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Bluefaced Leicester crossing onto MC ewes

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  • 15-10-2013 8:09am
    #1
    Conmaicne Mara
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,543 ✭✭✭


    I've always heard bad things about BFL rams, basically that they die as a rule, don't know if there's damn all truth in it.

    From a commercial point of view, rather than a fanboy point of view, is there much trouble involved with them at lambing? Are the lambs soft as you know what? Are they big presenting possibly problems being lambed? Do they have to be excessively minded or can you let them get on with it with the usual care plus a bit of grub?

    Are the wether lambs any use for store or fat trade, hard job to make a good lamb of them or?

    Don't know much at all about them, just seen the mules lambs at Maam Cross earlier in the year and was wondering. Looking for a warts and all appraisal I suppose.


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    #2
    eire23
    Registered Users Posts: 682 ✭✭✭eire23


    You are weighing up all the options conmaicne;) Dont know much about them meself.
    Neighbour beside me here breeds them, hes at them a good few years now and he says their not as soft as people make out and to be fair i dont think he would have stuck with them if they were.
    The rams dont have much shape to them though and are very tall and leggy so lambs might be hard finnished?


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    #3
    razor8
    Registered Users Posts: 2,321 ✭✭✭razor8


    Using a blue Leic now for 10 years. The ram I have is as big as an ass, even a factory lamb can wander in and out under him without bending

    The mule wether lambs are very quick to put on weight and I don’t have any problem getting them into the 45-50Kg bracket, they don’t kill out well generally 40-43% but also haven’t graded a 0 in the factory yet which some people would expect. Mostly r3 definitely no u3. You would need them up on 50kg to kill 21kg I have found

    Down side the wethers don’t sell well in mart, I would be taken anything from €6-10 less for similar weight suffolk.charlaois x lambs. Big plus is they seem to have great capacity to put on weight, have seen lambs put on up on 5kg a week when condition are right. I think store buyers really underestimate them

    Don’t have a problem lambing them as they seem to get the vigour from the mother (Lanark/Donegal hornys) I suspect and come with a good covering of wool, birth weight are anything from 4 to 6kg depending on twins or singles

    But the mule lambs biggest attribute is they are the best sheep imo to rear lambs. Great in a bad spring like this year, when the going gets tough they don’t dry up like other breeds


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