[Anke]

That's if you can get one that comes out and does small flocks! I don't like the idea of ferrying the sheep to someone elses for clipping, as the lambs are still quite young at this stage, and you never know what you come back with....

But as my flock gets bigger it will have to be someone else doing them, except my favourites of course!

I think however that any shepkeeper needs to be able to clip a sheep in an emergency, even if it doesn't fit the WMB's sequence, and I am now quite capable of just doing that (and had to do it recently to one of my lambs with bad flystrike - even though she still ended up at the vets)

[waterhouse]

We looked at the Wiltshires and the Easycares at Builth Wells but there was no-one to ask over the two days we kept trying to find information.  The Wiltshires do have horns which either gives me to grab or more to butt with depending on your point of view.  They were also notably more irritable than the Southdowns and the Dorsets by which I meant reacting adversely to interested visitors.

[egglady]

Anke, whereabouts are you?  and would it be ok if i came and learned from you how to hand shear next year please?

[humphreymctush]

down breeds are always more docile as they were bred over the years to be folded. Easycares have a lot of welsh mountain blood in them which makes them rather more wild (if not woolly)

[Barcud]

Worth bearing in mind that sheep will bark strip trees, especially in winter, so I'd fence off your fruit trees.
Mike