SOUTH WEST REGION
Regional Contact Member – Richard Fenwick
What a great time of year. All the anticipation and hopes for the year, as well as a few disappointments, come to fruition as our flock present Class of ‘25.
A ewe and lambs at Chris Slee’s Halsbury flock in Devon
A new section is being introduced to the South West report in the Journal – “A South West Diary,” giving us an insight into the workings of a cross section of our south west members. This edition’s inaugural contribution comes from Steph Jasper (previously Cornelius) and her Treven flock. Do get in touch if you would like to share a few words about your experiences, interests or general ovine musings.
As a result of a few conversations within the region, I thought it would be interesting to collate some lamb gender numbers from a few flocks, highlighting the enormous variation. There appears to be no seasonal pattern and huge variation, but it does leave one wondering what factors could result in the very thought provoking 107:11 ratio.
Ram lambs | Ewe lambs |
107 | 11 |
7 | 14 |
24 | 10 |
5 | 12 |
13 | 13 |
31 | 16 |
Lambing at Chris Fisher’s Sparnham flock
A number of members have started shearing their better sheep ready for the South West shows. Please keep supporting the shows, especially those still with Jacob classes. It’s the only way we will keep these classes open. If you haven’t taken sheep to a show before, it’s a very enjoyable, social occasion and if you are unsure about the preparation and process please get in touch. There are lots of members who would be very happy to give you advice.
A South West Diary
by Steph Jasper
Here at the Treven flock, we cut back on stock numbers a while back – which meant early lambing for us in 2025 consisted of a smaller number than usual. We’ve successfully used CIDRs for a number of years and this year proved no different – our ewes all lambed within a week and with great outcomes. Mainly doubles, two singles, one triplet and one quad. With a 60/40 spilt of ewe lambs and ram lambs. As I’m sure you’d all agree, one of the best qualities a Jacob holds is their natural ability to ‘”just get on with it” – again, proven with us here when all but one lambed by themselves with no intervention needed.
Young handlers at Steph Jasper’s Treven flock in Cornwall
I’ve always loved how Jacob lambs get up on their feet quickly, and ewes are always attentive, maternal, and milky, a quality that I feel is sometimes lacking in other breeds. With our first batch lambed and attended to, it will soon be time to turn our attention to our next batch, all of which are pure Jacob ewes crossed with a Dutch spotted ram. For us, in the last 2 or 3 years, this has proven a successful cross. We like the Jacob ewe – milky, motherly and easy to keep, crossed with a Dutch spotted ram that’s meaty and stocky. The lambs that they’ve produced have proven to be just so –
Jacob looks (that people still find attractive) and a meaty carcass, resulting in a better finishing lamb and as a bonus they come back with no horns – which proves perfect for our children who are very keen on showing, but not so keen on the horns resulting in the perfect young handlers sheep.
As always, we’ve enjoyed our lambing so far, and now look forward to the next batch of cross lambs and then very soon we’ll be looking back to the pure batch to make a selection for the upcoming shows. Devon County, in the middle of May, isn’t as far away as it once seemed. Happy lambing one and all.
Lambs at the Treven flock in Cornwall