[Blinkers]

I keep Coloured Ryelands, White Ryelands and Greyface Dartmoor sheep.......but I rather like the look of those Swaledale now that I've seen 'em up close ('ish.....on Lambing Live!).    Does anyone on here keep 'em?

[andywalt]

I like them too, very attractive little things

[ScotsGirl]

I have mules which I think come from the Swaledale crossed Blue Face Leicester and I love them. Make great mums and have great character.

[Blinkers]

I have mules which I think come from the Swaledale crossed Blue Face Leicester and I love them. Make great mums and have great character.

I also love the Blue Face Leicester - and beautiful fleece for spinning too.    Would love a fleece come shearing time if anyone has one kickin' around 

[SallyintNorth]

I farmed Swaleys on my previous farm.  In the right place they can't be beaten; the right place being the uplands on poor ground / moss / fells.

I'm not sure how they fare on good ground.  Possibly their lambs would grow too big for the somewhat narrow exit channel.  I do know that you have to take care buying draft hill ewes to run on better ground - you can get  magnesium staggers as their systems simply aren't used to the lush lowland grasses.  So if you want hill sheep on good ground get them as lambs so that their systems adapt.

I think hill sheep also do not like to be too confined or forced to be too close to other sheep (ie, they like a low stocking density.)  Their genes tell them they want wide open spaces!

In my opinion the offspring of a Swaledale ewe put to a Blue-faced Leicester tup, known as a North Country Mule, is an unparallelled ewe.  A North Country Mule can also be the offspring of a Blackface ewe put to a Blue-faced Leicester tup, the Blackie in question could be a Scottish type (short legs, rather dumpy) or a Hexhamshire type (a bigger, rangier animal.)  In my experience, the Blackie mules tend to be less tame - but probably do put a bit more frame on the lambs, and certainly a better fleece.

[bamford6]

get some embryos for you're own sheep .iv just done 200 rare breeds the cost i paid £40 for 4 in 1 tube done all 200 the ram they come from is a ram sold for Manny thousands and limited embryos .we will keep 100 and sell our old stock off only the best will be kept .so we will see which mothers are the best .we will then have a pedigree herd .iff you look at lambing live its the way to go as feed prices shot up you need the best you can afford my ewes are worth £80 to £100 sold some 3 weeks ago so the cost £20000 iff they were registered £35000 so worth the hard work its the same for chickins iff it costs a £10 to keep 5 for a month why not keep 5 off the best you can get better breeding better young .the black rocks cost £10 to 12 each will lay for 5 yeres so why get a cross that lasts for 2 yeres no point

[ScotsGirl]

I have a couple of fleeces from last year if anyone wants them you are welcome.  I sheared them myself and kept the better efforts.  Will have some later this month if anyone wants those too.  Got mix of mules, Suffolk x and Southdown x (although these will be rubbish as a pig to shear)

[woollyval]

Swaledale fleeces are for carpets not clothes....very scratchy! We use a lot in insulation

[SallyintNorth]

Swaledale fleeces are for carpets not clothes....very scratchy! We use a lot in insulation

Oh please share what you have to do to use your own fleece as insulation?  We were told there had to be two treatments, one for making it bug-resistant and one to make it fire retardent.  (I thought wool was hard enough to burn without extra treatments.)  At the time, we couldn't discover anywhere in the UK that could do these treatments on a small scale, and they were not interested in buying our clip either.