In this day and age it's really tough trying to make a living as a farmer/shepherd. When I discovered this 3-tier system that is being used very successfully in the UK, I was very excited. I can actually keep doing what I love with my Shetlands AND I can also earn more by raising a crossbred lamb that is entirely grass fed and grows so fast they are ready for market by fall by simply purchasing 2 rams of two different breeds.
The first cross for me(BFL ram to Shetland ewes) produces a lamb that has excellent fleece which is very marketable and a larger carcass weight. I can then turn around and cross these Shetland Mule ewes to a British Suffolk ram for the ultimate market lamb. Yes, it temporarily pulls a handful of my Shetland ewes out of my Shetland breeding program but it's short term and in my opinion well worth it.
The two ewe lambs pictured above are Rhoswen and Marsali. They are the beginning of my purebred BFL flock. This fall when the rams are introduced they will be with my friend Becky's BFL ram Lester along with a few of my Shetland ewes. Hopefully one of these ewes will produce a ram lamb for us in the spring of 2007 so that we will have our own ram to use for the next breeding season to continue with our plan to raise Shetland Mules. Rhoswen and Marsali will be bred artificially to UK rams the fall of 2007.
Here is a website that tells all about the 3-tier system we are working towards:
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