[SallyintNorth]

I have just written the following on Ravelry, and thought I would capture it here for posterity, and for people in the future researching the breed or type of sheep they are going to have.

Spinning-wise, I love my mixes.  I like a bit of Longwool mixed with the Shetland, I love a bit of Castlemilk fineness and toffee colour (although I haven’t any left in the breeders, sadly.)

As a shepherd, I’d have Shetlands all the way.

In my time thus far, I’ve experienced first hand on my own holding Texels, Swaledales, both types of North of England Mule, Scotch Mules, Wensleydale, Beltex, Lleyn, Charolais, Shetland, Manx, Castlemilk Moorit, Blue-faced Leicester (crossing type),  Shetland, Zwartbles, crosses of all the aforementioned, and Hebridean and Romney crosses.

I have also worked with, on other people’s farms and holdings, Poll Dorset, Portland, Norfolk Horn, Wiltshire Horn, Suffolk.

And have had discussions with friends (whose sheep I have known in the flesh, not just Facebook / internet friends , sufficiently to think I know a little about the breed/type) with Llanwenog, North Ronalsday, Grey-faced Dartmoor, Cheviot, Hexhamshire Blackface, Ryeland.

[macgro7]

But which ones do you choose from those mentioned? Goat? lol 

[SallyintNorth]

But which ones do you choose from those mentioned? Goat? lol 

As a shepherd, I’d have Shetlands all the way.

That was the point of my post, really.  I’ve experienced a lot of different sheep, and realised that if I was only making a choice as a shepherd, not thinking about uses for crafting, size of joints, or any other attribute, I’d unhesitatingly choose Shetlands.

[macgro7]

What traits did you bas you opinion on? I assume ease of lambing? What else?
I worked with lleyn in college and was considering getting exlana for the easy shepherding.

[Rosemary]

Having bought two Shetlands recently, I wouldn't go past my Ryelands 

[landroverroy]

Having bought two Shetlands recently, I wouldn't go past my Ryelands 

I would tend to agree. Like so many people I started with Ryelands as fell in love with them at a rare breeds sale. They are ideal for a beginner as they are quiet and easy to handle and produce a commercial carcase without having to cross with something else of better conformation. I only went to bigger, more streetwise sheep because the Ryelands were too tame and I had trouble with dog walkers and had 6 chased into the river, where they drowned. I've also had Shetlands and do like them. But you need ones that are tame to start with or else you are dealing with wild animals. They also give a good carcase when crossed with something like a Suffolk, and are generally easy lambing and tend to have multiple births. But generally as a beginner's sheep, I think the Ryeland takes some beating.

[SallyintNorth]

I’m going to regret saying this...  but I have never had to put so much as a finger up a Shetland and have had almost no issues with Shetland crosses.   

I tried to video my first timer Manx x Shetland giving birth to number 2.  (To a Shetland tup.)  The toes were showing, I pressed Rec and in less time than it takes you to read this, she’d turned round, grimaced at me, and the lamb was on the ground behind her.  By the time I got to her, from about 15’ away, it had shaken its head clear of the membrane.  It was on its feet and reaching for the teat within three minutes of birth. had its first gulp of colostrum before it was 10 minutes old.

I never would, but I know I could, just leave them to it.  I’ve never felt the need to lamb them indoors, never had to help a Shetland x lamb be born, very rarely had to make sure a Shetland mum was feeding her babies. 

They need little attention throughout the year.  Good fencing and a field / area they want to stay in . 

They rarely need their feet attended to, they rarely if ever get mucky or struck.  They’re hardy, good doers.  Milky mums, usually twins from two years old onwards.  Very rare there’s a dead or poor lamb if the ewes have been cared for correctly. 

Shearing is a pleasure if you time it right. 

I do get the cuteness of the Ryelands, but they seem to need quite a bit of intervention.  Trimming the wool across the eyes, help with lambing. Prone to fat. None of them deal breakers if course and each to their own!  But for me, now, at my age, I love the ability of the Shetland to give me no trouble at all.

Now I’ve written that of course, all my Shetlands and crosses thereof are going to give me a terrible year 

[Nelson International]

I have much less experience than most people here, but one thing that comes up in the conversations I and my wife have about choosing breeds is the what breeds have a history of being kept in the area. I guess it's a luxury of being a non-commercial sheep-keeper and is probably related to why some people choose to keep rare/heritage breeds, but it adds a sense of being a part of a tradition somehow.

We've got Nelsons (south welsh mountains) which are named after a town down the road and are probably the most common sheep you see in the fields nearby, but if i were to start again from scratch I might be tempted by Beulahs, which I've some experience of and like, or Kerry Hills, which I've never worked with but are kept around here and have grown on me a lot. On the other hand, part of me thinks that a ram should really have horns... The Brecknock Cheviots you see in the Beacons are a really good looking sheep, too.

[PipKelpy]

My first were Beulahs, sold to me as in lamb in 2000, a bit skitty, but good. But I wanted cute so decided to get Ryelands, got distracted and ended up with Dorset Downs. Put weight on each time they inhale i was told. That was 2003, 2 pure breds left (pets) and DDx to lamb. I have had pure Shetlands, bought a whole flock of 50 in 2005, got rid of half of them a few weeks later as they were psycho! They literally climbed the walls! The ones I kept lambed to a Manx and off spring were kept. 3 of the ewes i have now are actually related to a shetland purchased in 2005, 2 are her granddaughters, 1 is her great granddaughter! Always wanted Soay, went to see some Dexters, saw their Soay flock, mum said 'not a chance!' Had greyfaced Dartmoor, fly magnets!! But very lovely sheep. also had demented hebrideans, was given a Lleyn, she was a pain, have had other Lleyn, never had much luck with them, reared cade lambs, best was a texel x mule, she could lamb anything!! Got hit with schmallenberg when it was doing the rounds but she still got the lamb out herself when other ewes couldn't! Bleu du Maine tup on my girls gave me some fabulous lambs. Crossed my dorsets due to their weight so sacrificed the high spring lamb price for a smaller sheep. I do like shetlands, really do, but they don't lamb at December. I'll stick with my Dorset Downs and Dorset Down crossbreeds!!

[ZacB]

We choose Hampshire Downs after a few years of raising various cads and wanting to start our own flock.

The boss wanted cute & fluffy, I wanted big legs of lamb with good taste - Hamps ticked the box.
Since establishing our fledgling flock have also come to appreciate the Christmas lambing and the HDSBA are a good sociable lot.
Wouldn’t change a thing and would recommend to anyone.

[twizzel]

I like my Lleyn girls    great mothers, lots of milk and prolific. Pure bred lambs and the Dorset cross lambs both growing at equal rates at the moment.

[Tim W]

There is no right answer !
You have to start by looking at your market (what/where/when)
Then look at what you have to work with (land/labour/climate)
Then you can make an objective decision to create a system of which the breed/type of sheep will be just one part

[macgro7]

Some breeds might be unsuitable for certain types of land - I.e. try to put ryelands all year round on moorland grazing in Snowdonia or highlands and you will never see them again as they will die.
Try to put Welsh mountain on flat dairy farm and they will jump over the fences and go back go the mountains lol
But from then other hand you have Romneys! Which new Zealander put on both lowlands and Highlands.

[Southern Northerner]

This thread has been really interesting to read as for various reasons we’re thinking about moving from Ryelands (our first breed) to Shetlands.  A lot of the comments about Shetlands tie very much with what I’ve read and heard but I’d appreciate any further thoughts on what the Shetland temperament is like (if it’s possible to generalise) and also what breed of tup has been put to the ewes and with what results.  Many thanks.