[craig]

Hello all i have been reading posts on this forum for a while and you all seem a knowledgeable bunch. I have been offered some land by a good friend to run a few sheep, im not from a farming back round and any little experiance i have is with pedigree cattle (and i mean little!!!) through a friend. there is a few questions i hope some of you can help me with???
  First one is how do i go about getting a flock number and all the nessary paperwork needed to keep sheep here in N.Ireland?
  Second what breed, I eventually want to show and breed pedigree, I have been looking at Llyen (how do you pronounce??) any thought on this breed or another???
  Lastly do you think i should ask a local farmer for some experiance first before i purchase my own???

 Sorry its maybe a bit long winded but any responce is greatly appreciated.

                                           Cheers, Craig.

[Rosemary]

Hi, Craig

Don't know the details in NI but others will be able to help.

As to breed, pick one you like then you're more likely to enjoy it. Showing is a lot of work so you'd better enjoy it!

If you buy localy, the seller might let you help out with their's to get some experience. It certainly wn't go amiss.

Good luck and enjoy.

[Anke]

Hi, get yourself a couple of sheep books, and maybe try and get some experience of a nearby farm. If you buy in some store lambs for fattening on first you can see if actually like sheep. As to what breed, everyone on this forum will be able to recommend their own favourite breed.... I would say Shetlands...

[Shnoowie]

Getting the flock number etc isn't as difficult as you think it might be; though it may be slightly different in NI to down here in Devon.  I contacted RPA (Rural Payments Agency) and Defra (Animal Health) to get my flock and holding numbers.  They'll send you transport things to fill in etc.
Breed wise, I'm biased!  We have pedigree Ryelands due to the fact they are small, good for wool and meat, easy lambers and very friendly.  I suppose picking a breed also depends on how much you want to spend; some breeds are more costly than others, and some breeders charge more.  Store lambs are always good to 'practice' on; but it is totally down to preference!

[shrekfeet]

If you are thinking of breeding then buy some ewes with lambs at foot this year. Keep the ewe lambs and eat the ram lambs. That way you can start your breeding programme next year with your ewes that have already lambed before and then the following year you should have enough experience to lamb your maiden ewes

[craig]

Thanks for all you're quick reponce, I have ordered a few books of amazon and found a Lleyn sheep breeder about 20 miles away. Im gonna contact him and see if i can take a race up to see the workings of his farm (hopefully) and poss a few potential sheep to purchase. Thanks again and if anybody has any good or bad points to make on this breed please let me Know.

                                       Cheers. Craig.

[Declan]

Craig,
We are here near rathfriland. You need to apply for a flock number. Problem is to get one you need a business number from DARD. Easily enough got but it takes a whilefor the whole thing to sort  itself out- talking  8-10 weeks total. Your local DARD office could help- where are you based?

You might be able to buy a few sheep without a flock number from a farmer but then you will be limited to those offered. You will not be able to show them or sell them at a mart- essentially they shouldn't exist as there is no traceability- so if you want to show them off at the RBST at Gosford or at your local show then you are buggered.

My advice would be to get yourself registered with a busiiness number and then a flock number and do the thing right. Whilst the rules over here are much stricter than the rest of the uk its not hard once you get into it provided you are looking to keep yourself right.

If you need anything else just shout.

Declan 

[craig]

Cheers Declan, when you say buisness number what exactly do you mean??? This is probably totally wrong but i own and run my own building business does this help? I live in Lisburn not too far from yourself, are you a sheep farmer??? do you need any free labour??? to gain a bit of experiance....lol. My friend that is letting me run sheep on his land has a flock number but no sheep and has said i can use his? but im in rented accomidation as we are currently looking (and saving) for land to build or a smallholding at the right money so i would rather have my own flock number etc etc. As for time scales im in no rush my idea is to buy a few ewes and a few yearling ewes as shrekfeet suggested.

                              Cheers again everyone.  Craig.

[Declan]

The business number refers to the farm business number only. Its something to do with the single farm payments. When i was applying i told them it was only as pets and not for farming and for all the money you would get it wasn't worth the hassle of all the form filling- it didn't matter - i still needed a farm number.
I am not a farmer by any means- I am a civil engineer- land surveying is my business but the sheep and the hens are my way of de-stressing.
It might be an idea to use your mates flock number for a while to see if you get into it a little more. You can always apply for your own in tandem with using your mates.  I am only at this for about 18 months and have found the sheep make a lot of demands on a small plot. To be honest I am thinking more along the lines of becoming a "fair weather farmer"- buying in a couple of weaner pigs in the spring and killing them in the autumn for the freezer. Along with the couple of dozen hens my 3 wee girls have- we would have enough eggs, bacon and sausages to do us a long time. All we need is a few spuds and we nearly have an Ulster Fry!!

Keep the questions coming onto this forum- theres a great bunch of people here all too willing to help. If you need anything further just shout.

PS Wish you luck of getting a site around lisburn- still very expensive I think. Theres a farm not too far away from us here. Hanna Hillen Esatate Agents in Newry have it. Might be worth a look if you've got your money made from the boom times.

Regards,

Declan
 

[craig]

Cheers Declan, 'Ulster fry' uve made me hungry now i think a bacon sarnie is called for before bed!!! lol. (if electric stays on long enough weather is terrible here) Will check out herd number etc tomorrow. As for checking out that farm i think it will be outa my league if its a fully working farm, boom times were too long ago!!!! and show no signs of returning for a long long time!!!

                             Cheers again mate. Craig.

[Declan]

Your not kidding fella- the arse didn't half fall out of the whole thing. I employ 4 here mostly on NI Water and Roads schemes doing surveying but even the public money is looking shaky at the minute. People say that it has bottomed out. I'm not sure- I reckon if it has it will start to bite more now- where people werr hangin ont ostaff hoping for the economy to bounce back- i reckon we will be bouncing along the bottom for a good while.

Is it any wonder why i take solace standing in the middle of the field looking at hens!!!!

[Elissian]

Not sure if someone has already said but the LLeyn sheep are pronounced clean, have just learned this myself!
good luck, Helen

[craig]

I think you could be right there Declan, alot of companies borrowed to stay afloat through the rough period with the plan of paying back when it came good again only thing is they thought it would be back by now and shows no sign for a long while yet. This year will sort the men from the boys mate. Going off topic here mate and dont start me on the Banks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   Thanks Helen when you mean clean do you mean Leyn?  Sorry im not the sharpest tool in the box!!!!       
                                Cheers. Craig

[Elissian]

Uuh! Now i'm confused!
The breed of sheep is Lleyn. The word lleyn is pronounced clean or cleen. am i making any sense I'm not good at explaining but i think this works!
Helen

[craig]

ahhh!!!!!! lol sorry told you i wasnt the sharpest tool in the box!!!   lol Thanks Helen.

                                                            Cheers. Craig.