Q for sheep owners

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poiuytrewq

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I've often been offered pet lambs or sheep and been a bit tempted as I know they are ideal to graze alongside horses and can actually help improve the paddocks. My partner says they are too much hassle with paper work and holding numbers. I have no idea about any of this! Is it really all that hard?
 
They won't be cheap once you have bought the milk powder. Pet lambs succumb to various illnesses due to being reared artificially as well.

Your oh is right about the paperwork plus medicating a couple is a pain as everything comes in large volumes.

If your fences aren't stock net they will probably escape. You will have to shear them.

Some horses will chase and kill sheep.

Offer some free grazing to someone with a few sheep, then you get the benefits and they get the hassle :)

Yours

A Shepherd ;)
 
Yes, thats what we did. A friend had 40 sheep on our land over this winter to eat it down, reduced down to 25 now.

TBH the holding no is easy to get - we got one for ourselves as well as registering the sheep to my friend's no. Its just a phonecall and paper to sign.

If you took the lambs at weaning time, it wouldn't be as bad, as you would miss the bottle stage. Round here there are free lance shearers that cater for those with a few sheep.
 
Ah ok. I guess it's a nice idea but as with most things harder work than it looks!
My horse was previously kept with a ram so he'd be ok and the other two are such dopes I'm sure they'd also be fine. We have a few sheep owning friends so am sure they will let us borrow a few. Maybe to graze the paddocks after the horses to neaten them up as opposed to in with them?
 
It's not hard but There is a lot more admin than there is with horses. You can get a CPH holding number from your local council easily (they will also give you a flock number). Any sheep you buy must be tagged with electronic tags by law unless they are going for slaughter under a year old, but you would have to replace any lost tags (they do lose them!!). Don't buy or transport any if they haven't been tagged, it is the sellers responsibility.

You would have to shear them annually, altho for a small number you can do wthis with hand shears, trim their feet when required and also worm and fluke them if needed. Plus you would need suitable fencing like stock mesh. In theory you can use electric mesh or wires for non horned sheep but it is a nightmare as they like to get stuck in it or escape through it.

On the positive side they are very good for the land, cleaning up rank patches, small ragwort plants trying to grow and breaking the horse worm cycle. And I find them utterly charming!! Real characters. I have 16 Shetland ewes and two weathers (castrated boys), and am looking forward to lots of multicolour lambs come April!

Bear in mind some horses will not tolerate sheep in their field and can injure or kill them so be careful if you are planning to do this. Most horses are fine but not all. Ideally rotate the sheep and horses.

The sheep will also need hay in the winter, unless you have a lot of spare grazing and it's best to get a tough native type which won't need additional hard feed.

You will occasionally get an inspection from the animal health people but as long as the sheep are tagged and the feed kept dry in a vermin proof place and separate from the other feeds (ESP away frm chicken feed as that can contain animal products which are strictly banned for other farm animals due to foot and mouth risk) then its not a big deal

ETA if you get pet lambs then ideally get them at weaning as has been said. If you get them younger, find out whether and how much colostrum they got from Mum if any and what was given to supplement any lack - it makes a huge difference as to how well they thrive.
 
Yes if you can borrow some to follow the horses, they will tidy things up nicely.

If you like faffing around with records and don't mind having to order one tag etc then you probably wouldn't find it a bother, but I hate record keeping and I would not ever do it for a few sheep as it drives me insane as it is ;)
 
All very interesting thank you!

I think my desire for a sheep stems from firstly helping my uncle do his as a kid including trimming their back ends and feet and other lovelies! but mainly at an old livery yard (also a working farm) they always had pet lambs one of which they kept and she was the friendliest sheep ever, trotting over to say hello and have a scratch.
I just think they are really lovely animals BUT no in reality I don't want to be doing stacks of paper work- also although one paddock has a thick hedge boundary the others don't and would need some attention to places.
The one with the decent hedges had sheep in last year before I rented It so will have a word with the owners.
 
Get them!

They will be no trouble at all.

FfionWinnie is a freelance shepherdess, so you can hire her to do all the work!:D

If she were a bit closer and I'd been offered some sheep, that's what I'd do!;)
 
Like Ffion, I too am a Bo Peep.
Sheep are born with two brain cells, one is used for escaping and the other for deciding to die at the most inappropriate moment.
Shearing, foot trimming, worming (and you do not get small amounts of sheep wormer, it is usually for 20 + animals) Fly strike, records to keep, ear tagging, lamenesses and so on.

The best thing is to borrow some to graze after or with the horses.
 
I love my 7 pet sheep. I am now in a routine with a "proper" sheep farmer and he comes and does my lot when he is doing his (although mine stay the same - his lot change annually ;) ). It would be cheaper per sheep per dose to do them myself but its too much hassle and I dont need to worry about remembering what they are due and when.

My bottom field is beautiful thanks to them - so much so that I wont put the horses in it to churn it up :o. I have some wee xc jumps in it and the sheep keep it all well grazed so I can go in and play with the horse.

Bottle feeding is great fun and very satisfying.

Sheep rock :D
 
Just to tempt you into all things sheepy :-)))

Handsome and Gretel the lambies
shetlandlambs.jpg

Both are still in the flock 3 years on (tho Handsome did have to lose his nuts to avoid the chop!)
Coco my favourite and friendliest ewe
P1020015.jpg


see, you wont be able to resist!
 
We keep a small flock and the paperwork etc can get silly. We move ours round 4 different places though including our own to keep the grazing sweet and clean. We have the responsibility of the worming etc and sometimes just move the ewe lambs onto a small area to help the landowners(renters) happy.
Iam sure that if you didnt want to get involved with care there must be lots of folk like us .
PS our pet sheep are called tiddles and piddles and were raised indoors at great expense and now live the life of riley and are worth nothing but dog food to anybody else
 
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