We are looking to rear some rare breed sheep, but not sure which breed. We have about 2 acres and would love some friendly and manageable rare sheep - any ideas? Backyardfarmer.co.uk is a family run farming and poultry business based in Merseyside. For over 40 years we have been rearing poultry livestock, growing crops, managing woodland and creating compost. Whether you like to grow a few vegetables in your small city garden or have a smallholding with goats, sheep and chickens, our aim is not only to supply you with products but to offer a service and information that will help your outdoor endeavours thrive. You can watch our own little brood on our live chicken cam, http://backyardfarmer.co.uk

Oh dear, another ADVERT ! Grrrrr

live chicken cam, lol now i have heard it all

 I went on a lambing day with our vets the other day, i was warned it was going to be for small holders but went anyway thinking I may learn something. Well what a good sales pitch for the vets, they brought everything you could possible thing of that could be used on a sheep, every type of mineral supplement and all sorts of lambing tools, to do everything.

I dont quite understand some of these small holders, instead of getting some rare breed sheep, which will produce poorer lambs and wool, why not get a commercial breed and they would almost be able to break even on some of there costs?? 

Smallholder near us has about 5 sheep. He gives the shearer £50. Not a bad for an hours work. He then calls the vet out for every treatment or problem ( the vet goes out as he has no means of taking the sheep to the vet ). Financially it's a complete non starter !

If you ask me if you need to Ask Henry ask yourself WHY!!!!!!!!!!!

 Henry, I suggest you would have received kinder responses from the other forum you recently joined - although the number of responses to that magazine's forum is minute compared to the number of views.

Having said that, the knowledge of the people on this forum is far, far beyond what you will find anywhere else on the Internet. They are also the nicest bunch of people you could ever hope to come across. BUT, you made the fatal mistake of trying to "pull the wool over their eyes" (excuse pun) by pretending it was a genuine question, when it was a poorly disguised advert. As you have discovered - they are not so easily misled.

This is not really the place to discuss rare breeds - it is the webpage of the Farmers' Weekly after all, but if you do have a genuine question then they will go to great lengths to help you. 

 Of course some of us on small acreages and small stock numbers are not necessarily "newbies" either. Some of us are winding down, others only part-time - but with a lot of experience, and others are not yet ready to take the plunge into full-time farming because of family commitments.

I suggest that two acres is insufficient to keep a flock of sheep. And I have farmed on just a little over two acres once upon a time. If you really want to keep sheep, then buy a few store lambs in the Autumn, and either eat them when ready, or sell them to people you know.