Eglu Cube Coop For Sale

[craftyhunnypie]

Ok - we are looking at sheep versus Alpacas here. As novices, wedon't know much about either, but will probably be wanting a few grazing animals eventually. Hubby fancies sheep. I quite fancy Alpacas - being a knitter by nature.

Would also like to know at what age you send off lambs for meat? Hubby does however also fancy a go at lambing in the future. Sounds a lot to take on I know, but we are both keen to try & learn.

So, what's best, what's easiest? Do both need toenails cutting, teeth filing etc?

Any help & advice appreciated. We have googled & looked on Wikipedia a bit.

 

Emma.x

[Lewis]

Could start with a couple of youngish sheep to get the hang of it, then alpaca can live with them once you're established

Sheep are cheap, start the grazing off and will be quite easy ... could then buy in cade/orphan lambs next year to add to them, or put them to a tupp.

Alpaca are a bit more expensive + maybe harder to keep - get them halter trained + great pets + can hope they'll scare off foxes too!

 

Sheep will need to have feet trimmed, dun't need to trim their teeth. Alpaca need both done. Both need to be sheared

 

Depending on the breed you get, lambs will wean off at about 4 months, then grow them on for a bit more till ready to go to slaughter or keep on in the flock ... some commercial lambs can be weaned off at 10-12 weeks and sent for slaughter at 16!

[craftyhunnypie]

Would sheep need a field shelter & any other food apart from grass? I quite fancy shearing. Can you leave sheep to their own devices say for a weekend or so? I sound so thick don't I?

 

Emma.x

[Lesley]

I agree with what Lewis has to say - but we've only kept sheep!

 

We had to send our ram lambs off to slaughter relatively early this year as two of them were uncastrated and they become sexually mature around 16 weeks - we don't have enough acreage to keep them separate from the ewes. We prefer to keep them longer and on to hogget stage if possible. The smaller sheep breeds such as the Shetlands we love are dificult - if not impossible - to castrate within the 7 days allowed, you'd have to have it done surgically by a Vet.

 

You can leave sheep to their own devices for a couple of days as long as you are 100% certain that they have water and enough grass. It would be better if you had someone who could pop in to make sure and check that there aren't any problems requiring a Vet to be called. We leave ours in the care of my son who is used to the routines here and is big enough to go in with the sheep - if my daughter and S-i-L have to take over then they are instructed not to go in with any of the larger animals (sheep and cows - partly because I don't want my family hurt but also because the animals don't know them)) and food is offered over the fence, water checked and they have the Vet's phone number available and the number for the farmer next door so that they could phone for advice if they weren't sure.

 

Re wool - sheep fleece will need washing and it's a real chore! - I'm saving up my fleeces.......initially it was until I had enough to send off for a single wash of my own wool (not mixed with any other ) now I've found someone who will keep even small amounts separate but it is the cost that I'm working towards!

[Lewis]

You'd want a field shelter to give them somewhere for when its raining, or overnight; and you'd want one to pen them in when you were lambing too.

Just grass would be fine for most of the year - about now is tupping time (when the ram goes in to "serve" ) so you'd want to feed her before that to get her condition up. Then feed her up to lambing too to give her the nutrients + condition she needs to carry + then lamb. You can buy sheep nuts, pellets that you just give them a scoop of - easy! 'We' give them hay before + over lambing time 'cos they're kept inside in the sheds.

 

I've been there + helped when they were shearing, but never sheared so not much help there! You can do it with hand shears but electric is a lot quicker - hire/buy one?

 

They'd be fine for a weekend - same as the chickens really Wouldn't want to leave them when they were lambing, obviously

[craftyhunnypie]

Ok - so decided we definitely want sheep. We would like the experience of lambing, can you buy already pregnant ewes? Where on earth would we buy sheep from...Welshpool agricultural market?

I sound so thick don't I?

Hubby also still wants pigs!

 

Emma.x

[Lewis]

I'd decide what breed you want first then try + find a breeder. There'll probably be some in Aber - can ask peoples if you're stuck Could go to the Royal Welsh Winter Fair at the end of Nov and see if there are people there to talk to. I'm sure theres a sheep market'y thing in Builth too.

 

I wouldn't buy from market for your first ones if you don't know exactly what you want or are looking for, and it might be a bit odd for a farmer to sell his pregnant ewes at market - would normally be the dry ones You'll need a DEFRA holding licence and a flock number too.

 

You can probably get ewes that have already been to the tupp - all depends on what breeds you want, breeder is probably more likely to have them than a market. Maybe wait 'till after scanning to be sure she is pregnant + have a better idea of how many lambs she might be carrying?

[craftyhunnypie]

There's a sheep sales thing in Devils Bridge every Wednesday too. Another thought was to let a local farmer keep a few sheep on the land, so as we can get used to looking after some.

I think we need to read more books!

 

Emma.x

[Lesley]

....and a subscription to Country Smallholding and Home Farmer ............Good Life Press have a wide range of books.

[craftyhunnypie]

Already buy those nearly every month! Country Smallholder has a great supplement on pigs this month. I was engrossed last night!

I can see me asking you lots of questions Lesley. I always said I aspire to be like you!

Need to get that rainbow of eglus etc!

 

Emma.x

[..lay a little egg for me]

There's a sheep sales thing in Devils Bridge every Wednesday too. Another thought was to let a local farmer keep a few sheep on the land, so as we can get used to looking after some.

I think we need to read more books!

 

Emma.x

 

I think that is a very good idea. We did that and decided sheep were not for us. The amount of attention needed to prevent them getting ill (sheep seem to have more diseases then any other animal it seems) put us off them. (Several of the ones we boarded were lost to fly strike). Making contact with a local farmer would pay off in that he could well be a source of advice once you have got your own.

[Lesley]

Already buy those nearly every month! Country Smallholder has a great supplement on pigs this month. I was engrossed last night!

I can see me asking you lots of questions Lesley. I always said I aspire to be like you!

Need to get that rainbow of eglus etc!

 

Emma.x

 

You seem to be doing pretty well with the range of Eglus

 

I've got the last three months worth of magazines here to read - I'm hoping to have time now the weather is changing, you'll be telling me what is in them

[Redwing]

We got sheep as pets just over a year ago

 

We were worried about the whole 'sheep get ill a lot' situation but apart from one sore foot and one rattly chest we have had no problems (*touches coffee table* )

 

We decided not to try lambing straight away as this does seem to add several hundred percent more chances of issues to sheep keeping and so had the first year as a bedding down period getting to know the sheep and learning about them and how to keep them

 

The shearing was done by a shearer who was willing to deal with a small flock, he was easy to find and came and sheared the sheep for £50, he also did their feet for us (if you have a dog he will eat the foor trimmings and make you feel quite queasy )

 

Now we have a ram in with the sheep for lambs next spring

 

I am glad we waited before putting them to the ram, we would have been woefully inept at it all if we had tried that in our first year but feel more confident and ready for it now