Sheep talk!

Trewsers

Trewsers

Well-Known Member
Oct 13, 2004
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Some of you on here have sheep as pets and some farm - can you share some of your information with me please? Being surrounded by about 2000 of them during the Spring / summer I love watching them and learning.
I have a couple of Sheep guide books, but would love to hear your personal experiences.
I will tell you what I know so far;
Sheep bicker amongst themselves - why is this? They often lock horns and do the most painful looking stuff - are they just squabbling over the grass?!

If you keep them as pets do they become quite tame like a dog? Or are they always a farm / wild animal?

How often do they get dipped / wormed?

I have seen them limping from time to time - do they get foot rot and if so why?

When they are lambing they often abandon their lambs and I take 'em down the farm - why do some mothers do this? Is there a particular breed that does this more than others?

When should they be sheared?

Sorry for all the questions, but they fascinate me at times and I would love to hear about how you came to keep sheep and why.
Thanks in advance.:happy:
 
Dont get me started.

Well we sold our herd of goats and bought some sheep. Sometimes I think there more hassle than there worth. No where near as friendly and affectionate as the goats. Although one or two I have befriended and they love massages. The best place I've found is the chest are. Some of mine will stand for ages whilst I rub my hand on there chest. If I stop they will walk forward as if to say carry on mum.

Shearing well, mine never, they moult like a horse. Interestingly they hold onto there hair if they are feeding lambs, then moult about a month later. Yes I said hair. Wiltshire horns they class as a hair breed rather then wool. I actually think its a combination. Most sheep are sheared in april/may/june. Preferably before the really hot weather as the maggots have a field day.

Dipping has gone out the window generally since the organo phosphate malarky. Now people tend to use a pour-on.

I have about six weeks to go till I start lambing. Will see if I can find some of last years photos just for you.
 
Ok heres a few.

Heres all the girls in the shed. The girls horns are much smaller than the rams. When you castrate the ram lambs they grow horns the same as the females.
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They dont grow like these. Viking is the one modelling the rug is the oldest and lost a lot of weight last year and he hasnt put it back on. Hes had a chill again so the rug just keeps him a bit warmer. The horns get longer as they get older. Valentino is the one with the green on his chest. He's only two and the other one is Benjamin, who is about five. Benjy is a complete so and so, and spends his time raming the gates. Hence the gate behind is now tied with bale string and has an electic wire in front to stop him putting his head on it.

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Mum and lamb.
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This is a couple of lambs I took away from mums as they had three each. I had them in the house for a few days to get them onto an automatic feeder. Floss is obsessed by them.
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This one unfortunately had a short life as his legs were deformed and he had severe breathing issues. Some how floss knew something was wrong as she was wimpering at it. She also kept laying her foot on it gently.

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She has this really attentive look and her tongue comes out which makes me laugh.
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Oh thank you so much for sharing all that with me! Fantastic photos - such a shame for that little lamb that had the bad leg. What a clever do you have! She looks most intelligent.
The lambs that you took into the house look so cute, I would have had trouble putting them back out again (until they started producing lots of little sheep-poops that is!!!).
I love their horns - what a splendid name btw, Viking!
 
Oh bless your dog, she looks so caring. I think my spaniels would simply freak!

And your rams are just magnificent creatures.

What breed are they?
 
I have a sheep farm, so feel free to ask any questions! thankfully we dont start lambing until the end of april, so most of the bad weather should be over by then...mind you, it snowed at lambing last year...
 
A good sheepdog is with its weight in gold. ONe that'll get stuck into a bolshy ewe and teach her not to stand up to the dog, and in the next 10 minutes ne cuddled up next to sickly lambs keeping them warm.

Jackdaw, you are sensible too, no lambing or foaling until April May....not like those daft English who lamb in January! ;)


Tame, Caddy lambs are a nightmare, they become so tame and never have any manners.
 
Wally said:
A good sheepdog is with its weight in gold. ONe that'll get stuck into a bolshy ewe and teach her not to stand up to the dog, and in the next 10 minutes ne cuddled up next to sickly lambs keeping them warm.

Jackdaw, you are sensible too, no lambing or foaling until April May....not like those daft English who lamb in January! ;)


Tame, Caddy lambs are a nightmare, they become so tame and never have any manners.
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Yep to all, wally! Though you can teach sheep manners if you have the time...but most of our orphan lambs get sold when the time comes.

Aye, those strange welsh and english people...can they not wait for spring to arrive?! Fine for those with indoor sheds etc, but I'm afraid our ewes are only starting to pick up condition now after the hard winter.
 
CAn I ask another question?! How come sheep are always bickering?! They do around our way - OH and I watched them not long ago, you hear their heads bashing and bopping as they locked horns.............!
 
Mos tof the time they are just playing, and they take a lot of bashing before getting hurt...mind you, if they are tups(rams) fighting, then they can seriously injure each other, seen as they are fighting over the females.
 
we have six pet sheep, 3 of each sex, they get on fine, they are a pain in the neck, more bother than horses!

next time i say i want sheep i have told my husband to shoot me!
 
SB, one of our longer lived caddie lambs had to be taught manners with a shovel over the head! ;)

I won't have them round the place any more, once they are old enough they go in the freezer I am afraid. Darned nuisance.
 
Great pics jackdaw! Love the funky fluffy chicken! lol, Mr Bird looks quite puffed up whilst talking to his sheepy pals.......heehhehehehee.
 
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