Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: To castrate or not  (Read 7163 times)

morri2

  • Joined Jun 2008
Re: To castrate or not
« Reply #15 on: April 17, 2010, 07:06:35 pm »
Thanks Woollyshepherd - I was just getting it off my chest -Cheers !

tome

  • Joined Apr 2010
Re: To castrate or not
« Reply #16 on: April 17, 2010, 07:25:57 pm »
I look after a small flock of Hebrideans; if you are going to eat them at some point, I would recommend castrating them. If you are keeping them for conservation grazing, it is optional but Rams are by nature slightly more dangerous... they're not malicious, generally well treated they're soppy... but the larger horns give them more 'oomph' ;)

Personally, unless you intend to breed from them, or sell them on to breed, I would castrate them.

lindy

  • Joined Mar 2009
Re: To castrate or not
« Reply #17 on: April 18, 2010, 08:29:58 am »
If you would prefer not to sell for meat or eat them yourself I would suggest castration and a home as lawnmowers. It is possible to find caring people to take them on if you only have a few. I have homed  quite a number like that   - several groups in my village or very close by,  though I am in an area where there are lots of small pet flock keepers.  Around here most farms were split up  years ago the land going to another local farmer the house and one small field being sold to someone moving in to the area. Hence lots of people with a field to mow but not big enough for commercial use.
Do be choosy who you home with and be prepared to advertise in different places until you come up with something suitable.
I think this is a better option than selling all males as breeding stock  - let's be realistic, not all males are of good enough quality to warrant breeding from, on the contrary  with a small flock you are lucky to get one good one a year. Personally I think if you keep pure breed sheep and sell them as that you should only breed from the best and ideally they would be pedigree registered animals.
« Last Edit: April 18, 2010, 08:31:38 am by lindy »

 

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