Who farms sheep in.....

[Liiz]

......a limestone area, most of the year on the hill and lambing Indoors, please?

What kinds of sheep to you have?

(writer. Not a farmer. Hope this is okay!)

 

[TripleSix]

Mainly Lleyns, couple of Cheviots, few Swales, Few Herdwicks.

 

[ShooTa]

lleyns but outdoor lambing

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

Perfect conditions for Romneys but also only lamb outside.

 

[ShooTa]

oooh i want a romney tup.

 

[Liiz]

Ok.... my fictional sheep live on a limestone hillside in the peak district, England most of the year, live in a flock of around 1000. Some are going to get rhabdomyolysis; there's a big scary animal around.

Those of you who've told me about a breed; does this fit? please could I trouble you to tell me the distinct things I should know about that breed and their daily lives? What people say about them? (E.g. if you say, I've got Swaledsles..... someone rolls out a typical reply, which is.....?)

I'm struggling to make them authentic.... little details are great, especially as relates to them lambing (please no having me on. I will try to verify everything a different way).

Have worked with a mixture of mules before, so I know a bit about life on sheep farms, but personal things about these specific sheep I'm struggling with.

Thank you for responses so far and any extra tid bits you can send me!

 

[yellowbelly]

Some are going to get rhabdomyolysis; there's a big scary animal around.

Jeeeeez, there's enough things the bu66ers die of on a regular basis without needing to throw those into the equation

 

[Bury the Trash]

Ok.... my fictional sheep live on a limestone hillside in the peak district, England most of the year, live in a flock of around 1000. Some are going to get rhabdomyolysis; there's a big scary animal around.

Those of you who've told me about a breed; does this fit? please could I trouble you to tell me the distinct things I should know about that breed and their daily lives? What people say about them? (E.g. if you say, I've got Swaledsles..... someone rolls out a typical reply, which is.....?)

I'm struggling to make them authentic.... little details are great, especially as relates to them lambing (please no having me on. I will try to verify everything a different way).

Have worked with a mixture of mules before, so I know a bit about life on sheep farms, but personal things about these specific sheep I'm struggling with.

Thank you for responses so far and any extra tid bits you can send me!

so well to be and actually most likely to be mules, a popular and productive ewe.

,,

apart from the odd mineral foible or 2 limestones a good base for sheep, long asits well drained and not shallow over clay thats not so good...

lambing will be in March and April and in a nice airy shed. with gypsum a s afloor base not concrete,, .....

 

[Bury the Trash]

Jeeeeez, there's enough things the bu66ers die of on a regular basis without needing to throw those into the equation

im gonna have to google that one, is it like hemorrhoids ...

 

[yellowbelly]

im gonna have to google that one, is it like hemorrhoids

No, no, nooo
I had to Google it. Didn't know how to pronounce it, let alone ever heard of it.

I'm going to have sleepless nights now, thinking I'm going to find it every time I go shepherding.

 

[Liiz]

I've seen rhabdo but it's not all that commonly diagnosed. Think they mostly worry about it if the sheep have been run.... and run...... e.g. by dogs. So dont have nightmares. You already knew dogs chasing sheep was silly

 

[Liiz]

Forgive my ignorance then, but what are most mules? Do farmers just say they've got mules, are are they like dog owners would be.... 'well mine are Swaledsles crossed with a (dunno.... what?) On the father's side......'

Or do you just go: 'we're lambing 200 mules,' or 'we put our blackface mules to a Suffolk tip.....'

 

[Liiz]

THANKYOU for awesome and lively responses everyone keep it coming....

 

[Liiz]

Thank you:0) they definitely to to lamb inside, I need the barn

Forgive my ignorance then, but what are most mules? Do farmers just say they've got mules, are are they like dog owners would be.... 'well mine are Swaledsles crossed with a (dunno.... what?) On the father's side......'

Or do you just go: 'we're lambing 200 mules,' or 'we put our blackface mules to a Suffolk tup.....'

 

[TripleSix]

Forgive my ignorance then, but what are most mules? Do farmers just say they've got mules, are are they like dog owners would be.... 'well mine are Swaledsles crossed with a (dunno.... what?) On the father's side......'

Or do you just go: 'we're lambing 200 mules,' or 'we put our blackface mules to a Suffolk tip.....'

The North Country mule is produced by putting a Blue Face Leicester tup over a Swaledale ewe

This unholy union creates a hardy ewe that is milky and a good mother and a half decent shape from the BFL that is soft as shite and the swale which has a small bag, small frame and a coarse fleece.

 

[egbert]

Forgive my ignorance then, but what are most mules? Do farmers just say they've got mules, are are they like dog owners would be.... 'well mine are Swaledsles crossed with a (dunno.... what?) On the father's side......'

Or do you just go: 'we're lambing 200 mules,' or 'we put our blackface mules to a Suffolk tip.....'

Mules are specifically -in this instance- a first cross females out of a hill ewe, by a Blueface Leicester ram.
A simple system feeding F1 hybrids, out of thrifty self reliant hill ewes into higher production lowland systems.

The trade is -arguably- dominated by 'north of England mules', which are out of Swales (as yours probably ought be).
(More likely to be lambed inside)
There are Scotch mules out of Scotch Blackface ewe, Cheviot mules, welsh mules, etc etc

A farmer might talk about the mules he farms/buys/rears, but quantify, at need, what specific type they are.

 

[spin cycle]

I've seen rhabdo but it's not all that commonly diagnosed. Think they mostly worry about it if the sheep have been run.... and run...... e.g. by dogs. So dont have nightmares. You already knew dogs chasing sheep was silly

if you're 'beastie' just runs the sheep til they get rhapdo' it's not really that scary....a coupla llamas would see it off and it'd be easy meat for night vision rifle boys......OOOOH it might work if your 'beastie' was supernatural.....OR turn it into a comedy where someone is filling the water troughs with vodka and viagra and the sheep are shagging themselves into a rhapdo' state



up well!

[/QUOTE]

credit @muleman

 

[delilah]

it might work if your 'beastie' was supernatural

you just want it to be Black Shuck don't you

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Jeeeeez, there's enough things the bu66ers die of on a regular basis without needing to throw those into the equation

Isn't that what Hugh Laurie had in the show House?

 

[spin cycle]

you just want it to be Black Shuck don't you

ooh that'd work