[plumseverywhere]

ok, having given up on finding someone to graze our land this year and with hubby sick to death of strimming pathways to our overgrown orchard due to lack of 4 legged mowers we have decided to get some of our own.

I have heard about sheep that don't need to be sheared - anyone any experience of these?

If I literally only want a few in my little flock when and where is the best time to go about this? woudl it be spring for orphan lambs?

am looking for fairly sturdy sheep that don't need to be kept in if its cold 

[Hermit]

Shetland sheep dont need to be sheared, they can be 'rooed', there are some good instruction videos on google! There may be other breeds I dont know.

[ellisr]

Orphan lambs are normally commercial cross breeds and can be a handful as I have found out. I have found Dorsets and Ryelands to be lovely natured, hardy and if they do get out they will normally take themselves back to bed at night.
Bring a ram in and have a few lambs in spring to put in the freezer in autumn and the sheep will pay for there own keep and keep your grass like a bowling green.
Remember you have to feed them in winter and when like this year the grass doesn't grow fast enough, good fencing and a solid gate is needed too.
They have to be wormed, vaccinated,hooves cut, sheared and fly treatment this is best planned and costs taken into account.
I am not trying to put you off as they are a joy to keep just make you aware of costs and effort before you make your decision.

[humphreymctush]

The sheep that dont need shearing are Wiltshire horn and Easycare. The Easycare breed gets its wooless gene from wiltshire horn stock but is polled. It was developed by Iolo Owen. Easycare femails are I beleive in short supply and people trying to get into the breed seem to be breeding up with Easycare rams. I think 3/4 easycares are pretty much wooless.

[plumseverywhere]

Ah thanks all    good to get as much info as possible before we make any big steps.  the goats are lovely but obviously not grazers (however they do produce the milk for my soap business and are gorgeous pets so no complaints here!)
will look into easycare

[shetlandpaul]

goats in an orchard is that a good idea.

[Sharondp]

We can recommend 'The Singing Shearer' if you don't fancy shearing them yourself! 

We have 6 badger faced welsh mountain and 4 commercial lambs - I wouldn't recommend you get orphan lambs as you already have your hands full with your goats (and kids of both varieties!) and they take a lot of time in the first few weeks.

Any of the 'mountain' sheep don't need to come in if it's cold 

[plumseverywhere]

Nooo Shetland Paul!! the goats have a cordoned off area and are allowed NOWHERE near our precious plum orchard (400L of wine come from that patch of land lol!!)

Thanks Sharon - I think you are right about having our hands full with kids of both varieties. will look into sheep a bit more, don't plan to get any till next year when we have decided if its a good idea or not!

[Bright Raven]

We took delivery of our first sheep in April and..... I am in love, sheep are great. I am hoping to do some felt making with my fleeces. I went on a short course a couple of years ago and if you are crafty,.... which you must be with your soap creations it could be another string to your bow. How about wrapping up your lovely soap in a special felted bag for the gift market? Little bags are so easy to do. Had you thought of hops soap for the fellas? a bar, baaa?   

[plumseverywhere]

 bright raven - fab idea - a beer bar baaa even!!  I like the idea of felt bags very much. 

[Anke]

Hi Plums, I can recommend Shetlands - easy lambers, good mothers, usually twins and they are easy to handle as they are not that big (and the tups have horns, so somewhere to hold onto..., but girls don't - easier when clipping! - my legs are usually quite bruised after doing the boys!). If you get Shetalnds from a small flock they come usually ready bucket-trained, and mine have so far respected the fencing.

The wool is lovely to spin/felt and easy to clip, as they have a good "break" and it comes off nicely.

How much land have you got?

You can buy them from small breeders usually all year round, but would recommend either in autumn before tupping (and you can get a tup from somewhere else) or with lambs at foot in spring (and you can then decide if and how many you want to tup in autumn). Their lambs are best left until the next spring, they are slow growers if pure bred, but get really good as mutton.

If you haven't got any by next lambing time try and see a sheepkeeper neighbour during lambing and see if you like it - best (and worst) time of the year!!!

[lachlanandmarcus]

Shetlands are also a LOT cheaper than easycare or wiltshire horn, and if you only have a few, you can hand shear with shears costing £14....worth considering...

[plumseverywhere]

Thank you 

Anke - after the goats are fenced into their own area, the sheep would have around 3 acres including the orchard.
I think we will hold off until spring time - as Sharon rightly reminded me, we are quite maxed out with human kids and goats, plums, soap making and must try to find time to renovate this shell of a farm house we bought too lol!
good info for me  to refer back to though - thanks all x

[Anke]

I have handclipped most of my shep this year, and used the electrical clippers on a few of them (total 25 sheep). I absolutely love doing it myself, I don't really follow the rules (...and ruin my back), but put a halter on and tie to a corner hurdle, off I go. Takes me a while, but really peaceful job. Only do about 2 - 4 a day, so depending on weather it takes me a couple of weeks to do them all.

If you have a small flock (less than 10) it is really a good option to handshear yourself, you get better as you go along and it is sooooo satisfying!

[humphreymctush]

I went on a wool board course about 8 years ago. I borrowed a set of clippers from a neighbor and clipped my 40 sheep. My conclusion was that the shearer was 70p well spent.