[Saltrock]

Hi Everyone,

Being new to sheep I'm considering buying about 20 Easycare ewes/lambs to start me off. I wonder if anyone knows of a good source near Gower in South Wales? Also, any advice about my choice, as I'm still open to other breeds?

Thanks in advance.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

PM sent

[Marches Farmer]

You'll find as many opinions on this subject in past posts as there are native sheep breeds.  If entirely new to sheep keeping the first step I'd recommend is Tim Tyne's Sheep Book for Smallholders.  The second is to get some store wether lambs and take them to slaughter weight as a toe-in-the-water exercise with no chance of getting too sentimental about them and keeping them to breed from.

[Possum]

I agree with Marches Farmer. 20 seems a lot to start with. Do you have any experience with sheep? if not, 4-5 might be more manageable. You would also need to do a fair amount of reading. The sheep section of this website is a very good starting point.

[Tim W]

https://www.easycaresheep.com/easy-care-sheep-stock-for-sale

check the Easycare website , they have sales coming up

You may as well have 20 as 5 sheep ---go for it

[Backinwellies]

Do you have sufficient land for 60 sheep? ....you will soon have that number if you start with 20.  Also just to clarify (for anyone who doesn't know) easy care just means they don't need shearing .... They still suffer from everything else sheep suffer from !

[Saltrock]

Thanks for all your replies. I'm still undecided on breed (though I better get a shift on). I have a little experience, and my daughter has promised help - she works for the NT as a ranger in Brecon and has spent a couple of seasons helping a tenant with their lambing (100's), so that will be a help. As to the numbers - apart from my own 4.5 acre field, my Father in law is happy for them to follow on grazing after his cattle, which theoretically gives me access to about 90 - 100 acres.

[SallyintNorth]

If you want them at home for lambing, then think about how many ewes with twins you can comfortably manage in your 4.5 acres.  Depending on the ground, 20 might be pretty much max, I would think.  I think I'd probably start with 10 - after one lambing, even if you only like half the girls, you'd be up to 15 keepers already.   .

On choice of breed, if you think there's any chance you or your missus might decide to spin or make other use of their fleece, don't choose Easy Care!   

[twizzel]

Thanks for all your replies. I'm still undecided on breed (though I better get a shift on). I have a little experience, and my daughter has promised help - she works for the NT as a ranger in Brecon and has spent a couple of seasons helping a tenant with their lambing (100's), so that will be a help. As to the numbers - apart from my own 4.5 acre field, my Father in law is happy for them to follow on grazing after his cattle, which theoretically gives me access to about 90 - 100 acres.

Just make sure it's fenced properly for sheep- ours follow cattle but the fencing is not always sheep proof even though it keeps the cows in. My sheep are used to electric now, just keeps them off the hedges a bit especially in spring. I started out with 9 ewes lambing in my first year- 2 were empty so they went in the cull pens. I didn't keep any of the lambs, all were killed more because I want to get my ewe flock up to standard and cull hard before I start keeping any lambs to breed from, rather than keeping anything with ovaries and then finding they have problems later on in life. Therefore I bought another 6 purebred ewes this year and will lamb 12 (!) next spring... increasing slightly year on year.

[Marches Farmer]

I agree with Sally.  They're best kept in-bye for lambing if you don't have sheds, so you'll need to think about shutting up the field for early Spring grazing, depending on when you intend to lamb and how early the grass generally starts to grow in your area.  We lamb indoors and shut up our turn-out field in late September, so the grass grows slowly through the Winter and we avoid grass staggers.