[Lorrie66]

Looking for some top tips, advice and experienced opinion !

I need to get sheep to eat grass down for horses and keep the paddocks tidy.

I would like to get a rare breed if I can and currently considering :-
Grey Faced Dartmoor
Southdown
Ryeland
Plus are ewes better or are castrated ram lambs also easy?

My CPH number request is underway and I should have next week so I can then start the process to get some sheeps 

There are some GFD castrated ram lambs nearby and wondered are these a good sort for what I need?

Many thanks in advance....

[Rosemary]

Any breed will keep the grass down. Ryelands aren't really rare anymore - not sure about the others. But don't let that put you off getting Ryelands - lovely sheep 

If there are no other sheep around, I don't think there would be any difference in ease of keeping between non-breeding ewes and wethers but if there are breeding sheep nearby, I'd go for wethers as ewes in season will try to get to a tup and vice versa.

We've got one wether - Dickie - and he's a sweetie 

[Bionic]

I have Ryelands too so am biased but I love them 

[lachlanandmarcus]

If your fencing is less good but you are strong get a big breed like the ones you've listed


If your fencing is good but you are less strong get a smaller hill breed like a Shetland


Just cos the hill breeds are less respectful of less than good fencing but they are a lot easier to tip up when they need stuff doing to them.

[SallyintNorth]

You're in a warm area.  Personally I wouldn't choose a very woolly breed for my first time if I lived where there is a likelihood of fly strike.

All three breeds you've listed are very woolly...  you could consider a more rare / primitive breed that would take less looking after, such as my own favourite Castlemilk Moorit.

[Yeoman]

Small but regular bouts of sheep judo goes with the territory so YOUR size can as important as theirs'
But as others have said, grazing quality, geography and sheep attitude are all important.
Have fun though.

[GlebeFieldFarm]

I have Southdowns and they are great! They live happily with my horses and I can do everything with them myself. I just make sure they are adquately treated for fly strike 

[Raine]

 


Our first few attempts at handling our sheep we looked more like a rodeo clowns    We only started in November.


And one of the ewes took my husband down with a headbutt to the leg 


But we are learning!  Our last attempt worked quite well and we got all the crovect on without incident.


I would add, if you can get some sheep which are used to being handled then go for it.  If they don't at least come to a bucket, expect to be dealing with a handful when you want them!  We just collected some weaned orphan lambs at the weekend... such a nice experience to have sheep coming towards you rather than running away when you want them!

[Marches Farmer]

Suggest attending a sheep-keeping course first.  Plenty around.  Then look at breeds.  First consideration is the welfare of the stock. 

[novicesmallholder]

I am utterly biased, but Shropshires are a great breed - have a look on the Breeders Website
www.shropshire-sheep.co.uk
 

[smee2012]

I am also totally biased but I love my mini flock of Zwartbles. We have a permanent flock of four ewes and four meat lambs. They work well to keep the grass down in our paddocks and the girls are friendly as you like. They come when they are called, I can do pretty much anything with them, despite their large size, my small size and my arthritis.

[bigchicken]

If you are just wanting the grass kept down you could rent the grazing out and fetch in a wee big of money, Would save you having to look after and pay for their upkeep.

[Bramblecot]

I have GFD .  They are very docile and friendly but  (and it is a big but) heavy to handle and not all shearers will come out to them.  The wool is no use for hand spinning, the meat is lovely.  They need quite a lot of care to prevent fly strike due to the long fleece.  Using a topper would be less work and probably cheaper - or rent out the grazing.

[Slimjim]

You' ll need to check on them every day,  so get a breed you find attractive and would like working with. It seems every breed can have sheep with different behaviours. Lots of members have really friendly  primitives for example  yet mine are completely barmy! Ryelands would be my choice too; they are fairly placid and generally have good feet. Just keep the wool out of their eyes so they can see you and they won't knock you over! Good luck!

[Bodger]

Or geese.