Hi all,

We're based in Hampshire with 4 acres of grass.

We started with a badger-faced Welsh ram & ewe and then acquired
another ewe. Then added 2 North Devon heifers. And then decided we'd
have a couple of Old Spots weaners for the summertimes.

So far the ewes have been great, with sometimes 5 lambs, sometimes 3
and usually 4. The older heifer went to a bull last year but the calf
was too big, couldn't get her out and finally went for a caesarean
but the calf was dead. A sad day indeed. This year we've put both
heifers to Angus semen AI... which so far has gone well and we're
waiting to see if the 2nd one comes bulling in the next few days...
Fingers crossed. Apparently the Angus are easy calving???

Pigs have been enormous fun and just love them from day 1. But...by
the time they get to 6 months they are getting pushy and I just love
loading them up and taking them to the abattoir...! Collecting the
carcases in the car isn't so welcome but it is again great fun
getting them home to butcher them and making sausages etc. Not made
an attempt at a Parma ham equiv - has anyone else? Sounds easy but
I'll bet it isn't. (And talking of dried meat - I had some in
Brittany recently, that tasted delicious and I could have sworn was
like Parma ham and it turned out to be beef, from their Pie noir
breed of black and white cow...!)

But, there is a question coming... back to the sheep. The b-f welsh
are nice looking beasts but *beastly* when it comes to trying round
them up. The other ewe, whose ancestry is sheep, is delightful. All 3
are rising 7. What I can't work out is whether to keep some of the
offspring and get a new ram and dispose of the ewes as and when they
get past it... or keep the ram, whose beastliness makes him a
brilliant flock defender who keeps foxes away from the lambs, and buy
in two new ewes.

Any ideas? Experience of similar conundrums?

Regards
Peter