[niky]

Hi, I'm a newbie to sheep keeping and am looking for some advice to the best sheep to get  to start with, I am looking to buy 4 - 6 to start with.  Have aprox 5 to 10 acres rough grazing with natural shelter. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[clydesdaleclopper]

Get some that you like the look of. There are so many breeds and we all think our choice is the best  but ultimately you will be looking after them. The main thing is to make sure that whatever you get isn't too wild so that you can handle them. Good luck.

[Foobar]

Where abouts do you live?  If your aim is to sell fat lambs then usually the best sheep for your area are the ones your neighbours have, as they will have tried various types over the years and settled on the ones that do best in your environment.
If you want to do rare breed or pedigree breeding then you need to select a breed that will suit your land/altitude/weather/grazing.

[Rosemary]

Where are you niky? I'd recommend that you get along to the Scottish Smallholder and Grower Festival thsi Saturday - 26 breeds of sheep entered, so a chance to see a wide range of breeds and talk to their owners and breeders. www.ssgf.uk

[SallyintNorth]

The usual advice is to buy some store lambs for the freezer to 'get your hand in'.  Then, once you are used to handling sheep, dosing sheep, etc., if you want some to breed from, get some experienced ewes - so at least one of you knows what you are doing!

You should be able to buy store lambs now, if you want some, otherwise from about 4 months after lambing in your area.  You can get some at your local livestock mart, or if there is a farmer nearby it can be a good idea to buy from them - they will probably be happy to advise on care, may show you how to dose and so on.

If you go this way, your first batch are for eating, so it kind of doesn't matter what type they are.  Use the time while you have these to go to shows, see all the breeds and decide what type you would like to have to get up for on a cold, wet and windy morning...

[niky]

Thanks everyone, Im based in north Cambridgeshire.  Think I will take your advice SallyintNorth and go down store lamb route this year then decide exactly what type I would like for next year 

If I were closer Rosemary I certainly would go along to the Scottish Smallholder and Grower Festival as it sounds very interesting, I will have to find out if there is anything like it local.

[Remy]

Also any agricultural/county shows usually have livestock classes and a lot of different sheep breeds on display.  If you are planning to breed and sell the lambs for market then you will be wanting to look at commercial types for lowland pasture; if for pets then then basically whatever you like the look of!  Do you want white or coloured?  Some breeds can be more flighty and hard to handle than others.  Others are such as Zwartbles and Gotlands can be very friendly.


I started off 8 years ago with six orphan lambs given to me by a friend, they were commercial crosses and I knew absolutely nothing about sheep!  My plan was to have them just for eating grass.  But I got talked into getting a ram ...    and today I have 21 breeding ewes of various types, 3 rams and 31 lambs 

[Marches Farmer]

I suggest asking around locally to see if someone with sheep would like some free grazing over the WInter in return for showing you how to handle sheep, etc.  Also getting Tim Tyne's book and reading it cover to cover.

[Porterlauren]

Where abouts do you live?  If your aim is to sell fat lambs then usually the best sheep for your area are the ones your neighbours have, as they will have tried various types over the years and settled on the ones that do best in your environment.
If you want to do rare breed or pedigree breeding then you need to select a breed that will suit your land/altitude/weather/grazing.

This is a much quoted argument. Although in some cases probably true. . . . in many its very much not! Just because someone has been doing it for a long time, doesn't mean they are any good at it!

[Marches Farmer]

Might depend on the circumstances.  If they've built up a top quality flock or have been farming or shepherding that farm for decades it's quite likely they are actually rather good at it.

[Porterlauren]

I don't buy it.

Plenty of people have been driving for years and years and drive big, nice looking and expensive cars that are very clean and well maintained. . . . . and they are still crap drivers.

These days many many farms operate at a loss, without the subsidies they receive. Therefore, their livestock enterprise is often in no way efficient or successful in its own right, and their sheep are average at best. A lot of times they have been farming that farm for a long long time, because it was bought for very little generations ago, by a relative that really WAS good at their game. The current generation is often living on subs, borrowings and accrued capital.

Obviously if they are running a top quality flock, then they may well be very good at what they do. But some 'top quality' flocks (as shown by their high selling pedigree rams for example) are also fairly average at best. . . . . .

Maybe i'm being harsh. But just because the neighbours who have been farming for years are doing it, doesn't mean its the best way. If it was, most of us would have mules, or texel/mules.

[Ghdp]

Well, for what it is worth this was our decision.We have been on our land for 3.5 months so very much newbies too  and thinking we wanted sheep.   We were interested in the small flock idea and torn between mere lawn mowers 'longer term' and store lambs as 'an intoduction to sheep keeping'. In the end we have done exacltly what MF suggested. We spoke to our neighbour who was more than happy to exchange grazing for advice and an oportuniity to be shown how to handle sheep. We are also reading Tim Tynes' book!!  As novices it seemed a good place to start!
Next year we may be more confident to pick our sheep and go it alone. We are just feeling our way. Good luck Niky whatever you try first?

[honeyend]

Niky I am not far from you.
  My advice is buy tame ones. I bought three castrated rams last year, they are Zwartble crosses, probably paid too much for them but they were from people who do dog trails so they will follow up whilst hubby plays being Shep. This means if they get out they are not that difficult to get back in.
  They were going to the butchers but they are keeping the ground tidy so while they behave they are staying and they are a known quantity.
  Like any livestock buy ones you like the look of, because when the b***** are sick or you are chasing after them you have to remember you did like them once.

[Bramblecot]

Niky,

Try and get to Gransden show tomorrow 26.9.15 - one of the last for this season.  There are classes for rare breed, native and commercial sheep.  It is a good way to compare different breeds and see what appeals to you.  Shows are a good way to talk sheep with folk who like to show their breeds.

Then go to the commercial markets and see the other side of things.  The nearest to you is possibly Thrapston.  If you don't mind a longer drive, try Melton Mowbray or Colchester.  Store lambs could be £45- 50 but I would advise you to buy privately the first time.

You'll soon be hooked .  Good luck.