Author Topic: Our first sheep will arrive in 3 weeks (Read 4292 times)

Jon Feather · « **on:** July 30, 2015, 12:42:12 pm »

After much deliberation and listening to all the advice and ideas posted on my thread "Hello from a newbie" we have decided to go for Shetland sheep. Weighing up the auction v direct from a breed thing we have arranged to buy a small flock of 4 registered ewes and their 6 registered lambs from a member of the Shetland Sheep Society. She is selling up and this is the last of her flock.

The ewes were born 2012 and 2013 and, of the 6 lambs, 4 are gimmers and 2 wethers.

Colour wise: 1 moorit ewe, 2 moorit gulmoget ewes, and 1 black ewe plus 1 moorit wether, 1 moorit gulmoget wether, 3 moorit gimmers and a black krunet gimmer.

I don't know what you think but we are very happy to have found such a young flock from a SSS member.

We are also talking to another SSS member about buying in a few more ewes, probably about 4.

3 weeks and I can't wait for them to arrive.

kelly58 · « **Reply #1 on:** July 30, 2015, 12:52:17 pm »

Enjoy ! Lovely sheep,

Bionic · « **Reply #2 on:** July 30, 2015, 01:19:14 pm »

Very exciting for you

Kimbo · « **Reply #3 on:** July 30, 2015, 01:24:28 pm »

sounds lovely; I hope you all get on well together.
We have had our first sheep for 2 weeks now and they are full of character.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #4 on:** July 30, 2015, 02:40:54 pm »

Brilliant

We shall eagerly await pictures

Jon Feather · « **Reply #5 on:** July 30, 2015, 02:57:03 pm »

Thank you to SallyintNorth and all the others for your help and advice last month.

I feel we have made the right choice.

I will be making hurdles next week.

Anke · « **Reply #6 on:** July 30, 2015, 04:22:49 pm »

Depending on how much land you have, I would go slowly in adding more breeding ewes to your flock straight away. The 4 ewes will give you probably about 8 lambs next spring and you will then also have the 4 female lambs from this year (by then hoggs) to mate next autumn - so by then you will be up at 10 ewes already. Shetland lambs/hoggs are not that easy to sell, especially coloured ones. Most people have a mental block in eating females, so will try and sell them as breeding animals. Also keeping lambs until they are 18 months old needs space and winter hay to be budgeted in.

Also I have found that integrating adult newcomers into the flock takes a long time, much better to keep your home-bred lambs as replacement - it makes a more homogenous flock and as they are born on your land will adapt to your local setting so much better.

Jon Feather · « **Reply #7 on:** July 30, 2015, 05:03:45 pm »

Good point. We are sitting on about 7 acres in all, so about 5 1/2 to 6 acres of grazing land.

What would you suggest as an ideal breeding flock?

And is it a good idea to buy a ram in, when, and how long would you keep him?

Anke · « **Reply #8 on:** July 31, 2015, 09:26:04 am »

Re size of your flock - it all depends on the quality of your grass, if it is sub-divided or one large field (always better to have a number of smaller fields - you can keep one clean for lambing for example), if you are lambing outdoors or inside (Shetlands if lambed in mid-late spring are very happy to lamb outside) etc etc. But it is always better to start small and top your field a couple of times in summer if they don't eat the grass down, then having to buy in masses of hay in winter, having an overstocking problem because you cannot sell your lambs/hogs etc etc. (ask me how I know...

)

Re tup - again depends if you can separate him after he has done his thing. I have left tups in with the girls until very close to lambing but they will need to be away during lambing and when the ewes are with young lambs preferably all summer. If you haven't got any separate field (normal stock fencing will usually be enough as long as he has castrated wethers in for company), then buying in a tup lamb in autumn and eating him in late winter (when the tup taint has worn off) may be the best option. I wouldn't worry too much about keeping your own tup for any length of time, there are always plenty for sale in late summer/autumn. Some breeders may also give you the option of tup hire.

My most recent tup became very aggressive when the ewes were in late pregnancy and got a little feed. Not just towards me, but towards them as well, to the extent that he was even not letting them get to the hayrack. So there was only one solution

, and coloured Shetlands do not make much money in the cull market (and I cannot afford to take a single animal to the abattoir 70 or so miles away) It was also too warm (and I was too busy) to do a homekill.