[Buffy the eggs layer]

Hi  All,
            I am hoping to soon become the proud owner of some wiltshire horn lambs.
Can you tell me what I need in anticipation of their arrival?
I have got some hurdles, foot spray, feed troughs, fenced paddocks, water troughs, fold barn.....What else do I need to buy? And can you recomend any suppliers?
Buffy
 
takecan you tell me what I need buy
     

[suziequeue]

A means of gathering them up efficiently..... We don't have a sheep dog so we built our paddock fencing in such a way that we can herd the sheep into a long narrow strip and then drive them to one end. Very handy.


Also - have you thought about dragging shears, foot trimmers, teramycin (antibiotic) spray, licks,...."

[smudger]

You need to worm them and treat feet when they arrive (foot spray or footbath), plus think about fly treatment. Are they bucket trained - if not, I'd feed them a few pellets for the first week so they get used to you.  (A bucket can be a a good substitute for a dog, but it really isn't not as cuddly).  You may want a vitamin drench or bucket lick and ear tagging equipment.


Otherwise its all the lambing equipment which you can delay until you need it.

[Small Farmer]

A muscle-building course, Tim Tyne's book and more hours in the day

[ScotsGirl]

watch out which hay feeder you use as prone to catching their horns in it. I have one and she used to jump into the hay ring and out the other side.  Never had a problem just a pain at foot trimming time as horns are sharp and catch my arms when they are sat down.
 
Enjoy, they are great characters. WIsh I had more as no shearing!!

[SteveHants]

I've had wilts for years - although I now have lleyns and lleyn x wilts too.


Wilts are fairly thrifty sheep - keep plenty of grass under them, no need to cake em really. I used rockies as mineral licks. They are also a bit....liveley, but you bareley have to handle them so its swings and roundabouts.
Should lamb outside, unaided - avoid buying from people who lamb indoors if you want to lamb outside.


They should be wormed before they get to you - its common courtesy.

[colliewoman]

Be warned!! Sheep are more addictive than all the class A's put together


My suggestion for what you will need is another 3 (at least) hours in the day, to make up for the ones that will fly by watching your new charges

[suziequeue]

Yes - I agree with Colliewoman...... that'll be another three hours on top of the three you spend watching your chickens.......   

[Mammyshaz]

Great news, very exciting. Will await photos 

[jaykay]

I second thinking of a good way of gathering them (it's the thing that causes me the biggest problems here) and training them to a bucket.

Tim Tyne's book is excelllent. As of course, is this forum 

[Bionic]

My blue bucket is invaluable.  The sheep, I only have 3 and have only had them for a month, watch me like a hawk. As soon as they see me with the bucket they come over.
I put the feed in the bucket but actually feed each one seperately by hand. They only get 2 sheep nuggets each a day. Its just enough to keep them friendly.
I am now able to run my hands all over their heads and look at their teeth. Of course they don't need that done each day but it gets them used to me touching them. Today I started picking up their hooves. I can do all of this when they are confined in the hurdles but if I can get them used to it I hope it will save any agro when the 'real' time comes.
Sally
 
 

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Thanks Everyone,
              I currently have 6 guest sheep that belong to a friend who come when called in exchange for a rich tea biscuit. Some of them enjoy a good scratch or a stroke others just grab a biscuit and dodge the human contact.
O.H has made enough wooden hurdles for us to chanel them from one field to another or into the stable block where we bring them to spray their feet.
I have had a look on mole valley farmers site for supplies but I'm a bit bewildered by the aray of wormers and fly sprays. Perhaps the Tim Tyne book will help with this.
My plan is to buy 5 of this years ewe lambs from a local breeded and spend a year getting to know them and winning them over before buying an unrelated ram once I have had some lambing training and hope to increase my flock with some more new ewes and sell or eat the rams.
Will I need to bring them in if we have a heavy snow fall like last year? Will they need hay or just hard feed if ther are indoors?
 
Buffy
 
 
 
   

[jaykay]

I don't know how hardy they are so hopefully someone else who knows the breed can answer that bit. Mine stay out but then these and my previous breed are hill sheep.

When I bring mine in for lambing (for my convenience) they get hay as well as hard feed - hay keeps the rumen working well.

[SteveHants]

I've never brought a wilts indoors. I dont have any buildings anyway. They are thrifty sheep - try not to overfeed esoecially when they are in lamb.

[suziequeue]

I think it's a good idea to buy ewes at the end of the summer and get to know them over the winter before sending them to the tup again. (I'm biased because that's how we did it and it worked out very well  ).


We haven't gone the whole hog and bought a tup. We send ours to a friend up the road who also breeds Badgers and he seems to have a different fella every year so we just get the debs delight that particular year. He is a championship breeder so we trust his judgement of the tup side of things.