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Author Topic: will a sheep of different breeds be ok on its own?  (Read 6543 times)

Bramblecot

  • Joined Jul 2008
Re: will a sheep of different breeds be ok on its own?
« Reply #15 on: May 14, 2014, 08:39:48 pm »
My Shetlands and GFD's certainly stick with their own kind, it is like two groups within one flock.  The only head-butting that I see going on is between two ewes of the different breeds.  We 'acquired' ::) a Texel type ewe lamb  a while ago and she always keeps to herself,  sad really.

ScotsGirl

  • Joined Dec 2009
  • Wiltshire
Re: will a sheep of different breeds be ok on its own?
« Reply #16 on: May 14, 2014, 09:48:57 pm »
This reminds me of previous posts on rams only liking their own colour. My black welsh ram crossed the electric in with the ewes. I have to say he was not fussy whether white or black, he would have tupped the lot! The black rams also beat the poor Suffolk who is more than double their size.


I have a white ewe who loves being with the black welsh shearlings. Interestingly though the older flock of BWM tend to stick together when mixed with whites.

mab

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • carmarthenshire
Re: will a sheep of different breeds be ok on its own?
« Reply #17 on: May 14, 2014, 10:29:02 pm »
this is a really interesting thread for me as I've been a bit worried about my toothless elderly (~14?) shetland Elfie - her companion died last August and I fairly quickly got some more sheep (easycare) but whilst she gets on OK with them she doesn't really stick with them and she seems to still go looking for her old friend periodically - so I have been thinkng about looking for another companion for her - though that just perpetuates the problem when one or the other pops their clogs.


Pundyburn Lynn

  • Joined May 2012
Re: will a sheep of different breeds be ok on its own?
« Reply #18 on: May 14, 2014, 11:10:22 pm »
Clarebelle,

I have no specific experience of keeping sheep, as we ourselves are just starting out with sheep.  However, Rosemary herself (the accidental smallholder) suggests the following:

"For guidance, work on 3-4 ewes per acre, up to six on good, fertile grassland, fewer on less productive grass. You will also have to take into account the needs of other grazing livestock, including poultry. And large breeds, raising twin lambs, will need more grazing than a small ewe with a single lamb.
There is more information about stocking rates in the guide on Grassland Management. The most important thing is not to overstock or your grassland may become damaged by poaching and infested with parasites."

We're kinda working on these stocking density levels...
Lynn
« Last Edit: May 14, 2014, 11:12:43 pm by Lamberkin Lynn »

 

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