[wenders]

Hi, hope you can help with some advice.  We've got a bit of sheep experience but its all been a bit small time and on "borrowed land".  Currently we have two Wiltshire Horn ewes both with twin lambs at foot - so 6 animals.  We'd been looking around to get our own land (rent or buy) so we could extend our flock.  We've been offered a 6 acre field and are trying to work out how many sheep would be sensible to start with if we rotate them round it.  The field is decent quality lowland Devon meadow that had maize on it last year and was reseeded.  The idea is to build up to a small WH breeding flock but in this first year we may be better getting a few more WH if we can and fattening some "other" lambs or even taking haylage off half of it.  What do people think about how many sheep it might support and the best way of managing them round it?

[bamford6]

go for 10 see haw you cope with 10... i started with 50 kept most and then sold the lot 85 in total price was 56 to 60 pound  .then got into rare breeds bought 25 from 1 sale and 25 another cost a bit last yere bought 2 rams  1000 each same breeder .lent them to a nother farmer that lambs earlier 250 pound to use the rams . i naw have people coming to have the new stock . i also have a man that used to judge sheep he takes the best out so the stock gets better .85 pound going price .so things getting better i will get some more breeds when i no whot im doing . naw the bad  side the snow came 13 december i gave them a round bale everey day till easter cost 25 pound a bale i had 150 in stock  so had to sell stock  to get more feed for them and the rare breed fowl 53 pens off them 120 a week feed at the moment .go to the sales for a day out you will see whos got whot .dont do whot i do i go to parts off the uk that has the best sales and sheep buith wales has some off the harder breeds to get  as well as yorkshire cumbria .you will need a good traler that wont be stopt by the police all the time .the farthist iv gone is lincon 460 miles for 10 iv lost 1 so far  they will lamb this week i will then sell the 9 and keep the young lambs i will brake even i hope i will then put them with 10 off my best and have them  LAPAROSCOPIC ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION         http://www.toprams.com/lai.htm       this will give me some off the best stock in scotland and price
A MEANS TO IMPROVE GENETICS i have 32 lambs at the moment 175 to go .the better the stock the more you will make on new stock take a look at Prices by Type   Normal sheep  from - to      Prize winning or top class animals
Pedigree Rams   
£70 -
 £150       By animal
Pedigree shearling ewes (1 yr old)   
£50 -
 £70       By animal
Pedigree ewe lambs (<1 yr old)   
£45 -
 £65       By animal
Pedigree ewes   
£60 -
 £80       By animal
(For pedigree ewes in lamb - add £20 - checked by scanning)       
(For pedigree ewes with young lambs at foot - add £25 per lamb) have a look  baylham rare breeds farm

[wenders]

Thanks for all this Gary - really useful stuff.

[Padge]

we work on 3 per acre if you don't want to supplement feed   i know there are those that work on more but we too are hobby ists finding our way. I would divide the grazing with ekectric fencing and rotate them around it gicing each section time to recover