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........................ smallholding, crafts and country life ................................................... IN IRELAND .......................................................
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Pippa
Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 2
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 Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 3:09 pm Post subject: sheep - need lots of advice |
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Hi All
I am new to this forum but you all seem to be a very wise bunch. :-)
In the next few weeks we will cut our meadow. In the fullness of time this meadow will be home to a small horse. However, even with a horse, it has always been my intention to have a sheep or two to keep the grass nice and tidy. The field is approximately one acre and now includes about 24 young willows. I am thinking that once the meadow is cut we will need to get a sheep, or two. Do they get lonely?
Don't laugh, but we are vegetarian so no intention of eating them and no willingness to on-sell for someone else to eat them. From what I have read, this means we will need a flock number or something like that? Is there perhaps a market for ageing pet lambs who need a home?
Fencing is the next issue....The field is roughly fenced but we would need to protect the willows and our new baby hedge. Also when managing it with a horse, it would be ideal if we could have changeable partitions. I was wondering about buying an electric sheep fence? Or what someone here referred to earlier as "electric netting". The only hesitation I have on this is how would a horse cope with that?
In an ideal world. I'd love to keep merino sheep so that I could felt the fleece. I am not sure that merinos thrive here in Ireland? Can anyone recommend a breed with felt-able fleece that would be appropriate?
Any other general advice on keeping sheep would be much appreciated as I am on a steep learning curve (in spite of being a New Zealander).
Many thanks
Pippa
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blowin
Joined: 13 Dec 2006
Posts: 1290
Location: Tubbercurry , Co Sligo
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| Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 11:25 pm Post subject: Re: sheep - need lots of advice |
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| Pippa wrote: | | .... you all seem to be a very wise bunch. .. |
The Trade Descriptions Act requires me to correct you on that   |
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blowin
Joined: 13 Dec 2006
Posts: 1290
Location: Tubbercurry , Co Sligo
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| Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 12:12 am Post subject: Re: sheep - need lots of advice |
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| Pippa wrote: | .... need to get a sheep, or two. Do they get lonely?
....we will need a flock number or something like that? Is there perhaps a market for ageing pet lambs who need a home?
Fencing is the next issue....The field is roughly fenced but we would need to protect the willows and our new baby hedge. .....
.....electric sheep fence? ....The only hesitation I have on this is how would a horse cope with that?
.... Can anyone recommend a breed with felt-able fleece that would be appropriate?
Any other general advice on keeping sheep would be much appreciated as I am on a steep learning curve (in spite of being a New Zealander).
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Quite a few Q's there and I am not really qualified to answer any of them so I will do my usual smart-ars* rambling thing and attempt to comment on them all .
But firstly let me welcome and appoint you as our NEW SOCIAL SECRETARY  . Ok , I know I have already given someone else that position a few mins ago but the authority to do so is overwhelming and I doubt that either of you will do anything about it so no harm done . Not to me , anyway .
You will need more than one sheep or it will definitely be lonely and pine and/or get out of whatever fencing you put up in order to find a friend .
You will definitely need a Flock Nbr --- easy to obtain via your local Dist Vet Office .
Ageing pet lambs are a pain in the proverbial and can be a real hazard . You would be hard pressed to find a good home for them around here . It would be a case of them going to the stock pot rather than stock fence .
Sheep love to eat any kind of cultivated willow even tho' they ignore that Goat Willow which grows everywhere . You will have to fence off anything you value .
They don't appear to be deterred by electric fence ( not the ribbon , at least --- they trashed the stuff I had around the pigs without even noticing it . Dragged it across the field . Pigs chased the sheep then I had to chase the pigs and general mayhem followed for longer than I care to remember .
Don't know anything about felting . A friend does that with Jacobs and Alpaca fleece . Best advice I can offer is to talk to people who have the animals ( whatever they are ) within very close proximity to your own land . Up here in the hills at the heady height of about 300 ft above mean sea level the conditions are significantly different to those about 1/2 mile down the valley . Good luck
And welcome to the forum .
Sorry about the ramble .
Did I mention that you have been appointed joint New Social Secretary ? |
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Pippa
Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 8:25 am Post subject: clarification |
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Thanks blowin for the feedback!
I should clarify...I was thinking more of offering a home to ageing pet lambs than needing one but I do take your point about them being a pain in the proverbial!
I wasn't thinking about single strand electric fence but netting or maybe a three strand version (which is cheaper) I've seen on ebay (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330240536365&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en)
hope that link works.
I know people use single strand electric fences with horses...so I wonder how a horse might cope with the three strand sheep version....
Nice to know someone is felting with Jacobs fleece.
thanks
Pippa
PS shouldn't you wait a while to make sure I'm not a psychopath before inviting me to be the social secretary   |
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quarryman
Joined: 14 Dec 2006
Posts: 417
Location: Sligo
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| Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 9:46 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | PS shouldn't you wait a while to make sure I'm not a psychopath before inviting me to be the social secretary
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That talent would be a definite advantage for the job.
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