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Tavascarow

The new girls (& their babies).

Not to be outdone by Bodger & his new pigs, just taken charge of four Jacob ewes & eight lambs.
One lot of texel x triplets & the rest clean Jacobs. (Two lots of twins & a single).



Cathryn

Ahh, they are bonnie. We have Jacobs and crosses. Born black with stars on their heads.
gil

Very nice.
I have sheep envy.
madcat

Sheep envy here too
madcat

Are the three black ones the Texel X ones ?
Bodger

Whisper this very carefully, don't tell Karen but I've been thinking about sheep again. Embarassed I know that they are extremely small but they don't need shearing, I've been reading up on Soay's. A man can simply have too much pork.
Cathryn

I'm not not allowed Soay and I bet you know all the reasons why Bodger. Smile
madcat

I would love sheep but not in the middle of the city.
Tavascarow

Ahh, they are bonnie. We have Jacobs and crosses. Born black with stars on their heads.
These are all black with a little white on the throat & head. The Texel crosses & the Jacob whethers are all destined for the freezer but there are two Jacob ewe lambs that I'd like to keep.
Probably put the lot including the two Welsh blacks, (orphan lambs last year) back to a Texel or Suffolk this autumn then next year if all goes well find a good Jacob ram to increase the flock.
My first sheep where four full mouthed Jacobs some thirty odd years ago & I really feel I've come home, even though I've not gone anywhere. Smile
Tavascarow

Whisper this very carefully, don't tell Karen but I've been thinking about sheep again. Embarassed I know that they are extremely small but they don't need shearing, I've been reading up on Soay's. A man can simply have too much pork.
Sure I heard somewhere that Soay lamb was the Queen Mothers favourite. Mutton

Whisper this very carefully, don't tell Karen but I've been thinking about sheep again. Embarassed I know that they are extremely small but they don't need shearing, I've been reading up on Soay's. A man can simply have too much pork.

You can slaughter from 18 months, but best left to 2.5 years - full height and filled out. It is then mutton and if you hang for over a week, it cooks fine. (Less than that can be tough.) Flavour varies a lot depending on which part of the carcase. Has more similarity to beef than the lamb chops you buy in the shop. Also low fat.

As to shedding - sometimes. Depends on the sheep and the year. Some sheep reliably shed every year, others don't. We sometimes take sewing shears to some of ours if the weather is hot.
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