[Clarebelle]

Hi all,
I was planning to put some sheep on my land, I only have 2 acres so was going to go with 3 ewes. Originally I wanted to try some north ronaldsey sheep but a friend has offered me two Shetland ewes. I was wondering, if I get the two Shetlands and get 1 north Ron ewe, will it be happy? Or will it crave sheep or the same breed?

[Marches Farmer]

I have a flock of two breeds and the only time they "split" is when pregnant, when they seem to prefer the immediate company of their own breed.  Still get along perfectly well and no bullying.

[Me]

Three can be a crowd though

[SallyintNorth]

They do flock with their own type and will be miserable as an only one, yes.  Sorry.

[Ladygrey]

I have a flock of many breeds, whites, browns, blacks, greys and katmogets

They generally split by colour, not by breed, I can guarantee when I walk in a field there will be two seperate flocks, coloureds (blacks, browns, greys) and whites (white, cream, white with freckles)

Some of my ewes this year have had 1 black twin and one white twin, they still seem to hang with the ewes of the colour that they themselves are

When I had very different sheep together (zwartbles with shetlands) they didnt mingle at all, I think mine mingle more as they arent very different to eachother

I sometimes have groups of twos and threes, they all survive, I had my rams in a group of three until yesterday when the charmoise decided he would prefer to live with the cull ewes....

[Hellybee]

Finding this really amusing and very interesting

[Brucklay]

Yes my Castlemilk tend to stick together, and the shetlands go a by colour, Dolly our only white sticks with the grey Katmoget as they are pretty light.


Off topic slight but ........ Our shetland tupped by colour this year - no joke, 3 x grey katmoget, followed by 1 x grey, 4 x black, 1 x moorit,, 1 x fawn katmoget and last but not least Dolly my white. Also a friend said her white shetland was the last to be tupped!!

[Clarebelle]

It's not a huge problem, I can always just get another Shetland. Just a Shame as I wanted to try the local breed but 4 ewes (2 of each) would be pushing it I think.

[Pundyburn Lynn]

Pushing it in terms of price or stocking density?
 
Lynn

[MKay]

Get Jacob's then you will be reet!

[daveh]

I have a small flock of Castlemilk Moorits comprising 3 ewes, 3 lambs and five hoggets. they are kept in one of my pal's fields, he being a commercial sheep farmer. Therefore my flock run amongst texel, charolais and dorset cross ewes and lambs. The Castlemilks only graze together in a small tight group. They will have nothing to do with any other sheep.

Regards, Dave

[MarvinH]

If you wanted  north ronaldsey you should get those.

[Clarebelle]

Pushing it in terms of price or stocking density?
 
Lynn

Stocking density. I was thinking 3 ewes plus lambs would be about the most my 2 acres would take.

[shygirl]

id get the breed you have your heart set on, but worth considering (according to the rbst, not personal experience) is that ronaldsay lambs are usually killed in their second year, whereas shetland lambs are killed at 6mths. so your actual year round stocking density would differ with each breed.
do you have much available seaweed on your shore?

[Fleecewife]

Were you to get 2 Shetlands from one breeder, then a Ronnie from another, you would probably find that the 2 which come from the same place would take a while to bond with the Ronnie.  It's only partly colour and breed but also who pre-existing chums are.  Having just three is very different to having a larger mixed flock because, as someone has already said, three's a crowd, and the unknown one would be the odd one out.

Years ago I had 'Spinning Jenny' my big multi cross downland type ewe, as well as various other breeds. At the first tupping time when they were all divided into small paddocks, Jenny bawled her head off for a couple of weeks until I moved her in with some white Shetlands, out of the paddock of Hebs and Jacobs.