“It is the duty of a good shepherd to shear his sheep, not to skin them”.
By Tiberius
Keeping sheep may seem odd because some people claim that some sheep breeds are smelly. Well, despite that those rumors may be true, most of the sheep do not smell. A good example is the Southdown sheep.
Others would love to keep them, but they claim that they don’t have enough space in their farms. Do they really need ample space? You will get the answer as you read on,
This sheep is beautiful and calm. If you have ever come across its lamb, you can bear me witness that you can just say ‘wow’ to its beauty. Another advantage of them is that they are easy to keep.
In the US, this rare sheep is highly ranked. Actually, it ranges in number 6 among the thousands of types of sheep breeds. With this, you can be sure that it is a great breed.
This article will learn its origin, characteristics, personality, and how to care for it. Does this sound good to you? Then keep reading.
History Of The Southdown Sheep
Southdown sheep, also known as Ovis aries, is the oldest domestic breed in Britain. It originated from the Southdown region of Sussex, England, in the early 1800s. This sheep is the smallest of all the British sheep breeds. It was initially bred by John Ellman.
This medium-wool, hornless, and dark-faced sheep have been held responsible for producing other sheep breeds like the Shropshire, oxford, and Hampshire. Because of its popularity was distributed to many other countries like New Zealand, France, Australia, and the US.
Appearance, Temperament, And Purpose Of The Southdown Sheep
Appearance Of The Southdown Sheep
Southdown sheep are beautiful and have dense, fine wool covering the whole body apart from the eyes and the nose area. Its teddy bear-like body is broad, deep, compact, and refined. Their wool is dense and is 1.5-2.5 inches in length, and weighs 2-5 pounds.
It has a gray or light-brown face that is adorable, especially for the little lambs. They have medium-sized eyes and ears that are slightly covered with wool. Both rams and ewes have no horns.
A mature ram weighs 85-105kg, while a ewe weighs 55-80kg. They grow to about 18-24 inches long. No doubt that lifespan is not something we can plan. But, when you take good care of it, it can live for 10-14 years.
Southdown Sheep Temperament
There are records of aggressive sheep that harmed people. This reason made many people fear keeping goats. When you look at the furry face of the Southdown sheep, you can fear it a bit. But, unlike other goat breeds, this is calm and docile. Despite that they are small in size, they are easy to handle. Some parents love to go with their kids to the farm. The sheep will not harm them.
Initially, sheep feed primarily on grass. So, they survive well in areas with mild weather and fertile soil that produces good and sufficient grass for them to feed on.
Purpose Of The Southdown Sheep
Traditionally, sheep were reared for meat, wool, and soil fertility improvement. They have good quality meat that is loved by people in the US.
Their white fleece wool is dense and of medium grade. It is used for making fine to medium quality fiber that produces items like clothes or knitted garments. Therefore, if you want to keep this sheep, know that you will never lack its market.
Another purpose of keeping these sheep is milk. Apart from human consumption, this milk is well known for its medicinal purpose. For instance, in my case, my daughter had low calcium when she was young. I was advised to give her this milk because it is very rich in calcium. To be honest, it really helped her. It is also a bit expensive than cow milk.
How To Care For Southdown Sheep
We have all witnessed that many sheep keepers graze them on a large farm during the day. Then during the night, they would be moved to one enclosed area. When they finish the grass in that area, the farmers will move them to another piece of land. Their poop is well known for its fertility. So it will boost soil fertility.
Even if that’s the best method to keep them, there are other things you need to know on how to handle them. For example, you need to feed them on special supplements that will boost
their immunity and help in growth development. Let’s go deeper into this.
Feed Them Well
The staple food for sheep is grass, either fresh green grass or dry grass. You should also provide it with high-quality hay. Besides that, you should feed them on supplements and other nutrition commercial feeds made explicitly for sheep. But, never feed them on supplements that have excess copper.
In addition, you should give your sheep enough grains and silage. Also, include sheep salt minerals and fresh water in a clean water can.
Housing
Sheep need a larger space for grazing. For instance, 10 sheep can live in an acre piece of land. Traditionally, they used to live under the trees or in an open area that is fenced. But that is not common nowadays. With the high technology, people build decent houses for their sheep. This is an excellent way of protecting them from excess cold and predators.
There are two things to consider when setting up their house. Are you keeping them in an enclosed area all the time, or will they only be sleeping in the house and eat from the fields during the day?
Sheep need a spacious house they can move around easily. Their floor should be easy to clean and have good drainage for urine. There should also be good ventilation. In most cases, the houses are made of wood.
2 Tips Of Maintaining A Southdown Sheep
Trim And Shear Them
These sheep are woolly the whole body. So as time goes by, the wool grows and makes them look shaggy. So even covers their eyes, thus blocking their vision. Therefore, to avoid this, you should be trimming the wool at least 3 times a year.
Also, remember we said earlier that these sheep are kept for wool. You should shear them once a year to get a good volume of wool. By sharing, you will allow the regrowth of wool and help them cool down during the warm months.
You will also prevent the parasitic infections that affect your sheep when there is excess urine and manure on the wool. So, you will keep it clean. During the trimming time, you can either choose to do it by yourself or hire a professional shearer to do the job for you.
Deworm And Vaccinate Them
Like other animals, sheep are affected by worms like the liver fluke. An affected sheep becomes weak and loses appetite. Therefore, you should be deworming them thrice a year. Another important thing is that you should be vaccinating your sheep appropriately. The mature ones can be vaccinated once a year. Consult your vet beforehand to be enlightened on what to do.
Parting Shot
Do you now believe that it is straightforward to care for the Southdown sheep?
Apart from that, these sheep will beautify your farm and help you earn an extra income. To achieve this; you need to have sufficient grass and hay for them. They are said to eat a lot. When you vaccinate them at the right time, you won’t encounter any problems because they are resistant to diseases.
With the above guide, you can become a great Southdown sheep keeper even if you are a beginner.
