Week Three

Dear All

Well this is my 3rd week of blogging. Last week I told you about the Suffolk Sheep Society so this week I am going to tell you about Showing Sheep. But first let me tell you about my sheep. They are looking well at the moment so we are going to cut down feeding from three days a week to two days. It will be a week or two until the Gimmers get the grass well eaten and we can move them on to the Camp Fire Field. It is important that we do not get the Gimmers too fat, so I will keep an eye on them.


These are my gimmers eating



Here are a few tips about showing Sheep, (I hope next year I might have one good enough to show):

1. Always wear a clean white Coat to go into the ring.
2. Make sure the sheep are halter trained
3. Make sure the sheep are presented well for the classes. They need to be: 

• Washed (Dipped)
• Trimmed when needed

Next week I will tell you what to look out for in a good Suffolk Sheep.

Thank you for reading

Jack

Week Two

Thank you for coming and reading my second blog!!

This week has been a good week.  We have bought some ewe nuts - and I am introducing feeding them every two days - so we can get the gimmers in easier and to get them eating food other than grass. My dad bought me some old wood and I have made a gate so I can get to the gimmers eaiser instead of turning the electric fence on and off. This weekend I am going to make some more gates out of the panels in the field. I have divided the field into two and they are called Long View and Camp Fire.

I thought I would tell you a bit about the Suffolk Sheep Society history:

• The Suffolk began by mating two different breeds: A Norfolk Horn ewe with a Southdown ram. They first did this in the Bury St Edmunds area, these sheep were know as Southdown Norfolks, or locally, as "Black faces."
• The first classes to exhibit Suffolk Sheep were at the Suffolk Show in 1859.
•  The first flock book was published in 1887. This had 46 flocks ranging in size from 50 to 1,100 ewes and averaging 314 ewes. All 46 flocks were in East Anglia and 34 were in Suffolk itself.
•  The oldest flock was E.P. & H. Frost of West Wratting, established in 1810
• The breed expanded rapidly, with the first flock in Ireland established in 1891, in 1895 in Scotland and 1901 in Wales.
• From the earliest days sheep were exported around the world, to Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, North and South America and the colonies.
•  Lambing was in February or March, outdoors in the fields with a hurdle shelter or in open yards surrounded by hurdles and straw.

Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you will read again next week.

Jack

My First Blog Entry

16.05.11

 

Dear All,

This is my first entry to the blog and I hope there will be many more. I am a 13 year old boy who has just started my very own flock. People have been telling me that I should give it a try, so here I go!

Let me tell you a bit of history about my family. My granddad has one of the oldest Suffolk sheep flocks in England and I will be able to ask him for some advice even though he lives a long way away. I lived in Northumberland for most of my life and moved to Worcestershire 3 years ago as my dad changed jobs. My dad once trained as a Farm manger and then turned into a Professional Rugby player and now is a rugby coach.

It all started about a year and half ago when I met a lady in the village who was my mum’s friend. She offered me 2.7 acres of land, she knew I wanted to be a shepherd and have my own sheep.

I have bought 4 Suffolk gimmers this week. I was so excited when I got them on Saturday and I am checking them on the way to school every day.

My plans for the future include:

·         Breeding ewe lambs so I have a bigger flock.

·         Produce my own meat to sell and to eat.

·         Finally the main thing is to have fun.

If you have enjoyed my first blog I hope you will check my blog again next week!!

From

Jack

Gimmers = A one year old sheep.