i'm getting some sheep!

[pie]

i decided to get some sheep to help my horses eat their paddock as they are getting v v fat, so i thought i'd get a rare breed like jacob sheep, i rang a local farmer who said he had some that were destined for the freezer as they weren't good enough to breed from or show, i didn't think rare breeds got eaten, how stupid am i? anyway they are coming to live with us now and shall never, ever be eaten and will hopefully live a long happy life, does anyone have any special tips on how to look after them. i know the basic stuff about not letting them have grass that is too long and shearing and feet trimming but as i'm new to sheep just thought i'd ask!!:bigsmile:thanks
also just a little happy thought for the day: just rescued two more chickens before they got eaten too!

[Est]

Nice one, pie! I haven't got a clue about sheep but well done for taking them on. They'll be great at clearing the rough grass the horses don't want too. What horses have you got? I'm down to one but in winter I'm always very grateful for that and then in summer I wish I still had my mare! :D

[harpy]

That's nice - are they Jacob Sheep that you're getting in fact? Those are so pretty, but sheep generally are lovely.

Of course there is a lot of stuff about keeping sheep on the web but I'm not sure how relevant most of it will be in your circs seeing most of it is about rearing sheep commercially. Maybe something like this would help http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/articles/sheep/gettingstarted/
And I suppose the Defra site will tell you about any regulations you need to comply with.

[pie]

thanks for that link harpy, and my horse collection goes like this: a shetland mare about 20 years old, bought as a first pony for my daughter 7 years ago, she was in foal (unbeknown to us) so also have her son, very naughty, has sweetitch and wrecks everything!! and last year acquired a 15.3 welsh section d cross, light bay and he's an absolute star, a real plod, just how i like them!! also had up to 4 months ago a 30 year old palomino but she died of old age, i'm lucky enough to have a three acre paddock and it's very tempting to fill it up!! :bigsmile:

[starlight]

Hi Pie

Congratulations on your sheep. I'm not an expert but here's a couple of things I've learned:
- always make sure they have fresh water
- make sure any shelter is very well ventilated or they will get lung diseases and die. ventilation is more important than warmth
- watch out for thorns in the feet and keep the feet clipped and tidy - buy some proper clippers from an agricultural supplier and use them regularly
- clip them out round the back end so they keep clean and don't get worms
- there are a number of common pests such as ticks / mites and whatever that will strike and kill them if you don't dip or otherwise treat them at the right times of the year. consult agricultural supplier for treatment programme and best products to use
- learn how to turn them (e.g. for clipping feet) from someone who knows, unless you like black eyes / broken noses and ploughing the mud with your nose.
- purple spray cures everything
- keeping sheep with horses can be good for pasture management as horse worms don't live in sheep and visa versa. watch out the horses don't bully the sheep though - you may need to keep them apart and alternate use of pasture between them

enjoy !

[pie]

thanks starlight, i will get some clippers for feet and bottoms, and will consult my local farm suppliers re parasite control, not looking forward to the black eyes/broken nose bit!! maybe i will get my vet to clip their little tootsies:rolleyes:

[Est]

A mini herd - fab! My mare was a sec d. They are great :D Good luck with the sheep :)

[missbettie]

you are so lucky to be able to rescue so many animals! I wish I could!

[BlueGreenEyes]

awww I love sheep can you post piccys of them? I wish I could help some sheep but I dont think they would fit in my flat lol!

[pie]

i'm rubbish at doing photos etc on the internet, i'll try to get my daughter to do it!!
they are very cute but very naughty, lol