Sheep Breeds for Lifestyle Blocks

One of the most interesting recent developments has been the importation of sheep breeds that are self-shedding. Such sheep have a rudimentary fleece which they shed every spring. Because they dont need shearing, self-shedding sheep breeds are truly an easy-care sheep. They have bare face, legs, belly, crutch and under-side to the tail. The lack of any fleece means that they dont get snagged in blackberries or gorse.

• A particular bonus for lifestyle block owners is that these breeds dont need dagging  a chore not enjoyed by anyone.
• Their other very valuable attribute, especially here in New Zealand, is that they are not prone to fly strike.

The main self-shedding breeds are:

Dorpers - purebred Dorpers do not need shearing, as they have a light covering of hair and wool which sheds naturally. Some Dorpers may require light shearing as some animals shed much better than others. The growth of the wool depends on seasonal conditions. When the weather gets colder, the wool grows to cover the vital organs but leaves the head, throat, legs, underbelly, genitals and backside free of wool. As the days warm up, the Dorper will respond by shedding its fleece leaving it with a covering of only short hair over the heat of summer. As the Dorper has no wool around its breech it is not prone to fly strike, nor does it need to be crutched. The Dorper is primarily a meat sheep, and produces fine-grained, tender meat that is light- coloured with a lean, even fat covering. Dorpers are very hardy, non-selective grazers meaning they will achieve maximum growth from little feed. The lambs graze at an early age so they grow rapidly and can attain a live weight of 36kg by the age of 3-4 months. Dorpers are very good mothers with calm dispositions making them easy to handle.

Wiltshire - the Wiltshire Horn is an attractive and active breed in which both sexes have horns. It is a self-shedding breed, with a basic fleece which it sheds every spring. It is a very ancient breed which was developed in the rough hill country of middle England to be able to range widely to forage without any shepherd supervision. Thus they are a very hardy, intelligent and self-sufficient breed. The breed has a natural high fertility, twins being the norm, and the mothers are very protective of their lively and precocious offspring, and will defend them against dogs. Lambing problems are very rare as they are born small with long legs, and soon grow quickly to produce lean and fine-textured, sweet meat. The rams are sought after for terminal sires for meat lambs as they give exceptional hybrid vigour for large and well graded lambs. With its many unique attributes it is an ideal breed for small farmers who dont want all the usual hassles involved with keeping sheep.

Pitt Island - a breed that originated as a Merino but changed dramatically over many years of isolation on the remote islands south east of New Zealand. This has seen them develop self-shedding tendencies contrary to their original Merino traits.

Martin Albrecht, goodGround’s lifestyle block expert has his own flock of Pitt Island sheep, and says “The texture and flavour of Pitt Island meat is the best I have ever tasted!”.

Ryeland this is a small to medium size sheep that is ideal for small block farmers who want a true all-purpose type of sheep; not too big to handle safely, but also docile, fertile, thrifty, and capable of providing fine wool for hand-spinning and high quality meat. The Ryeland fills this role admirably, while still having the necessary attributes of a good terminal sire suited to producing an excellent type of lamb with a long carcass and ideal muscling, particularly over the loins. Ryelands also have the ability to withstand severe grazing conditions, surviving droughts in good condition and able to tolerate higher stocking rates. These attributes mean they are very suitable for lifestyle blocks.

Ryeland ewes are good breeders and have great maternal instinct. If you enjoy having sheep that come when you call, you should treat your Ryeland sheep to a handful of sheep nuts every now and again.