Stubborn Breeds - Sheep

[shearerlad]

Right, I'm upping the anti here. Anyone ever worked with spaels in Norway?

I've shorn quite a few, will sit fine then suddenly there is an explosion of legs thrashing about. OMFG mental sheep

 

[Cab-over Pete]

Hampshire downs the most frustrating/stubborn sheep I've come across simply won't move maybe that much wool on head they can't see??

Our ewes are very little bother, but try moving our three rams and that's a different matter. One is a grumpy sod, se he walks off about 5 yards in the opposite direction to where you want him, the youngest one stands still and when you try and push him he just keeps turning in circles all the while.

The big lad, Geoff, is as daft as a brush. He just thinks you're his best friend so stands waiting for a hug. No joke, a hug. He will move, but not until he's had a bit of TLC. If you try and move him or turn him over you can wrestle all you like he ain't budging. He just looks at you as if to say "what are you doing?.....and where's my tickle?"

It's a two man job to turn Geoff over. It's only then that he will make some effort to move so it's a two man job to keep him turned over too. We have to blindfold him when the shearer comes. He weighs 147kg at last count. It took several minutes to get him in the scales and then he quite liked it in there so wouldn't come out. I was anticipating that so we did him last and left the gate open while we did a few more jobs for an hour or so. He still didn't walk out. We pushed and shoved and coaxed but he wasn't moving. We left for home and went back 2 hrs later. He had come out, but was lay about 5 ft from the scales.

He can move like lightning though when you turn him into some new ewes in august!

 

[liammogs]

Badger faced welsh ewes!! Little blighters!! They will test your fencing, run the oppasite way and take the rest with them!! Oh how much i hate them haha

 

[TL100]

After humping a good many around ever I can confirm Suffolk girls are the most awkward!!

 

[Pasty]

I'm guessing these "faults" are survival traits that have been selected for by the nature of where the breeds originated.

Some clever fellow suggested to me that what might seem strange and useless to us is the result of hundreds, possibly thousanbds, of years of selection both by Nature and Man. The fun part comes with trying to work out 'why' and what caused them. Obviously, 'being difficult' has value to the sheep, if not to the man who keeps them! I'm just not sure where the desire to die bit in every sheep comes from and what it's value is as a survival trait though.

True that. You can't push my Wilts into a corner like you can other sheep. They just won't have it. Maybe annoying but who can blame them?

 

[TALDLONKTUP2]

After humping a good many around ever I can confirm Suffolk girls are the most awkward!!

Try going over the border.....They say them Essex girls are much easier!.......Sorry! I really did try to resist, but in the end couldn't! My mother used to have Suffolk ewes and the yes the big grunting fckers were awkward.....But lonks!!! If you try moving them they just lie down, then as soon as you turn your back they're gone in the opposite direction........Apparently I remind folk of a Lonk ! .......Must be the horns!

 

[Al R]

Badger faced welsh ewes!! Little blighters!! They will test your fencing, run the oppasite way and take the rest with them!! Oh how much i hate them haha

Mother had 20 when I was small, they'd walk across the top of wooden gates (and the lambs) and off the other side :0 after a few years of every other day escaping we sent them to an island opposite us. 5 years later when they were brought back to the mainland to slaughter they escaped the holding field and were found 3 mile away on our yard

 

[It was already broken.]

About 15 years ago I had a few ewes (maybe 40) that I had collected from various people round and about, few welsh mountain type, few mules, few Norfolks, few southdown and a few Shropshires. I have to say the ones I was pleased to see the back of was the Shropshires as they seemed to be scheming all the time! Just as you were about to pull the hurdles together they would make a dash for it, turn them over and relax then they would kick out, always dodge through the electric. Always good mums and good lambs but sods to deal with.

 

[Y Fan Wen]

Black Welsh Mountain!

 

[woodfield]

I'm looking forward to seeing the back of our only Shropshire ewe. She's a flighty, bolshy PITA who leads the others astray. She'll be off to market with lambs at foot soon

 

[JohnGalway]

Blackface, dosing two flocks lately. Put flock into big pen, then put in batches of ten into smaller pen to dose. Well f**k me, tantrums a go-go. Twist around inside their own skin, use their head as a fulcrum. Drop down to the point of lying down and thrashing around. Put heads in under any other sheep until that animals back legs are entirely off the ground. There are times when I wished I had a gun instead of a dosing gun.

 

[Paul E]

I'm looking forward to seeing the back of our only Shropshire ewe. She's a flighty, bolshy PITA who leads the others astray. She'll be off to market with lambs at foot soon

Note to self:
Do not but a Shropshire ewe with lambs on.

 

[Paddington]

Sheep are only stubborn when you need to get them into some place to do something to them, usually involving a needle, drench gun or spray. We had one old ewe who would always come up to me,if penned and ask for a titbit, but the moment I pulled a syringe out of my pocket she would immediately panic and send the whole lot of them charging about and jumping hurdles. They can be more intelligent than most people think.

 

[Jameshenry]

Blackface, dosing two flocks lately. Put flock into big pen, then put in batches of ten into smaller pen to dose. Well fudge me, tantrums a go-go. Twist around inside their own skin, use their head as a fulcrum. Drop down to the point of lying down and thrashing around. Put heads in under any other sheep until that animals back legs are entirely off the ground. There are times when I wished I had a gun instead of a dosing gun.

I think most of us would agree with that last sentence !

 

[Bury the Trash]

I know all sheep are different and how they have been handled in the past counts for a lot.

But I have some exmoor horn here on keep at the moment and they are the most stubborn, awkward, wont be herded by a dog/quad/me, always want to head in the exact opposite direction I want them to sheep from hell I have ever met!!!

How do you lot up on the moor handle them!!! @exmoor tom @exmoor dave @itsintheblood

(Ok I dont think @exmoor dave has any but he is guilty by association just because he has Exmoor in his name!)

Your own sheep on your own place or regular keep taken will be used to going where you want them to so with that in mind- How good are your dogs? - same thing your flock will go where they are used to going not needing to take full respect of the dog.

and with less good dogs the Same sort of problem / juxtaposition is when you take them to work in an unfamiliar place/land (they are maybe not quite so good ) if you see what i mean.

 

[itsintheblood]

This has made me smile tonight , ....exmoor where the men are men , and the women are great full

I know all sheep are different and how they have been handled in the past counts for a lot.

But I have some exmoor horn here on keep at the moment and they are the most stubborn, awkward, wont be herded by a dog/quad/me, always want to head in the exact opposite direction I want them to sheep from hell I have ever met!!!

How do you lot up on the moor handle them!!! @exmoor tom @exmoor dave @itsintheblood

(Ok I dont think @exmoor dave has any but he is guilty by association just because he has Exmoor in his name!)

I tried to tell this to someone who suggested them on here a while back.
Don't suppose you've even tried to do anything with them in a race Jerry? Or SHEAR THEM!? Shearing exmoor ewe lambs is enough to put anyone off shearing. Horrible little sharp horns that dig in your leg. They do comb well but someone suggested to me opening the mouth and starting on the teeth as that's the only place with no wool.

Many people come to the shearing shed on this farm and either walk out a boy or a man ,when you can tally over 200 day after day you've got the "knack"

 

[Poorbuthappy]

This has made me smile tonight , ....exmoor where the men are men , and the women are great full



Many people come to the shearing shed on this farm and either walk out a boy or a man ,when you can tally over 200 day after day you've got the "knack"

I'm happy to be called a boy if I never have to shear another exmoor horn!

 

[NZDan]

Dorset Downs, true man haters, if you're trying to move them they won't budge, if you're in their way they'll go straight through you, at shearing they arch they backs and kick non stop.

 

[devonshire farmer]

I know all sheep are different and how they have been handled in the past counts for a lot.

But I have some exmoor horn here on keep at the moment and they are the most stubborn, awkward, wont be herded by a dog/quad/me, always want to head in the exact opposite direction I want them to sheep from hell I have ever met!!!

How do you lot up on the moor handle them!!! @exmoor tom @exmoor dave @itsintheblood

(Ok I dont think @exmoor dave has any but he is guilty by association just because he has Exmoor in his name!)

Reverse physiocology, drive em one way they go the other, sheep in general!

 

[devonshire farmer]

Second that!

And I'll third it!