General sheep thread

Willfarman

I let em stop till they lamb. Anything the scanner can’t see gets the chop so they don’t run that late lambing.

DJ98

What would be the best ram to put with Suffolk X cheviot ewes?

Cyclist101

Depends on who you ask!

Ewe lambs that I sold for for breeding and that made great money were bred by a texel ram from Borris (ie Suffolk x cheviot) ewes, albeit a prize winning ram and the ewes, as hoggets, were placed in the Borris show and sale.

The following year, I bred the Borris ewes to a charollais and the lambs throve really well.

Bleating Lamb

DJ98 wrote: »

What would be the best ram to put with Suffolk X cheviot ewes?

I like the ‘Borris’ type ewe and full Cheviots.
In my experience best cross with Borris ewe is a quality Suffolk Ram.
You will have option of killing all progeny if your land is good quality or if marginal land quality you can sell the majority of ewe lambs for breeding, and sell the ram lambs as forward stores.

Green farmer

I haven’t been to a mart in ages, but what’s the story with sheep Marts these days ? Can you still walk around the pens looking at sheep ? or did the insurance thing a few months ago kill it off ?

Siamsa Sessions

Green farmer wrote: »

I haven’t been to a mart in ages, but what’s the story with sheep Marts these days ? Can you still walk around the pens looking at sheep ? or did the insurance thing a few months ago kill it off ?

Probably depends on the mart but I'd be guessing you can still walk around sheep in most marts and it's only the cattle you might not be able to walk around.

sea12

Walk round no problem

MeTheMan

Walk around here.

Have ewe lambs Im looking to sell. Very poor trade for ewe lambs around here. Might just feed a bit and sent to factory. What's it like elsewhere?

sea12

MeTheMan wrote: »

Walk around here.

Have ewe lambs Im looking to sell. Very poor trade for ewe lambs around here. Might just feed a bit and sent to factory. What's it like elsewhere?

Hogget price very poor so this has filtered down into demand for ewe lambs.

Green farmer

MeTheMan wrote: »

Walk around here.

Have ewe lambs Im looking to sell. Very poor trade for ewe lambs around here. Might just feed a bit and sent to factory. What's it like elsewhere?

I stopped off at a mart today in the midlands when passing. Talking to a lad who bought fine quality fell finished Suffolk ewe lambs for €102 a piece for killing. Said if a farmer had bid against him they could have made €120. So summed up who was and wasn’t buying there today.

MeTheMan

Local factory men are buying the decent ewe lambs here. Pity, they are some of the best ewe lambs we've had. Fella coming to look at them Friday. Fingers crossed.

Must be a lot of lads not buying replacement after last winter. Letting numbers drop a bit.

roosky

DJ98 wrote: »

How long do people leave rams with ewes?
Have 2 groups here and 70% of one group is covered compared to 40% in the other group
Mostly horned ewes in the second group

I leave them 4 weeks.....if they arent tipped at that stage let them off....i use the ram effect to tighten them up though.

early_riser

Green farmer wrote: »

I stopped off at a mart today in the midlands when passing. Talking to a lad who bought fine quality fell finished Suffolk ewe lambs for €102 a piece for killing. Said if a farmer had bid against him they could have made €120. So summed up who was and wasn’t buying there today.

Same story around here at the min very few customers for heavy lamb, light stores good money lots of farmer buyers

Lambman

The main buyer here the last 5 years or more for the best quality ewe lambs till run over for hoggets ain't buying this year.... can buy heavy 55kg+ well able for the ram this year good quality lambs for €105 - €110 so it's affecting any hoggets still being sold.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Just finished scanning the ewes. 1.86 for the Jan lambers and 1.5 for the later ones. Happy enough with that tbh, the weather wasn't too kind to them in Sept when grass got scarce. I'd expect a few singles to show up as twins yet and another one or two of the twins will throw triplets along with the two definite triplets there already.

Green farmer

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

Just finished scanning the ewes. 1.86 for the Jan lambers and 1.5 for the later ones. Happy enough with that tbh, the weather wasn't too kind to them in Sept when grass got scarce. I'd expect a few singles to show up as twins yet and another one or two of the twins will throw triplets along with the two definite triplets there already.

Considering the spring and summer we’ve had, that’s a good scan. A lot of lads will be well back for next year.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Green farmer wrote: »

Considering the spring and summer we’ve had, that’s a good scan. A lot of lads will be well back for next year.

Yeah, we lambed down at just over 2 last year so a little disappointed but July and August last year was perfect for their block. We kept only 5 ewe lambs as well this year and 4 in lamb early and one will probably lamb later too.

DJ98

Has everyone got there rams out yet? Out here since 10th of October, seem to be very few repeats

Willfarman

I’m only putting them to work today.

White Clover

Out here since the 17th, 97% tipped so far.

roosky

haave any of ye used rape straw before for ewes, got offered some today at good value but no idea what its like as bedding

sheepfarmer92

White Clover wrote: »

Out here since the 17th, 97% tipped so far.

That's great going, rams out since the 20th here, have half the ewes tipped, they weren't teased or anything though

serfspup

roosky wrote: »

haave any of ye used rape straw before for ewes, got offered some today at good value but no idea what its like as bedding

what were u offered paid 65euro for 8x3x3 last week delivered (west Ireland)

I don't use anything else good bedding but hard handled but my set up suits it

roosky

serfspup wrote: »

what were u offered paid 65euro for 8x3x3 last week delivered (west Ireland)

I don't use anything else good bedding but hard handled but my set up suits it

€70 for 8x4x4 delivered in Leitrim !!

Hard handled because its like sawdust??

Also whats the soakage like in it

serfspup

ya bale breaks up once opened not easy to take a slice or two away to a stable etc.

good soakage or more accurately lets liquid pass through,
not much feed value though
good in individual pens never wraps around ewes legs like oats.

roosky

serfspup wrote: »

ya bale breaks up once opened not easy to take a slice or two away to a stable etc.

good soakage or more accurately lets liquid pass through,
not much feed value though
good in individual pens never wraps around ewes legs like oats.

right how is it in the group pens suppose i could put down a good layer of that and then go with straw on top

serfspup

I just put a bale under 140 every 5 to 7 days

Dickie10

letting two hampshire rams into lleyn cross ewe lambs tomorrow want them lambing when im on easter hols which is April 8th -24th

charolais0153

Dickie10 wrote: »

letting two hampshire rams into lleyn cross ewe lambs tomorrow want them lambing when im on easter hols which is April 8th -24th

Should you not let him out the 12th of november or so then?

Dickie10

might take ewe lambs a cycle to get serviced