[Hillview Farm]

Hello all, strange question here.

Basically long story short, I have a golf course who has approached me about grazing a native breed on the rough of the golf course, the areas have old grasses, brambles, bracken and most importantly Heather. I understand sheep will eat young Heather but once it's older they don't eat it unless they are very hungry. The plan is to electric fence the rough patches and move them every few days.

My question is, what would be the best breed? Hardly, not overly fussy, low maintance and Will stay behind an electric fence?

[lachlanandmarcus]

Interesting as you want primitives to eat the browsing stuff and rough grass BUT many primitives have horns on both sexes and you are not allowed to keep horned sheep with temporary electric netting under the welfare code due to the risk of entanglement. Wires (multiple lines) are ok tho, so I would recommend something like the Rappa reel system if they are going to use horned sheep.


Otherwise you could use Shetland ewes and wethers, the ewes are polled and the castrated boys only have tiny stub horns so would be safe with both netting and wire electric systems.


They will stay behind the electric unless they run out of food, so moving it frequently is important.

[Ladygrey]

My shetland ewes are used for conservation grazing and grazing down rough patches

Even if there is grass in the field they will eat nettles, docks, thistles, brambles, dead leaves and even tall brown dead grass, they will pick out all of the nettles and docks even before they eat the grass.

They cross well to a charolais ram and produce lambs that are polled, lambs born in march/april are around 40-45 kilo in october on just poor grass, could do better maybe on good grass.

Mine have never escaped through the 3 strand electric, however one ewe will go and check if the energiser is flashing and if it isnt then may or may not go through

Best to buy ewes from stock that are already fence trained

[Tim W]

Done this----grazed with rare/traditional breeds for one reason or another
If it's to be done on any scale you need a market for the lambs which made me go for one of  the most commercial of the traditional breeds crossed with a commercial terminal sire to ensure a saleable fat lamb

Ended up with the wilts ---they eat the scrub/brambles/weeds and don't get caught up in them either
But I am sure other breeds will fit the bill

[Hillview Farm]

lachlanandmarcus- We only have electric fencing with reels and no netting so that isn't a problem. We first thought about shetlands!  No problem with the fence moving as i'm not the one moving it every other day!

Ladygrey- Thank you, Vote number 2 for Shetlands. I may well go for a charollais ram next year and give the breeding ago!

Tim w- We only want a very small number (3-6) We are not really looking to breed from them but if I did they would try with my ewes and next year I will be buying a ram as atm my ewes go 'on holiday' to run with a much larger flock and rams.

Thank you all and keep the comment coming!

[tizaala]

Will swallowing lost balls be a problem ?

[Big Light]

Hebrideans  often prefer browsing bushes to fresh grass

[moony]

Hebrideans. Excellent browsers low maintenance and make a very good marketable cross to a Texel.

[Hillview Farm]

Really not into horned breeds

[Big Light]

Primatives are not really your bag then!

- other than Shetland females i think all the rest have horns - apart from the odd rare polled female with 4 horn genes

[Hillview Farm]

If you've read the comments that's what I have said, we looking at shetlands. I wanted feedback on how they graze etc

[lachlanandmarcus]

If we do what you are thinking with yr Shetlands, ie electric fence on small patch and move fence very frequently then they will eat everything down to the ground.


If they have too much land per sheep they will eat most but not every weed. Some weeds they prefer to grass, others they eat once the grass is gone.


So in your set up they ought to work well, or at least there's a good chance. And, if they don't, they are cheap to buy and delicious to eat :-DDDD

[Hillview Farm]

Exactly what we thought. If it doesn't work we can eat them!!