[georgielmgm]

Hello again,
Anyone any thoughts on Lleyns? Been trying to decide the breed I want to roll with since April time and after considering a few rare breeds went off them, decided on Suffolks as I like the look but I really think they'll be too heavy for my to handle easily (I'm 17, female, and short) and I don't want to be put off shepherding duties because I can't handle them. Someone suggested Lleyns, and having a look they just seem like a really nice 'base' breed? Can be crossed relatively easily (possibly with Suffolks?) to create nice carcass quality, and seem a strong all-rounder on the milky/lambing/disease front?
Also I haven't got a massive amount of initial output for them, I've saved about £400-500 but I also need to factor in the cost of necessary-starter off equipment, anyone got any suggestions on how many i'd get for that? pedigree or not...
I just really want a breed that is relatively easy to handle, I'm not a novice as I've worked with sheep a lot, but I don't want lots of complications and I want something that is going to be easy to market...please help! Thanks in advance! Sorry for waffling...

[Marches Farmer]

I suggest having a word with your local livestock market and asking what they think.  You'll need a lot of kit - from buckets to a drench gun, hurdles to foot shears.  I had 20 Lleyns and they were flighty as hell, never actually raised more than twins to weaning age, despite scanning with quads on occasions - never again!   Have you thought about starting out with store lambs and taking them on to finishing weight?

[georgielmgm]

Good idea, I do need to pop down and have a look, see what's on offer there as that will also show me what works well round here and ensure I have a market for them. Not too bothered on lambing percentages, singles or twins is good, as long as they grow to be a good size etc. Hmm not really what I'm looking for, really looking to learn about the breeding game and everything that comes with it, don't really just want to buy a load in then send them off again in a few months if you see what I mean, I haven't got the land for it

[Foobar]

If I was going to get white sheep I'd get Lleyns (I'm female and shortish ).  Hardy, low maintenance sheep they are.  Shop around, buy off farm so you can see how they handle (some flocks will be easier to handle than others, depending on how they are managed).

[Ideation]

There is really not a lot of money in stores at the moment. Local marts are selling them for 50 and you'll be lucky to get 70-75 for them once fat.

'ME' on here runs lleyns and seems to get on with them well.

You could go a couple of ways to maximise what you get for your cash, one would be buying ewe lambs, and either just running them on and breeding the year after or if they have the body weight, tupping them to a suitable TS. The other is buying cast / draft ewes, although this is a real mixed bag, as unless you know what you are looking for you could buy some real crap, that brings with it all sorts of problems.

Can you borrow a ram / tup?

Can you borrow some equipment for bigger jobs?

I'd say the essential bits you cant get away with would be a drenching gun, a spray gun, hand clippers, knife / foot trimmers, crook and a few hurdles (either made or bought). Most of this stuff can be picked up cheap second hand.

How many are you looking to get?

[georgielmgm]

Hardy is good, not that I'm anywhere extreme, but surely hardy is always good?
Oh ok, may see if I can inbox and ask a few questions...
Probably looking to buy ewe lambs and build up some sort of flock to be honest, that's why I really want a breed that I can work with and is going to be somewhat viable to at least make some profit, not asking for much!
Could probably borrow a tup, local farmer friend is about to get EasyRams? He suggested I start out with them too, but I'm not wanting such low input (why ever not!?)
Definitely borrow equipment for bigger jobs, he has a permanent race set up and as he is set to be lambing out doors next year I reckon I could definitely get a couple of hurdles off him, either free or dirt cheap, and probably as many as I need and more, he's lovely
Also a major plus is my mum works in our local Mole Valley, so we get major discount on anything i would need from them
Depends how much they are but want to see how i go with 6 to start?

[shep53]

Have you looked at PRELOVED  it will give you many sheep at many prices to give you some ideas

[devonlad]

I think lleyns are a cracking sheep easy to handle and hardy/ weve had wilts horns lleyns and crosses. wouldn't see an "easy care sheep as being low input to be honest. only thing we don't do is dag and shear.
BTW I work for mole valley- say hi to mum (whoever she is)- I only get 3% staff discount on agricultural products so would love to get to know mother if she gets more than that 

[Hillview Farm]

I've got a few lleyn cross texels and put them to a Suffolk this year. Beautiful White and spotty faced lambs. Never picked up a foot. All had twins and reared them very well!

Big vote for lleyn crosses!

[Me]

Hi! Yes I (Me) run a few Lleyn and I am really happy with them as a lamb producing machine that can run on a variety of ground. I put nearly all to a Charmoise ram and only a few of the "best" to a Lleyn for replacements. I find them easier to handle than Beulahs or Charmoise for that matter and heavier crossbreds. Possibly I have been lucky but get little trouble with masses of multiple births etc.

If you were to be tempted by Lleyn bear in mind there is a lot of within breed variation. Personally I feel that high EBV scores in Lleyn go with increased body size and increased concentrate feeding so be careful how the overall EBV is interpreted.
If you plan to lamb out buy from an outdoor lambing flock, if you plan to show then buy from a show flock etc etc. I plan to pay a few bills so bought from a ruthlessly commercial "if its broke cull it" type mate or two that I knew of old. For my purposes Lleyn do me well.

[georgielmgm]

Oh this is so tragic! I wrote a really long reply, I check back and it hadn't posted! 
Anyway,
Variety of ground is fantastic!
Lack of multiple births is fantastic too, quality over quantity, read an article in FW on a big time sheep farmer who was very very focused on quality of his ewes and repeat multiple births (3/4) were culled out as time and resource drainers...
Think I'd be going for the Suffolk crosses, as I say I originally wanted them, but the Lleyns look just as good with a bitg of Suffolk!
Buying from the right type of flock is really sound advice too, hadn't thought of it like that, need to talk to my farmer friend about lambing, he has lots of space, and if he isn't going to be using it..... 
Thanks for all your comments and advice everyone! Will let you know about my mum  Seems like Lleyns are perfect for what I'm looking for 
Will also take a look on PRELOVED, hadn't known/considered it before
THANKS everyone!! 
If anyone has anymore comments/advice/opinions on Lleyns I'm all ears 

[Hellybee]

We started with 30 odd ewes, mostly Lleyn, with a little badger face, touch of Charolais, n some black faces, we then bought pure Lleyn rams and now up to 130 ewes, so yes predominantly Lleyn.


We love them, they are intelligent, hardy, good mums as a rule,  We want to cross ours with the charmoise after much talk of what to get next, yes Me we still want to pay you a visit     We also like the welsh mountain as a cross.


You ll love them, they can be sharp, but easily trained to the bucket.

[georgielmgm]

 
That's great thanks, another positive response! I'm getting excited at the possibility of having found 'my' sheep breed! Waiting for someone to come along with a massive downside to them or something! Seems to have happened with all the other sheep I have suggested! 

[Hellybee]

I was told in the royal welsh that the original sheep that the Lleyn descends from was from France, and they ran aground on the Lleyn peninsula, I don't know how much truth there is in this but an interesting aside.  Also rather random but on a clear day we can see the Lleyn from our from door..and we're in pembrokeshire !


I hear of them living all over the country so that's good, they're tough.    We ve never sold spring lambs here, we go for the later store marts.  The highest price weve fetched with stores is £75, we wean in a few weeks and some are them will be going then, big bruisers, February lambs. 

[Me]

Beulah and lleyn x Charmoise sold t'other day never seen creep