Sheep

Were looking in to getting a couple of sheep to keep the grass and weeds trimmed down!, does anyone have any pet sheep? if so how many, what do you feed them?, give the for shelteretc? etc, we have field shelters for the horses will this be ok for the sheep?? any other info you can think of?

Thanks Nikki
 
Sheep can be a real pain - they escape, die, get maggots, die,get foot rot, die,need sheariing, die, eat grass and guess what DIE, its a shame, lambs are so cute it just they're brains don't grow with them!!
 
Agree with everything jrp204 said!! pain in the butt.... I mean what sort of animal is so badly designed that if they happen to lay on their backs they cant right themselves..... and DIE??

Get goats instead, much more likeable critters!
 
But they are soooo worth it...

I have 10 pet lambs and 3 older sheep - they are just the apple of my eye. You need stock fencing, a friendly farmer/shepherd who can advise on the paperwork (Defra paperwork = several rainforests worth) but also on worming, care of feet (your blacksmith may be able to help or it is easy to learn), treating against fly strike (which is truely awful and to be avoided at all costs) and other day to day issues.

Sheep must not ever eat horse food (due to copper content in it) and check that your horses are really OK with sheepies - I lost my beloved Camilla when a friend's pony mauled her to death, so please be careful....

But....upsides are that they are terrific at conditioning the grass - they nibble it not tear it and their worm burden cannot co-exist with horse worms, so very complimentary.

I am off on a shearing course to learn how to do my own, but your feed merchant can probably find you some old boy who will do a couple of sheep for you - but small numbers are not cheap! (if you had 100 sheep to shear it is about a £1 a sheep, but 4 will cost you £40-50). They must be shorn early/mid May (or risk the dreaded fly strike!). Your local Scats/Countrystore etc can fit you out with essentials like mineral licks for sheep that are OK for horses too, spray against fly strike, antiseptic sprays and some foot shears and a dagging tool if you are feeling brave! Honestly, they are worth every minute of it.....despite the heartbreak when I lost my beautiful Camilla, I have started again and my 10 this year are just terrific....which reminds me....had best go and feed the 4 babies in the garden now before they start shouting the house down for their milk.....
 
NOooOOOOOooooOOOO Dont get goats...... they wreck your fencing. Mind you sheep are awful if you use leccy fencing... .they itch on it and knock it over and get tangled and as mentioned before they then die!!!!
grin.gif
 
Today I had to cut a lambs' tail up the sides where it had been born with it fused to his back end, clear away the blocked poo, clean out the hole that had appeared due to an internal rupture of the rectum in order for excess backed up poo to escape, cut away all the clogged wool, soak him in a bucked of hibiscrub, and then cover him in purple spray, and all this whilst retching due to unbelievable hangover. No to be recommended! So you'd think my answer would be no to sheep - but I love them! Great for the grass, higher maintenance in summer (fly strike etc) you've got to get an old boy on side who will trim feet, etc but actually in general they don't take up much of my time, they only cost me for feed when due to lamb and thereafter for a while. But they are pathetic and do just die on you so not good if you are going to get attached!
 
We have over 1,000, yes they die, yes they are a pain sometimes BUT well worth it. We have NEVER ever (touch wood) had ragwort and they keep the grass so nice! We will always have sheep.
 
i think you have to have a defra permit etc etc for any cloven hoofed animal now. tbh it's much easier to get a farmer to lend you a few, and then they're someone else's responsibility. they are really too stupid to live most of the time.
frown.gif
frown.gif
 
be careful the only time i have kept my horse with sheep the sheep chewed the bottom of his tail and the stupid idiot stood there and let it.

Didn't do my showing season much good!!
 
i had a few last year i didn't have any problems with maggots etc. they made my grazing look brilliant. it's really easy to get your holding number (defra) all you have to do is phone them give them the address of your land and they will send you a holding number.
 
We have one left of three, originally a ewe and two lambs. Sue now lives in the stable with Bella (retired coloured cob) and out with the horses during the day. Ewe and cob inseperable and make us laugh every day. We are looking to get some more this year, probably another ewe with lambs. The only cost is hay overnight in winter for ours. I shear ours, with hand shears for preference and am quite quick now. The first year it took a day to do one! I spin the wool with a wheel and have to say it is with great pride that I wear jumpers and cardies which have 'grown' on our small holding. I would recomend them, but they do die at any opportunity and I hate foot trimming!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top