Author Topic: Sheep wanted (Read 11770 times)

kanisha · « **Reply #15 on:** March 26, 2009, 01:15:18 pm »

Lindy whats worth it varies from person to person what you are looking for and how you want to go about things.

the most important thing ouessants aren't rare in this part of the world they have been here so long people don't notice them any more;

whats the cost of a ouessant in the UK?

heres a list of ouessants from the local place to advertise them this will give you an idea of type and variance.
http://www.leboncoin.fr/li?q=mouton+ouessant&ca=6_s&th=1&c=0&w=1&rs=&re=&ms=&me=&ros=&roe=&ss=&se=&ccs=&cce=&cs=&ce=&zz=ex%3A75001&fu=
and also of price.
remember there is NO flock book for ouessants in france the breed society judges ouessants by the standard. if you want ouessants with good breeding ( pedigree) and who will breed consistantly to standard then my advice is not to buy from one of these sites you may get lucky and find a good breeder unloading stock but its just as likely you will get something which is oversized or doesn't breed to type. In other words without the breeding provenance behind them you don't know what you are buying even if they are to standard.

the minimum price for a GEMO to standard sheep / lamb is 150 euros if you want better sheep you pay more. This is from a registered breeder but it costs very little to register with the breed society visit their flock and see their stock to determine if they breed good quality sheep.

There are breeders all over france but most are concentrated in brittany. It all really depends on what you want. If the cost of a ouessant in the UK is as prohibative as i've been told then just one sheep is worth it!
and in terms of improving the stock already in the UK absolutely worth it. If you just want a small sheep as a pet then maybe not so better go for volume.

me personally if I was in the UK would look to import a good quality ewe or ram I don't see that great numbers will be of huge benefit. if you want to share a transport with a few friends fine the cost per sheep i should come down for transport but in truth finding and getting hold of those good quality sheep from one breeder will be more difficult.

lindy · « **Reply #16 on:** March 26, 2009, 02:06:13 pm »

Thanks for the info - if it is difficult to source several good ewes from one source it is probably not worthwhile.

woollyval · « **Reply #17 on:** March 26, 2009, 03:48:48 pm »

Lindy.....we bought over 14 ewes and 3 rams in 2007 and I can honestly say that all were better than what is available in the UK!!
I know Kanisha has good stock and there are others with good stock. I am looking to bring over maybe 2 - 3 more good quality ewes for me.....I have the best ram in Britain.....he was the champion at the GEMO show in September in Brittany and kindly sold to me by Kanisha. I also have another french ram here (in Somerset) that is also very very good and would not be disgraced at the GEMO shows!!! I attended the show in September in Brittany and have also bred pedigree livestock for many years and also shown them very successfully so I know whats what. Once I have my sheep sorted my flock will be closed and very few bought in, and only rams.
If you wanted I will find you some later in the winter when I hope to import again. I have the isolation facility etc so its not a problem. I will be looking to buy from the top flocks and you would be welcome to a ram lamb from me at some point as I only will be keeping the best and castrating the others! I will be building a flock with a track record so all parents will be known, I also have some British Ouessants too.

lindy · « **Reply #18 on:** March 26, 2009, 04:02:18 pm »

Thanks WoollyShepherd - please let me know if you do arrange another import I would be interested in some quality ewes.

Cluckinggoodpoultry · « **Reply #19 on:** March 27, 2009, 10:09:34 am »

I had a friend that used to do pets corners including zwartbles sheep and angle nubian goats at local shows etc. The insurance costs were around £80 per time, don't know if you have looked into that, there are so many rules and regulations now you may get bogged down in paperwork, just something to bear in consideration....You may also need to have (not sure whether you are personally going to be involved with the children) the disclosure agreement meaning you can work with the children etc. Im sure you have thought about all this anyway but just thought I would mention it....