Author Topic: Would love some pedigree sheep...but slight problem/making me feel guilty (Read 10940 times)

Beewyched · « **Reply #15 on:** September 12, 2012, 09:38:54 pm »

Quote from: Big Light on September 12, 2012, 09:03:16 pm

Robert i have to disagree with your comment

"obviously if a three legged example wins on the day there will be raised eyebrows "

What if it's a stool competition?

Ladygrey · « **Reply #16 on:** September 13, 2012, 03:16:11 pm »

Thanks everyone for your replies

I would like to show just for the showing experiance, If I ever got a ribbon or a piece of paper then that would be a bonus

so if it took me 100 lambs to get the "perfect" example I really dont care

I do sell my sheep, (12 lambs going in the next few weeks) but was just wandering if it would seem "bad" if I was replacing them :s but I guess not.

Gotlands look pretty but maybe slightly too small/primitive

Coloureds is not so important, I would just like an interesting fleece incase I ever wanted to make rugs!

Zwartbles look amazing! such a pretty sheep and so do the wenslydales, do the wenslydales take alot of care to keep the fleece nice/free of flies etc??

The sheep I would most like is a bluefaced leister (I know they arent anything pretty colour wise) but I fell in love with them, however due to me only being able to find them un tame and not kept by smallholders I have come away from them slightly. I love the shape of thier heads

to me they look elagent and pretty

Zwartbles really do look great, I might see if I could find anyone near to go and pay a visit!

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #17 on:** September 13, 2012, 03:23:33 pm »

Blue-faced Leicesters can be very tame, affectionate sheep. But they're 'soft', don't find hard weather / conditions easy to cope with. And they'll have a lot of triplets. There'll be classes for them at many shows but, in Mule country at least, you'll be up against farmers who've farmed Leicesters for generations and have prefixes listed in the first edition of the Flock Books...

Wensleydales have gotta be high risk for fly strike with that fleece, haven't they? So not ideal if you can't get to check your stock several times a day all summer.

Zwartbles are striking, good fleeces, seem to be a good smallholder sheep and produce a good fat lamb - sounds just about perfect

Ladygrey · « **Reply #18 on:** September 13, 2012, 03:32:18 pm »

Thanks Sally,

yes thats why I was trying to stay away from the heavy fleeces, and yes thats true about BFLs, I like them but I dont see them as possible at this point.

SteveHants I just realised I didnt reply to your post

I am at this moment sat in the kitchen on my lunch break covered in dairy cow slurry

however this is the only timeframe I can probly get on the laptop at this point lol!

I was actually just looking for a field or two for rent when the farm came up just a few mins down the road from me! it was more my bf's dad's idea to apply to it and now I am glad we didnt get it

but the experiance of applying for it was really good and we learned alot

So at this moment I am back searching for some land to rent nearby, I am renting a field for the next two months for un-finished lambs but its only a short term thing.

Yes the farm we applied for was also a run down-gone bankcrupt dairy farm...something similair here..lol

Anke · « **Reply #19 on:** September 13, 2012, 03:54:41 pm »

If you are really keen on showing your sheep as a beginner it may be worth thinking about a breed that is shown in its natural state, like Shetlands. Going for a more primitive breed will also mean you are not competing with farmers who have beeen doing this since Victorian times, as most Shetland breeders (on UK mainland) are working on a smaller scale (I am sure someone on here will contradict me on this....

).
But also Shetlands are hardy, very friendly, easily trained to the bucket and have really nice fleeces. You can also crossbreed with ewes with a larger commercial tup if you want to sell off the lambs for meat.

Ladygrey · « **Reply #20 on:** September 13, 2012, 08:15:19 pm »

Hi Anke

Shetlands are a nice breed and I have nothing againts them, I really just do prefer a larger sheep

I dont mind learning how to trim/colour etc

YorkshireLass · « **Reply #21 on:** September 13, 2012, 08:55:52 pm »

Shropshires are nice - big teddies, like Ryelands

It's like trying to turn over a cloud to trim feet....

jaykay · « **Reply #22 on:** September 14, 2012, 07:34:11 am »

I think talk to someone about Wensleydales if you like them, I've never heard that they're a particular flystrike risk. I have friends near here who keep Teeswaters (very similar fleece to Wensleydales), they have never had any more problem with flystrike than with their other sheep, ie not much, nor do you have to do much with the fleeces just to keep them, showing I expect is different.

Zwartbles becoming very popular, so probably not as rare as either of the above breeds, but handsome sheep.