[thenovice]

I never thought i would be saying this, but im considering getting a few soays! Due to work constraints and having a young family, sadly i have given up my grazing and sold my sheep. Now i am left with 1 field of about an acre, divided into 3 sections. Dont want to leavve it empty, wasted and overgrown,so i thought why not get 3 or 4 soay ewes to graze it. Low maintenance, no shearing, small and frugal grazers, and a bit of meat for the freezer. What are peoples opinions? Have you had experience with the breed, and is that enough room to keep them all year round? Thanks 

[Rosemary]

Nice and you'd be doing your bit to save a rare breed 

[in the hills]

We have had our small flock for just over 2 years now and they are our first sheep ..... complete novices. They seem to have been relatively easy to keep and are bucket trained so come when called. They are feisty and fast moving when we try to catch them (in the penned area) but this would be solved I think by a better handling system .... next project  . I know they have a bit of a reputation for escape and keeping their distance from people but we have not found this to be the case. We have several who jump up you and one will have a cuddle and her ears rubbed ..... okay, her head is in the feed bucket. 


No problems with strike, runny bums or feet ... so far    No shearing needed yet.


We have 7 ewes on about 2 acres and there is always surplus grass .... so far ... even with their lambs this year. Lots of mature hedges though and they do seem to eat these as much as the grass.


All lambed unaided as shearlings and were excellent mums. Lambs all on their feet quickly and no problems. 


   for the Soay ..... maybe biased though 

[zarzar]

Hi i agree with in the hills here as our 1st 2 sheep where soays and they have never escaped are a bit wary of people but where already 2 when we got them but getting friendlier by the day, also they love the odd slice of bread dont know if anyone elses do but they seem to get abit porky quite easy.cant wait till lambing in feb/march.

[Mallows Flock]

I say, what a waste of an acre if it's not gonna have sheep on it    get Soays... or Shetlands - fabulous idea!

[Fowlman]

Soays or shetlands    my shetlands are great. 

[colliewoman]

DO IT!!!!!




Soays are adorable little things and IMO the only breed tastier than shetlands

[Fleecewife]

Colliewoman - you can't have tasted Hebrideans     

[bangbang]

I'd go for Castlemilk Moorits!....I've not tasted one yet, but one of ours has
got his 'market' passport stamped for november.

[SallyintNorth]

I'd go for Castlemilk Moorits!....I've not tasted one yet, but one of ours has
got his 'market' passport stamped for november.

I'll be able to tell you what CM mutton tastes like next week...    I do miss them (the original 4 wethers) but am looking forward to tasting!

Of course I think CMs are the sweetest, prettiest little sheep you could get ... but if you want self-shearing, the you're probably right to pick Soay.  And in truth, they do look rather like a smaller version of a Castlemilk Moorit...

My tip to get tame ones is to try to get lambs from a Children's Farm.  My latest two (ewe lambs this time) came from one, and my only problems have been getting them to stop following me about and to eat out of a trough instead of climbing into the (now empty) bucket!        

[thenovice]

Thanks for your thoughts, and suggestions, i think you have helped make my mind up. I have kept hebs before, but not really for me. Must say i was very suprised at such a positive opinion of the soays, not what i usually hear. Would stock netting and 2 strands be high enough to keep them in? Thanks again 

[SallyintNorth]

Must say i was very suprised at such a positive opinion of the soays, not what i usually hear.

Okay, if you want the negatives, here's one - killing and butchering costs are broadly the same for any ovine, whatever the size (at least they are around here), so your meat will cost more /kg to get from sheep to table than a more commercial type.

But you phrased your situation as though you were wanting small sheep that would be easy to look after - so that means primitives.  And the only 100% self-shearing primitive, as far as I am aware, is Soay.

Have you thought about tupping and lambing?  If you plan to breed, is there a Soay - or at least, primitive - tup nearby you could use?

Would stock netting and 2 strands be high enough to keep them in? Thanks again 

Only if they don't want to get out!     Seriously, sheep that are content and have plenty of varied grazing to go at are less likely to feel the need to exit the field they're in.  Your paddocks are pretty small, so you'll be moving them around fairly regularly anyway.  (If it's all rather samey plain grass, you maybe would look to give them some branches and scrubby stuff to pick on at.)  You probably do want to try to get pretty tame, biddable ones, though - more likely to be happy to stay where you've put them, nibbling away and looking forward to your next visit with treats.

Note, I am a relatively new primitive-keeper - so others with more and longer experience than myself may come along and tell you different 

[Fleecewife]

Thanks for your thoughts, and suggestions, i think you have helped make my mind up. I have kept hebs before, but not really for me. Must say i was very suprised at such a positive opinion of the soays, not what i usually hear. Would stock netting and 2 strands be high enough to keep them in? Thanks again 

If your Hebs didn't jump out then your Soay won't either.  We have kept the two breeds, plus Shetlands, for a good number of years.  The only Soay which ever jumped out was a tup in a paddock of his own coming up to tupping time - he sailed over the fence but under the top wire (not sure he even saw it) simply to get to his ewes.  But our ewes have never tried to jump - much less so than the Hebs in fact.  Soay are always curious and will come up for treats and to search your pockets well ahead of the Hebs.
 
You will be surprised how much you like them.   But as Sally says, be careful of where you source them - if they come from somewhere they have been semi-feral then it will take a lot longer to tame them than if you get them from a breeder who keeps them tame.
 
Again as Sally says, if they have no reason to jump out then they won't.  Keep them happy with good things to eat, such as varied grazing, willow branches and maybe hedges to browse and they will be yours 

[Mallows Flock]

LOL.... I spent yesterday getting two wild castlemilk x Shetland rams out of the field my ewes are occupying. They are mad. the bucked, jumped, on threw itself at my stomach... I still think they are great little sheep!!!

[Klb]

Very low maintance ( sounds like a car),  they keep weight on well, the feet are very hardy and need very little work if any, mine have never tried to escape, we use stock fencing. I have found I can move the sheep fairly easy, involve shaking a bucket and baaing walking down the track :0), I have had funny looks from the farmer but it works, using the dog is pointless ( if you have a dog with sheep training).
I also feed mine in the shelter so if I need to catch I just close the gate, I would recommend ppl do the same as trying to round these fast lil monsters can be a task.
I'm not sure what meat side is like..  Yet.