No more exams!

My exams have finally finished, and I now have eleven weeks off before going back to school for A-levels in September. I plan to spend the summer training my sheep dog, Nan and trying to get my sheep ready for showing that I'm planning to take part in in September.
I will be taking Nan to Nursery Trials this year, if anyone has done this before and know of any good ones to go to please comment below and let me know.
There will also be shearing taking place soon for all of the sheep, hopefully next week. Shearing will be followed by hay making, with general day to day farm work in between all of that.
Between all of these events I will be blogging a series of posts on, as yet, an undecided topic. Please leave ideas in the comments section or on twitter etc and I will choose the best idea and begin as soon as possible.
Today was the NSA sheep South West event, sadly I couldn't make it due to my exam this morning but if anybody did go I would love to hear about it and see how the day went so please get in touch if you went along to that.
As sheep farmers we will all be on the lookout for fly-strike at this time of year, especially with the recent warm weather. This time of year is crucial to the sheep, just before shearing for most people and yet the weather is hot and the flies that cause it are common. It can also be hard to treat and medicate the sheep correctly if you are planning on selling the fleeces after shearing.
The British Wool Marketing Board has predicted that wool prices will rise once again this year, and most will stay above £1 a kilogram. This is a great improvement on previous years and will affect many sheep farmers in a positive way. If you are interesting in spinning/crafting with sheep wool and would like to buy some privately please get in touch as we may have Jacob as well as Oxford Down wool for sale, both of which are high quality fleeces great for crafts.
I hope you're all looking forward to a great summer, if you would like to see anything else on my blog or have any ideas for a 'future friday' post, or have any questions about anything I post on here please leave a comment below and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Instagram and Summer

I now have a new instagram page, wiltshireshepherdess. Please if you have instagram go and follow my page for regular photo updates of everything you see on here.
Please use the comments section below, twitter, email or instagram to get hold of me and let me know what you would like to see covered on this blog. Anything farm related I will try my best to cover either in one post or a series of posts.
The next big thing for the sheep will be shearing now that summer is here, I will cover that on here and will also post anything else people want me to about summer or sheep in general.
Summer is finally here and my exams finish tomorrow so there will be much more regular posts on here for you to enjoy as well as some new series of posts that have been requested.

A short recap of everything on the farm

I'm currently taking exams, so haven't been posting as much about the farm etc. However lots has still been happening, and today I'm going to be showing you a little of how everything is going.

Nan

Nan is still in training, and will be getting much more work after my exams finish in a few weeks. I will be considering Nursery Trials for November so if anyone has any experience with which ones are best please do get in touch.

The options are still open however I don't think I will be breeding from Nan, because I think that there are far too many collies (and other dogs) in rescue and I would rather increase my number of dogs by rescuing rather than breeding more. 

Two of the Jacobs

The family flock of Jacob sheep have now finished lambing and are currently being mob- grazed over some parts of our grazing. The ewe in the picture above was an orphan three years ago, Charlotte. She is still very friendly and has been raising some great lambs, one posing with her in the picture above.

Lambing 2015

I didn't post over lambing, it was a very busy time! These are two of the lambs a day after they were born, inside with their mother. Then of course there were my Oxford Down sheep who lambed earlier in the year...

Lambing 2015

Both of my ewes had one ewe lamb, an excellent result meaning my flock size doubled immediately. The lambs have been growing fast, they went back outside in March and are now still growing while grazing in with the Jacob flock.

Two of the girls last week

The lambs have grown fast, and I will be showing them later in the year, I have some shows planned in September. If any of you have any experience with showing I'd love to hear from you!

So that's a quick run through of whats been happening here on the farm, the next big thing will be shearing which will hopefully be taking place soon. Whats been happening with you? Let me know in the comments below. And don't forget to send in your 'Future Friday' topics, see my last post for details. Feel free to share, comment, follow; and don't forget to head over and follow my twitter @oxforddownsheep for 140 character snippets of whats happening with the sheep and everything else. 

Future Friday

A new feature that I'm introducing to my blog is 'Future Friday.' Every Friday I will post about a topic that affects the future generation of farmers, give you my opinion on it and discuss how we can change or support it.
I would really love some ideas of topics to get me started, and even your own opinion on the topic so I can feature you in the post. So please come up with some ideas and get in contact, either with just a topic you would like to see come up or with your opinion on the topic and what you think should happen about it.
I won't be doing one today so you have a week to get in as many ideas as possible, and I will choose one to start with next Friday.
Check out the contact me page or comment below to let me know your ideas, over to you!

Devon and Cornwall Longwool

Continuing my series on sheep breeds, the next breed is the Devon and Cornwall Longwool. They were once two different breeds, the South Devon and the Devon Longwool, but are now the one breed, which is fairly exclusive to the south west.
They are also currently a rare breed.
It is a large and hardy breed, normally used for specialist wool because of its distinctive long wool. They are also used for crossing with other breeds because they are a very fast growing breed, and usually lambs at around 150%.
They are all white and both sexes are polled sheep, they are a little shorter than some other breeds however they are also bulky, which means they produce much more fast growing lambs.
The ewes make extremely good mothers and are often crossed with terminal sires, commonly the Dorset Horn to produce excellent lambs at a high lambing rate.
They produce a lot of wool, often being sheared as lambs as well as older, and the wool has a staple length of around 20 cm. It is not of very high quality however is very good for carpets and rugs, hence why wool is one of the breeds main qualities.
What breed of sheep do you keep? Let me know in the comments below and I will cover them on this blog whenever possible. If you have anything else you would like to see on here please let me know in the comments.

If you haven't followed me on twitter its @oxforddownsheep and feel free to follow this blog as well so you can see every time I post.

East Friesian Sheep

My next sheep breed in the series is East Friesians. The East Friesian sheep is a docile breed and can adapt to their surroundings, however they do not adapt well to a hot climate.

They are primarily a milk sheep and are said to be the best breed of milk sheep in the world. The milk is creamy and rich and has double the vitamin and protein content of cow and goat milk.

East Friesians were developed in the Friesland area of Germany and Holland as was the Holstein cow. They are efficient lambers and good mothers, you can expect over 200% lambing from mature ewes.

They have been cross bred with meat sheep to create a dual purpose sheep as well as bred for milk ewes. They are a large framed but lean sheep, an average ewe weighing around 90kg.

They have a white wool and their head and legs are clear of wool. They have a long, thin tail that is free of wool.

As well as being considered the best milk sheep in the world they are also considered the most fertile breed in the world which is why they are popular for cross breeding, especially in the dairy industry.

Originally these sheep were kept in small groups for household milk. They are not very hardy an do not do well in large groups or in harsh weather conditions.

Feel free to comment and let me know about your experience with East Friesians or any questions about them that you have. Also let me know which sheep breeds to cover next!

Shetland Sheep

This is the next breed in my series of sheep breeds on this blog.
Shetland sheep are a prolific and hardy breed that are easy to handle with high quality wool and flavoursome meat. Shetlands originally came from the Northern Short-tailed group. You can realistically expect  a prolificacy of 160% when lambing Shetland ewes and they are easy lambers and excellent mothers.
They are a primitive breed and are popular as conservation grazers as well as with smallholders or small farms. This is because they are easily handled, produce sweet meat and have an attractive appearance.
Because they have adapted to the harsh conditions of Shetland they are exceptionally hardy and can do well on a low level of nutrition.
Shetland ewes are generally polled (with no horns) however there are a few exceptions where you find a ewe has developed small horns. Rams can be either horned or polled and generally grow spiralled horns set apart from the head. Shetlands have small ears and a wide gap between the eyes, which joined with a long and narrow facial profile gives this breed distinct features.
The Shetland sheep has a short tail with a triangular shape; broad at the base and forming a point at the end. They have a wollen covering over most of the tail but hair is grown at the tip.
Shetland wool is the best of all native breeds because of the patterns and colours in the wool. The wool is popular among crafters and spinners because of the quality and colours.
Shetland ewes will also produce a good butcher's lamb when crossed with a terminal sire.
Have you had any experience with shetland sheep? Let me know in the comments below and ask any questions you have as well.
Also let me know what sheep you have or are interested in and I will try and feature them next time.
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And last but not least hop over and give me a follow on twitter @oxforddownsheep.  Goodnight :)

Life on the Farm

My oxford downs are doing very well, the lambs are growing up nicely and will hopefully be ready to show this season. I will be putting them out into the field in the day time soon, and bringing them in at night for their food.
My collie, Nan, is also doing well. She enjoyed being out today with the sheep, shown in the picture below.

We also moved the Jacob ewes today, we have a few of them mob grazing our hay meadow at the top of our land. Today we moved the electric fence and put them onto the next fresh patch of grass. Our two oldest Jacob ewes managed to make a hasty escape whilst we were completing this task but thankfully they are very friendly and came back when we put some food out for them. Sadly I was too busy getting them in when they got out to take pictures but I did take some of them later on. 

Don't forget to comment and let me know what sheep breeds you want me to cover in my series, and also follow me on twitter @oxforddownsheep 

Jacob Sheep

My family's flock of sheep that I have helped with for a long time is Jacobs so I have a particular interest in this breed. 

The picture above is one I took of some of our Jacobs back in the summer and shows the attractive appearance of the Jacob which adds an interesting feature to many paddocks and fields. 

The breed also produces a good quality, soft fleece which appeals to spinners and crafters. The Jacob also boasts an attractive skin used for rugs as well as horns sought after to make crooks from. 

They are hardy sheep and attract few diseases, making it simple to overwinter them outside as we do every year. Jacobs are also known for having very few feet problems and health problems meaning that they breed for a very long time. In our flock alone we have a few that have been rearing lambs for over 7 years. 

We also late lamb, as is common with jacobs meaning that we have very high lambing percentages; 190% is a realistic aim for a lambing percentage with this breed. At lambing time, Jacobs are ideal for novices or part time farmers as they lamb very easily and normally independently.  Ours are lambed outside every year and normally they lamb by themselves and all we have to do is fetch them in. This is ideal for saving labour times on the farm. Jacob ewes are extremely good mothers and we have found that if monitored they can easily and succesfully produce sufficient milk to rear triplets. 

Jacob meat has exceptional flavour retained even in hogget carcasses and many customers prefer jacob lamb to other lamb. Customers are also prepared to pay a premium price for the good quality carcass. 

If you have any questions about the breed feel free to leave a comment,  also comment with any other interesting things about the breed and any experience you have of them.

If you're on twitter head on over and follow me @oxforddownsheep. 

Comment with the next breed you want me to cover and I will do my best :) 

Oxford Down Lambs

I will be carrying on with my sheep breed posts however first I need to tell you about how my oxford downs are getting on. I have always been interested in sheep and from a very young age have been helping out with the family flock of jacob ewes.  However, at the beginning of December last year I began a new business venture; I bought my own small flock of Oxford Down ewes. I bought two ewes both in lamb and fairly young.

Back in January both ewes gave birth to one ewe lamb each and I am extremely pleased with all of them. I hope to show the lambs this year and I will be putting the whole flock outside again soon. 

Please comment and let me know how lambing is going for you and what kind of sheep you have, or with any queries you have about my sheep. 

Watch this space for more interesting posts about  my sheep and other breeds of sheep; let me know which breeds of sheep you want me to cover on here as well :) 

Hebridean Sheep

This is the start of my new series on sheep breeds. I will be posting a new breed each time and discussing the characteristics and history of these breeds. Please comment with any questions you may have and share your own experience of the breed or anything related to them.
Lets begin with the Hebridean sheep. The Hebridean was nearly replaced in the UK by breeds like the blackface and became extremely rare but has recently become fairly popular and started to become widespread again.
It is thought that the Hebridean has descended from the multihorned Viking sheep and has retained the multihorned feature of the Viking breed.
The Hebridean is a primitive sheep breed and is lean and fineboned meaning they are an overall small sheep. Both ewes and rams are horned and it is common for them to have two horns, and less common, but not unknown for them to have four or six horns.
The Hebridean sheep are extremely hardy and are able to deal well with wet and cold conditions. They will eat most types of vegetation which makes them an increasingly popular choice for conservation grazing.
They produce good meat as young lambs but are more popular eaten as mutton as they produce a bigger carcase at a more mature age. The attractive black fleece is also a popular wool choice both commercially and among crafters.
Please ask any questions below and share your own experience or knowledge of the extremely interesting Hebridean sheep breed.
Keep watching my blog to find out about lots more sheep breeds. Also comment with any breeds you would like me to cover and I will do my best :)