[Mungo24]

Looking to start a hobby flock on a few paddocks the I keep tidy for neighbours. Any suggestions on a hardy, outdoor lambing breed with sought after coloured fleece and makes a good looking of rug. Happy to keep wethers over the winter and kill as hogget but the confirmation and size would need to be big enough that they could be sold to others (let’s say 18kgs deadweight).

Thanks

[Anke]

Shetlands!

[SallyintNorth]

Shetlands!

Agree, but need good fencing

[Fleecewife]

I was going to say Shetlands too, but they are not particularly big.  For a larger carcass and a truly beautiful rug, how about Jacobs?  They are perfectly hardy although many breeders mollycoddle them to get them to breed at Christmas, good mothers, have triplets often and can count to three (so you don't need to take the third lamb off them), go for slaughter in November at 7 months so their skins are fine to process before the winter wool break, and the skins can sell at a premium if you have a well-marked flock. And as a final plus, their fleece, if carefully bred and selected, is highly desirable to craft workers such as spinners and felters.  Who could ask for more?!

[Backinwellies]

I  thought skins had to be removed early October at latest?

[SallyintNorth]

I  thought skins had to be removed early October at latest?

I’ve heard that, and that they must have been “born or shorn in the year”, but Devonia said I could take them in any time and didn’t seem to think that even later in the winter would be a problem.

[Fleecewife]

I  thought skins had to be removed early October at latest?

It perhaps depends where you are.  I'm in Scotland and November from April born lambs has always been fine.

[Foobar]

Black Welsh Mountain.  Or Jacobs.  Or either variant of the badger faced welsh mountain sheep.  You won't make a lot of money from rugs, and you need to pick only the best ones to process.  If you really want to make good rugs then I would start crossing jacobs or welsh coloured sheep with something with better quality and longer fleece, and a bigger frame - Hill Radnor is nice but still hardy.

[NewLifeOnTheFarm]

As a newbie to sheep myself I cannot recommend Shetlands highly enough. They are fab sheep. Started with 3 in Feb and now have 11. They all come to the bucket and are easy to handle. No attempted escapes yet, and are great characters. Haven't had any meat yet but it has a good reputation.

[Mungo24]

Thanks folks