The Breed Of Hardy Shetland Sheep, Its Wool, Diet And The Range Of Meals We Can Have
Natural Shetland sheep are classed as a primitive breed, small in size, and very hardy. They can thrive on low levels of nutrition. They have to be hardy because of Shetland’s severe weather conditions.
Shetland sheep come in a variety of colours, some of which are: white, black, moorit, and catmuggit. The coloured ones results in gorgeous fleeces, which can prettify your floor or chairs.
The wool is particularly fine, very soft and classed as the greatest wool amongst all the British breeds. Shetland is famed for the garments produced from its hardy Shetland sheep.
Shetland sheep graze on the hills, which is chiefly rough grazing. During the winter months, they are given further[/spin} feeding, from feed lick buckets, nuts and home grown silage.
The rams are [spin]normally put out around the end of November, or beginning of December, subsequently lambing in Shetland tends to be a bit later than other parts of the UK, to ensure (or hope) the weather is warmer around April and May.
Shetland sheep normally are best left wholly alone when lambing. The shepherd will keep a watchful eye throughout, but the sheep do best left to their natural environment. Problems will be more likely of happening if there are continuous disturbances.
The Shetland lamb is small, with a dead weight average of approximately eight to ten kilos. Shetland lamb and mutton have a mouth watering, sweet taste, which is much better than a bigger cross animal’s meat which has a strong taste/flavour. The leg of lamb is the most popular of meals, roasted slowly and thoroughly – no meal is better. The chops are gently boiled, with vegetables added. This provides a healthy, and warming stew, eaten along with boiled potatoes.
Traditionally, a ewe was slaughtered, with the meat being cut up and put into coarse salt for the three weeks. It is then taken out of the salt, and hung up to dry. This is ‘reestit mutton’. It has an acquired taste, and makes an brilliant pot of potato soup. This way of preserving the meat, ensured a constant supply of mutton, at an age when there were no freezers. The ‘reestit mutton’ is as popular today.
None of the parts from the animal were wasted. The sheep’s head, brain and tongue were all cooked. The large stomach part was put into bicarbonate of soda, then thoroughly cleaned and used to make a pudding. The pudding mix was similar to a Christmas cake, and the pudding was, and still is, locally known as ‘curnie puddin’. The stomach was filled with mix and then sowed up to keep this mix in. The pudding was pricked all over and put into a pot to boil for about two hours. A excellent[spin] tasting meal, or snack when cooled and then sliced and warmed under the grill.
Seaweed is [spin]part of a lot of the Shetland sheep’s diet. When taken home from the hills, if they have access, the sheep will naturally go to the beach, where they will feed on seaweed. Seaweed is good for sheep. It is full of all the %LIN2%, minerals, bio-stimulants and amino acids, and all at the natural levels.
Feeding seaweed increases fertility, and gives a better lamb growth. There is a reduction in the loss of lambs to white muscle disease. The sheep gain a better coverage of wool, they do not shed as much wool, hence a better wool production. Overall, there is less disease in sheep that have been fed seaweed, or gained access to it themselves. Feeding seaweed to animals returns the important nutrients to the land as well as to the animal, thus the cycle of mineral loss is replaced naturally.
22.11.09
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