good lambers, and the Kerry hill, mainly due to its attractive appearance. I will be starting out with a small flock between 4-6 and hopefully borrowing a ram off one of the local farmers. I would be interested to hear from anyone who keeps either of these breeds and may help influence my decision and also from anyone who has any ideas for others breeds i may be interested in. My grandad used to be a successful sheep farmer who is now retired and has sold all his land. He always kept Suffolk`s and texals however he said that they can have difficulty at lambing time and are not the easiest of breeds to handle.

My second question is that i have read quite a lot about sheep costing an awful amount of money for what you get in return, is this always the case? if i was to have say 8 lambs at a time would the cost of keeping them vaccinated and well fed etc outway the amount i would get for the lamb at the end? i am not looking for any for of profit whatsoever and i will be keeping them purely for enjoyment, however if i am going to loose a vast amount of money then perhaps i will have to consider another option.

[SingingShearer]

Hi Jacob,

I don't keep sheep (never have and hopefully never will), but in my experience of handling both breeds I would not recommend Kerry hill sheep as they tend to be wild, as for Shetlands they are not bad to handle but you will probably need good fencing as some don't seem to know what it is.

Jacobs aren't bad .

Philip

[Castle Farm]

Kerries are beautifull and difficult,certainly not for a novice.
Shetland are for people with rough grazing and there is more meat on a butchers apron than on them.

Get yourself some Lleyns and you will not regret it.

[hexhammeasure]

everyone has their favourites. Mine personaaly are north country cheviots I dont have any tho. they tend to be flighty and will crash through barriers and such. I keep suffolks, they are big so plenty of meat do have lambing troubles but usually only if overfed to get large lambs, they have less udder problems and good teeth. the best thing is they are easily trained to the bucket which means rounding up is very easy ...stand at the gate and rattle a bucket or bag and watch you don't get run over in their eagerness to see what you have for them.

you could do worse

[Freddiesfarm]

I'm with Castle Farm on this one - get some Lleyns!

I have over the years had dorset downs, south downs, suffolks, portlands (very similar to shetlands I believe), mules, and jacobs and by far the easiest for everything are the lleyns plus you get excellent carcase conformation that you just don't get with some of the native breeds.

www.lleynsheep.com

[morri2]

Hi!  Beware of any pure native breed.  They are hardy and attractive, survive on less than most,  but the majority are very agile and will escape from anywhere  given half an opportunity, especially if the grass is better on the other side of the fence!  You will definitely need good fences.  Financially, it depends on how much meat you eat if they are for the freezer.  If you own your own grazing it helps considerably.  If you have enough to make your own hay, better again.  A small flock need not be very expensive if you budget properly. If you have good neighbours who also have livestock, you can share medicines or buy the small amount you need from them. As far as chosing a breed, I know nothing about the two you've mentioned, but if you want a small, easy to handle and attractive sheep, which produces plently of meat, try Southdowns.  I have Dorsets which are very easy to handle, docile and can get very tame, but they can also be heavy which is a pain in the butt when trying to treat them or trim hooves. Get all the advice you can, and chose carefully.  Cheers.

[shetlandpaul]

we have had shetlands for 2 1/2 years now and i would say they are great for smaller families. the joints are smaller than you commercial breeds. we have only had one escape in that time and that was the ram. they are very tough and don't need as much bothering as say a suffolk. you can also get them in a vast number of colours and patterns. horned and not. if you cross with a cheviott or suffolk they produce normal sized lambs. they are good mums and tend to only have 1 or 2 lambs. you can bucket train them. but saying that we have 3 cheviot ewes and they are as easy to catch just a lot heavier to turn.get what you like but do a lot of reading before hand. try a few older ewes they tend to be more chilled out than younger ones.

[lindy]

My advice would be to visit a local large agricultural show where you can see a selection of sheep breeds and talk to the people who specialise in breeding them and know what they are talking about with regard to that breed. Tell them what you are looking for and ask if they think their breed is suitable.
Try to decide what your main reason for wanting sheep is. If you want to keep them primarily for meat then a small native breed is probably not the best choice.
If on the other hand you want them as a hobby Shetlands are ideal. They are small, easy to handle, and can become very tame. They produce good wool, come in a variety of attractive colours, they have a small carcass but the meat is good, so it is quality rather then quantity.
They are relatively low maintenance, give birth easily and are good mothers.
On the down side they are quite goat like  - they love to eat leaves and bark so not suitable in an orchard!
 I do not agree they are always trying to escape - mine never have - you just need proper fencing in good repair as with all stock.
Nor do I agree they can live on next to nothing, they need proper feeding as with any sheep. Reasonable grazing in summer and hay and a few concentrates in winter.
I do not think you can make a profit from a small number of sheep but if you were to sell all your lambs you can usually cover your costs.

[jacob and Georgina]

thankyou all for your replies they have been very useful. have now decided that the Kerry hill may not be the ideal breed for me. I quite like the idea of crossbreeding the Shetland with a Suffolk as i do like Suffolk's and i know the farmer next door has several Suffolk rams. I will do some research into lleyns as several people have suggested them as a possibility. I will be attending the Devon county show next weekend and hope to speak to some breeders then and get some more advice from the people who know. 

[jacob and Georgina]

Have just done a quick bit of research into lleyn sheep and they definitely look like a good breed for what i am after. Are they relatively easy to get hold of? we live in Devon so if anyone knows of anybody who keeps them we would be interested in having a look. On the other hand i like the idea of Shetlands and the possibility of crossing them with a more "meaty" breed such as the cheviot or the Suffolk. If anyone has any more advice for a novice pls do nt hesitate to reply.

[Freddiesfarm]

I live in Devon too with my lleyns.  You are welcome to come and see them to get a real hands on look.  I have about 150 lleyns some pedigree, some pure.  Wouldn't advise you either way but I do find I get more problems with some of the poncy pedigree!!

I know a couple of people who will be showing them too at Devon county Show so they will definately be there. 

But more than welcome to come see mine.  Plus I have come Jacobs with lleyn lambs at foot and they look great so they make a nice cross.

[jacob and Georgina]

thankyou freddiesfarm that sounds like a brilliant offer, where about in Devon are you? we will defiantly have a good look at several breeds at the Devon county show and would thoroughly enjoy having a look at your sheep at some point in the future and getting to know the breed hands on.