[Graemscifi]

Just joined, i just this summer took over the family croft tennancy for my sins. I run hill cheviots, 60 ewes this year but hope to raise this to 150 over time. i am looking into getting some rare breed sheepfor fun and the pot, i thought about rare breed cows but after carefull thought i stuck with my first impresion. no! i want to stick with stock i can pick up and carry.

so personaly i am single 41 and a refugee from an academic career, i walked away nearing completion of my thesis and have never looked back. so i moved home and became a crofter, no money no hassle no bloody people. all good

so thats it, hello look forward to discoursing with some of you in the future

[Rosemary]

Hello and welcome from Carnoustie 

Couldn't we tempt you with some Shetland cattle? You can almost pick them up - they are hardy, thrifty, great mums being easy calving and milky, but without being over-protective (at least mine aren't) and very rare.

blackmyre on here has them and here are ours. This is Breeze and her 2013 heifer, Bonny taken when Bonny was about two weeks old.

[lachlanandmarcus]

Hi and welcome from near Aboyne


Great to have a Cheviot chap on here. Am prob going to be using a borrowed NCC on my Shetland ladies next year, using Shetland for replacements. Have a few Herdwicks too cos I love the look of them, compared to the Shetlands they are huge :-))) I too like stock you can pick up, altho of course you have to catch em first :-))) Have you decided what rare breeds you like the look of?        


I ran away from a City career to live up here with OH, best thing we ever did
 

[Factotum]

Hi from frosty Moray - beautiful night for star gazing tonight.

We keep Shetland cattle here - we have 24 - lovely beasts as Rosemary says - mostly good tempered, produce lively calves, very milky, great beef, and they finish on grass  - no costly concentrates. They're very trainable - ours come to the whistle as they know it means a carrot treat.

Are you sure you only want to keep beasts you can pick up?

Sue

[fiestyredhead331]

hello neighbour....we're in NW Sutherland 

[Victorian Farmer]

Hi and welcome from the highlands keep 200 sheep and chickens

[Graemscifi]

Thank you to the kind and fast replies, i am a little overwhelmed you constitute more people than i have spoken to outside the family for a month.

questions questions.

First Shetland cows. Yes i thought long about them, i was pushed finaly into looking at cows seriously by my good frends Michael and Cara who got Dexters last spring, lovely beasts and very tasty. i have had neghbours and old family friends who are farmers telling me every since i came back that i should get into cows, theres lots of money in cows, dont get sheep get cows. so being a reasonable and balenced sort i though bugger that i aint getting bloody cows. Then my frends got these lovely little beasts, and an icy part of my heart melted (if you cannot steal from Dr Seuss who can you steal from) and i looked into it and thought do my bit to concerve traditional crofting animals, thier cheep to buy and run. but i just have to spend the money on my sheep for another year getting escencial buildings repaired and equipment and stuff so no cows... yet

second question rare breed sheep for the pot. i kept with the impulse for doing my bit for old traditonal farming and started with the rare breed trust list and went from most endangerd to least and looked in turn at the sheep, i have to eliminate some like the Borerary cos mu situation is not suted and the long hairs cos we have fly proplems here in summer, and came up with the Castlemilk Moorit as a possable. time will tell as money has put me off till next year.

anyhoo i must go as i am yawning my head off and am starting to babble. anyther day fencing and jobbing for me tommorow, thanks again for the shout outs, graemscifi

[Lesley Silvester]

  and welcome from soggy Shropshire. I know nothing about cows or sheep except I use the fleeces for wool crafts.   Oh and they taste good.

[Hamish Crofter]

Hi and welcome from Skye!

[kelly58]

A big hello from Caithness  I breed Boreray sheep and they havent had problems with flys ?
Not as skittie as the Soay, easy to handle and beautiful ! Also have
Know were your coming from escaping from the rat race, did it 13 years ago and we love it
Good luck on your adventure !

[JulieWall]

Welcome from Banffshire too 

[shygirl]

welcome from aberdeenshire.
yes, you are too far north to consider dexters - shetlands every time 
how about north ronaldsay sheep - just a boat ride or 2 away 

[fiestyredhead331]

why too far north for dexters shygirl? we're planning dexters  do you know something I don't?.......

[lilfeeb]

hello from kinross-shire

[shygirl]

why too far north for dexters shygirl? we're planning dexters  do you know something I don't?.......

because, being near caithness (OP) you have shetland cattle on your doorstep and i am totally biased towards shetlands .
there are some excellent breeders on shetland and the transport over is very economical. i paid £30 for 2 shetland calves to be delivered from shetland to aberdeen dock to my farm -or maybe is was £30 each - but either way it is cheap and easy to arrange. there is an excellent source of pedigree stock just over the water from you so worth a second thought.

iv seen a few dexters at the mart over the years and none that iv seen are anyway near as bonny as a shetland.
just my biased opinion