[Newsheep]

I just wanted to say hello  from a new member, I have only just found this website today whilst doing a google search for advice about flystrike.

I am fairly new to keeping sheep and have a small flock of Boreray which I started last September.   I am lucky to have 2 farmer friends who keep me right but it is really useful to know more and they are rather old fashioned (but lovely)

Being new I often lie awake worrying about foot rot, fly strike, worms, over feeding, under feeding etc so finding this website and forum is a godsend to me 

[Chris H]

Hi Newsheep, where abouts are you? I am just getting stated with Boreray too! and also like you I worry about all the things that can happen, let's just try and enjoy them   as well as being aware of the pitfalls of course.

[Newsheep]

Hi Chris
I live on the Northern Pennines on the Cumbria/Durham/North Yorks borders.   Wild enough winters for Boreray!

I have at present a tup, wether and 2 shearlings but hoping to get some more gimmer lambs very soon and next year perhaps lambs of my own.

Where are you based?

[Chris H]

I am on the Isle of Lewis (where the Boreray came from) I am on the look out for maybe some more animals as well as there fleece's.
What made you choose the breed?

[in the hills]

Hi Newsheep, we have 7 Soay ewes and 9 lambs. We've had our ewes for 2 years and first lambing this season.


Love the Boreay, too. 

[Newsheep]

I love the Soay too and would very much like to keep some at a later date but have decided to stick to Boreray until I get established.

I decided on Boreray after seeing them at Woolfest in Cumbria and reading more about the breed, I will never make my fortune keeping rare breed sheep so decided I may as well have ones which are on the most critical list.   A friend found the tup for me and I was lucky to get a wether at the same time to keep him company.  Finding the gimmers to go with the tup was the most difficult part as the gene pool is so small but fortunately I managed to get 2 last year.

Around here is Swaledale country so mine have created a little amusement to the local farmers but everyone of them has been helpful even though they try to trip me up in a jokey way 

[Rosemary]

Hello and welcome!

I didn't know Boreray were from Lewis.

Bl00dy hell, where did all those emoticons come from? Oh, I the 
 

[Newsheep]

Boreray are from the island of Boreray which is just off St Kilda.   Up until the 1930's the people living on St Kilda kept Soay (well kept is not quite the right word) - Soay lived on St Kilda) along with some more domesticated sheep on the island of St Kilda but they also had another flock of sheep on Boreray.
These were a Scottish Black Face and a Scottish Tan Face cross and were fairly feral as they lived on the island all year with just a visit from the St Kildean's every now and again (probably once a year to collect the wool)

When St Kilda was abandoned in the 1930's the islanders brought what sheep they could to the mainland but left the sheep on Boreray as impossible to catch.
In the 1990's a group of 7 sheep were brought off Boreray to try and preserve the breed and from that there are now just over 700 registered in Britain.

Sorry for the history lesson!!   

[Mallows Flock]

 
I know very little about Borerays so it will be good to get lots of postings about them on here  so I can learn more. Welcome, welcome, welcome!

[Mammyshaz]

Hello and welcome from not too far away ( Durham ) 

No sheep here, just hens, dogs, a chinchilla and a new mouser ( eventually ). He is only 10 wks old 

[Newsheep]

I could do with a mouser    I have an old jack russell she will be 17 this year and always been a really good rodent catcher, the spirit is still willing and she can still run but not as fast and the lack of teeth causes a few problems   

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Hi
 
  I am new to sheep too and live in East Yorkshire. I have Ryelands and can sort you out with a mouser or two as a cat that my neighbour has been feeding has just turned up with 3 kittens  !
The same thing happened to me last year so I now have my share of mousers
Rosemary,
      I asked for the really excited Icon   so I take responcibility for that one but the others are great aren't they. It will be interesting to see if the hug  will be enough to resolve a huff
Perhaps Dan could add  a "Really, really sorry" icon just in case the hugs not enough 

[bangbang]

Hi

Warm welcome from sunny Aberdeenshire, we have shetland and castlemilks,
Fun place to learn about everything!  :thumbsup:oh and sheep