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Buying Portland sheep 'Buy the best stock you can get and then try to improve it' |
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Like buying puppies or kittens, it is so easy to fall in love with the first Portlands you see. While there are never hundreds of sheep to choose from, there is still a choice, particularly if you are prepared travel a little distance. If you buy the wrong stock you will always be disappointed in the results. All flocks need to replace some stock every year as sheep get too old breed or have other problems. Breeders tend to keep the very best lambs or shearlings as replacements for their own flock and then sell whatever is left. When you have stock you will do the same. You would be foolish to do otherwise! Buy the best you can get and then look to improve it. People often ring us and say 'I'm looking for some Portlands, just a small flock perhaps 10 or 12 and a ram but they have to be really good quality'. Unfortunately it is not that easy! While not as rare as some breeders like to make people think, very few Portland flock owners would be able to supply that number of good quality sheep. Most flocks are small, perhaps 20 to 30 at most, although a few number 50 plus. Even 10 good animals represents a substantial number for the average flock owner. While you might be able to pick up that number from one source, you would be extremely lucky if all were of good quality and very lucky indeed if a quality ram could also be supplied. When we started nearly twenty years ago we had little choice but to buy some good animals and some not so good and even then only in twos and threes from all over the country. By very careful breeding and ruthlessly weeding out anything that did not meet the standards we required, we improved the stock to the level we wanted but it took over 10 years. Even now we are working on improving the quality. Today it is easier as there is more stock around, but whatever anyone tells you, creating an instant show quality flock is very hard indeed. People simply do not sell their best stock. Why should they? It has taken them years to get where they are with their breeding and they are not going to sell it all. Rams are even more of a problem. Good rams are rare and will not be cheap. Buy good ewes and a poor ram and you are wasting your money. If necessary buy your ewes and then wait for the right ram if you are really serious about breeding quality Portlands. Don't rush, take your time perhaps ask to look at a few flocks with nothing to sell just to get your eye in on what to look for. Better to travel some distance to get the right stock than buy some indifferent animals who will give you problems for years to come just because they are nearby. We are very happy to let people look at our stock when we have nothing to sell. In fact we actively encourage it. Most Portland owners will do the same. What to look for in a few words: Condition. Temperment. Horns. Breed points If you are a novice consider the above in particular. Condition - Portlands are not a large sheep but neither are they small. If the animal is small or appears stunted. Why? Is the rest of the flock like it? or is the owner just selling off their poorest stock? Always look at the rest of the flock. Temperment - Portlands are not a flightly sheep. If you are a novice make sure you are able to get near the animals. Iif you can't you will have serious problems. Horns - It is vital in a Portland that the horns are clear of the head in an adult animal. Some have horns that touch or are very near the face. If you buy these you are wasting your money. Eventually you will have to cut the horn off and it will nearly always pass this fault on to its offspring. Breed points - Look at these after you have satisfied yourself about the three previous points. Answers to some common questions about the breed can be found below.
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