[andywalt]

It will be great to see the results

[ballingall]

Results for what?


For wool, for meat production, for an easy smallholder sheep?

We often used to have Texel crosses, and they were great for meat and being quite easy to handle. Suffolk's were hard to handle, but still good for meat. Bleu du maine were interesting for fleece, and ok for meat production- better when crossed with something like the texel or suffolk. 

[Fleecewife]

There's not enough information in the question to give a true answer.  The reason there are so many breeds is that each one has developed in a certain environment, geographical area or for a specific purpose - meat, wool, beauty, hardiness, as terminal sires, to graze hillsides, all sorts of reasons, so there are now sheep available to fit every niche you can think of.  For example, Soay will not give huge carcases, but they taste very special and can fetch a high price in certain restaurants.  If you run them on very rich reseeded pastures they will scour horribly, but if you want a rough, rocky hillside grazed they will be great. They produce only tiny amounts of wool, but they can be roo'ed by hand and if left will shed their wool unaided - very useful in some circumstances.  So it's horses for courses.

[NLL]

we have Lincoln Longwools and Wensleydales, neither of which are on the list.

[andywalt]

ok i think i need to change it

[andywalt]

comments taken on board, ive changed it to be more specific and more relevant to me, it will be very helpful

thanks to everyone that ive spoken too its been a real help being here !!!


andy

[VSS]

Charollais - they are easy lambing and grow like topsy and are seriously solid sheep. That would be my choice if meat is your aim.

[humphreymctush]

just vote you miseable gits! its only a game.

[andywalt]

Im glad you said that, hahahha  all the experiance and no one wants to play !!!!!

[woollyval]

Well I have played!
If you are a smallholder and are looking for a good all round profit from say a maximum of 20 ewes you need to think 3 ways....meat, wool, lambskin
You have 3 products and need to make the most of ALL of them.

Now the serious meat only breeder will see the wool and skin as a by product but when you only have a small flock and the ewes you start with are cross breeds such as Andy seems to have you need to make the most of everything you have!

Suffolk cross wool is seriously good stuff and can be used for knitting wool, superb posh cushion stuffing, or needle felt. So here is product 1.....
We are processing loads of wool like this at the moment and will pay 50-60p per kg for really good clean wool of this type.

Skin....again you have a great product that will sell once cured for a minimum of £45....cost about £20 to tan at Fenland Sheepskin

Meat...marketed direct for £60 per half a lamb......

Therefore its not quite as simple but depends on what you want and like!

Oh and Andy....there are 3 types of Dorset.....Horn, Poll and Down......and I would go Dorset Down every time

[andywalt]

wow I did think the wool was a by product, I thought it was only worth £1.00 !! so what happens if you ask the abottoir for the fleece and skin? do they put up there prices? I thought they took that as part of the bargain?

That was very educational, at the end of this poll if everyone votes I will tell you what Ram I have decided on. 

More info from others will be appreciated very much



andy

[Fleecewife]

Sorry I can't vote as I'm a primitive rare breeds person and you only have two in the list.  I would vote Hebridean if it was on there    Best sheep ever 
The only things you can get back from the abattoir are the carcase, the horns and the skin - the fleece is what you shear off yourself.  For skin and horns ask about it before you take them in. 

[egglady]

and we have shetlands - agian ot on the list.  we like their meat, their fleeces are brilliantly soft - and can often be roo'd therefore saving on cost of shearing, and good size for the children to handle......

[andywalt]

Hebridean is now on the list, yes I meant the skin...does the abottoir use them or are they disguarded? anyone know?

[andywalt]

Shetlands now on the list, come on keep them coming, why are you not voting?