SUFFOLK SHEEP
Pure Suffolk Ram Lambs For Sale NOW, July 2008
We are by no means experts on Suffolk Sheep but simply enjoy the Suffolks as a breed, it was with the help and advice of Jenny Grout and David Hampson that my interest was hooked on this fine, strong and very characterful breed. We usually have pure Suffolk ram lambs for sale every August so please call for details.
Suffolk sheep are purportedly the favourite of the commercial farmer to cross with their ewes for meat production. The Suffolk Sheep are by no means a breed to be snuffed at; they are big, strong, solid sturdy creatures.
We currently have 7 ewes and are relatively new to the game of keeping sheep. We were thrown in at the deep end when we first purchased our three beautiful Suffolk ewes in lamb, we were warned that Suffolks can have birthing problems, but as it was our first little flock and feeling confident nothing could possibly go untoward.
We were wrong, between waking up twice in the night to keep an eye on them and to make sure that they weren’t about to give birth unsupervised (but what could I possibly do being inexperienced). So in January 2005 we awoke to our first fatality a stillborn ram lamb but we couldn’t help but blame ourselves. Then in the early hours of a cold Sunday morning we witnessed an air sac and a lamb about to be born, but the poor girl was having difficulties, we new what to do and got to it straight away by inserting our arm and trying to feel for the little lamb, it was awkwardly positioned and wasn’t budging so we called the vet at 04:00 hrs they promptly turned up and after a lot of pushing and pulling it was not coming, the lamb (which was a ram) was dead and we were left with the decision do we put the ewe down or shall we opt for a caesarean to fight another day and yes you may have guessed it, as soft as we were we went for the softer option, much to our vets delight as they had never performed a caesarean on a sheep before. We’ll leave the vets bill to your imagination! So we had our third and final ewe to go and thank goodness she gave birth in the morning at 09:00 hrs the head was showing and our kindly neighbour who happened to arrive to feed their cows in our barn helped and pulled it off and it was a ewe lamb so a little happiness for January 2005 so we had all our experiences thrown in that year.
So in August 2005, the three girls, named Felicity, Penelope and Dorothy were put to the ram but Felicity’s daughter, Geraldine, was too young. So that year (January 2006) Penelope produced twins, one girl and one boy, Felicity produced a boy and Dorothy who had the caesarean was not in lamb so we fear she may be barren. We sold the two ram lambs at market and fetched a good price for them we kept the ewe lamb who we have named Florence.
So as I type this, we have a ram running with our 4 girls, I have been told by Jenny that although Dotty did not produce a lamb that year she may next year so watch this space and Geraldine will produce her first lamb which I fear will be rather large.
A Little Background On The Breed
Suffolk sheep, a relatively large breed, developed in England, well known for its high quality meat. The Suffolk Sheep has many desirable qualities and is becoming widely accepted there. Suffolks have bare heads, black faces, and bare black legs but no horns. They breed aggressively and have upstanding carriage, an active nature, the capacity for rapid growth, and a good mutton build; they are, however, relatively light fleece producers. Suffolk rams are widely used with ewes of other breeds to produce crossbred lambs for slaughter.
The original Suffolks were the result of crossing Southdown rams on Norfolk Horned ewes. Apparently the product of this cross was a great improvement over either one of the parents. Although the Suffolk was a recognized breed as early as 1810, the flock book was not closed until much later.
In 1930, Southdowns were described as large sheep without horns, dark faces and legs, fine bones and long small necks. They were low set in front with high shoulders and light forequarters; however, their sides were good, rather broad in the loin, and were full in the thigh and twist. Today's Suffolk derives its meatiness and quality of wool from the old original British Southdown.
The Norfolk Horned sheep, now rare, were a wild and hardy breed. They were blackfaced, light, fleeced sheep. Both sexes were horned. The upland regions of Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridge on the southeastern coast of England are very rugged and forage is sparse. It was this dry, cold and windy area in which the Norfolk breed adapted itself to travelling great distances for food, thereby developing a superbly muscular body.
It was said at that time of the Norfolk Horned, "their limbs are long and muscular, their bodies are long and their general form betokens activity and strength." This breed and its crosses were valued highly both by farmers and butchers. However, shepherds of that day did not like the long legs, flat sides, nor wild nature of the Norfolk Horned. They noted that Southdowns crossed with Norfolk produced a progeny that reduced most of the criticisms of both breeds.
In 1886, the English Suffolk Society was organized to provide registry service and to further develop the use of the breed. Through selection and careful breeding by many great English shepherds, the Suffolks brought to this country retained the qualities for which they were originally mated.