General sheep thread

farawaygrass

I seen in our local merchants last year that wool had to be in bags. You couldn’t bring it loose in a trailer

wrangler

farawaygrass wrote: »

I seen in our local merchants last year that wool had to be in bags. You couldn’t bring it loose in a trailer

Most wool buyers are only really depots with no way of handling loose wool.
The place i go to has a packer that they can sweep wool into if tipped out of a trailer. I've never done it though

joe35

We use to pack it into small coal bags. Merchant would call with a half ton bags and we'd re-bag it in front of him. The old fella would go mad if any dirt or straw in it. We'd about 600 ewes with only 5 or 6 fleeces per bag.

Jaysus it was torture

Lambman

€100 is what contractor asked me for so must be half the charge unless he lifted the full wallop off her aswell and I'd say fair play till him for shes not a nice person. Be a short cart think he started around 9 with 2 tractors and was finished before half 12.

farawaygrass

wrangler wrote: »

Most wool buyers are only really depots with no way of handling loose wool.
The place i go to has a packer that they can sweep wool into if tipped out of a trailer. I've never done it though

Same as that, they have a packer but still want it bagged

Jimbo789

stantheman1979 wrote: »

That’s what’s in the fields. 2395 from ewes and 380 from hoggets. Ewes are majority belclare, good few Lleyn and texal X, few mules and horny crosses. I’d say 95% of the ewes are white faced. We’ve tried a lot of different breeds these do what they’re supposed to.

Are the mules out of Lanark ewes? Do you find you would get more years out of the Lleyn ewes than the mules?

Birdnuts

Its sad that the relevant government agencies have made little effort to find alternative uses for wool like loft insulation etc.

stantheman1979

Jimbo789 wrote: »

Are the mules out of Lanark ewes? Do you find you would get more years out of the Lleyn ewes than the mules?

The mules are out of mainly Lanark some Lanark/mayo. They seem to be resilient enough. We only have them the last few years so can’t say how long they will last. I do know that they are harder fed but all had twins or triplets as 2year olds after rearing lambs as ewe hoggets so happy enough with them so far. We don’t have many and don’t plan to have all mules. Like I say the belclares do a great job

Dickie10

what are the belclare good qualities wouldnt mind a few to up output

DJ98

https://www.glanbiaconnect.com/shop/product/Fox-Brothers-Painted-Lamb-And-Hogget-Creep-Feeder-8ft-x-5ft/9002488

Looking for a new creep feeder, have sturdy grande ones here but ewes can get in at. What are the above feeders like, are they worth the money?

DJ98

DJ98 wrote: »

https://www.glanbiaconnect.com/shop/product/Fox-Brothers-Painted-Lamb-And-Hogget-Creep-Feeder-8ft-x-5ft/9002488

Looking for a new creep feeder, have sturdy grande ones here but ewes can get in at. What are the above feeders like, are they worth the money?

I just put the circular feeder upsidedown around the other square type feeders


Another cheaper option,and you'll have feeder for winter aswell

wrangler

DJ98 wrote: »

https://www.glanbiaconnect.com/shop/product/Fox-Brothers-Painted-Lamb-And-Hogget-Creep-Feeder-8ft-x-5ft/9002488

Looking for a new creep feeder, have sturdy grande ones here but ewes can get in at. What are the above feeders like, are they worth the money?

I've used them for years. very strong and durable. if you paint the little trough in them every 3 or 4 years you'll have it for a lifetime,

Dickie10

This is the type I have

Green farmer

Dickie10 wrote: »

This is the type I have

Are they hampshire lambs ? Did they lamb unassisted ?

Dickie10

yea 95% do , mostly Llynn ewes though that a lot of it too. put the hampshire on ewe lambs very little assistance either maybe 15%

Green farmer

Dickie10 wrote: »

yea 95% do , mostly Llynn ewes though that a lot of it too. put the hampshire on ewe lambs very little assistance either maybe 15%

Fair enough, ewes are mostly lleyns here as well, but started using a easycare for replacements instead. Will give it a year or two and see how they work out. On terminal side used some charolais last year, but might add a hampshire to to mix this year, if can source one easily enough. Number 1 priority is to have them lambing unassisted. Only real losses this year have been the odd swollen head, so trying to keep It mininalised.

Dickie10

they have a lot of suffolk qualities only no ****ty arses ond not dopey when born

Dickie10

Dickie10 wrote: »

they have a lot of suffolk qualities only no ****ty arses ond not dopey when born

What are their killouts like?

Kevhog1988

Took out a rough corner of a field over the weekend and installed a pen. Will make catching ewes etc much easier for us. It was a section of rough briars between us and an abandoned house that used to own our land. Dad had always thought it wasnt part of ours but i checked the maps etc and was indeed ours. Handy to gain the bit and utilise it.

Asus1

Hi whats the story with a ewe being covered by her father.First time keeping a few sheep.We had 4 lambs for 2 sheep,3 rams and 1 ewe.The boys are for our freezer but was thinking since the ewe is such a nice square lamb we might keep her to add to the flock.Thanks

wrangler

Asus1 wrote: »

Hi whats the story with a ewe being covered by her father.First time keeping a few sheep.We had 4 lambs for 2 sheep,3 rams and 1 ewe.The boys are for our freezer but was thinking since the ewe is such a nice square lamb we might keep her to add to the flock.Thanks

It used to be/is done a bit in pedigree breeding,
The joke was that ''if it worked we called it linebreeding and if it didn't we called it inbreeding ''
It's not recommended but it could be 100%

Asus1

wrangler wrote: »

It used to be/is done a bit in pedigree breeding,
The joke was that ''if it worked we called it linebreeding and if it didn't we called it inbreeding ''
It's not recommended but it could be 100%

The mother is a textile and he is a charolais so i suppose i could say im linebreeding.Being serious is there major problems with breeding from her is it opening up her and future lambs to health problems.Im not going to be breeding for the factory,just for myself and extended family consumption.Might get a picture later and put it up of them.

Dinzee Conlee

Asus1 wrote: »

The mother is a textile and he is a charolais so i suppose i could say im linebreeding.Being serious is there major problems with breeding from her is it opening up her and future lambs to health problems.Im not going to be breeding for the factory,just for myself and extended family consumption.Might get a picture later and put it up of them.

You could try it.
But if it was me, I wouldn’t.
Could you sell / swap her for another unrelated ewe lamb?

I think there is enough bother with sheep when everything is done 100%, not to mind introducing other problems by cutting corners...

Green farmer

Asus1 wrote: »

The mother is a textile and he is a charolais so i suppose i could say im linebreeding.Being serious is there major problems with breeding from her is it opening up her and future lambs to health problems.Im not going to be breeding for the factory,just for myself and extended family consumption.Might get a picture later and put it up of them.

Charolais are well known for being excellent meat Machines, but poor mothers. So whatever mothering ability the texel has, your halving it in the offspring. That's why lads seldom keep charly x ewes. Having said that I kept 20 of them one year when I started out. About 16 got the road after 1 season, because they were flighty and had no mothering instinct. Ths other 4 made decent mothers as they were out of very maternal belclares. Havent kept anything out of a charly since.

wrangler

Asus1 wrote: »

The mother is a textile and he is a charolais so i suppose i could say im linebreeding.Being serious is there major problems with breeding from her is it opening up her and future lambs to health problems.Im not going to be breeding for the factory,just for myself and extended family consumption.Might get a picture later and put it up of them.

If you like the ewe, why not, It's not going to break you if it doesn't work.
With large numbers we'd be trying to minimise risk but we'd often keep a sheep we'd like just for the hell of it and it mostly works out grand.
Best calves and calvings i ever had was when i missed castrating a yearling bull and he put twenty of his half sisters incalf so that was close breeding

Asus1

Well the smaller lambs are 4 weeks behind the bigger ones and the ewe is one of the small pair

orm0nd

had a yearling with a big single yesterday, she didn't bond with him straight away & after holding her for the lamb to suck a couple of times, still the same

caught her again and whistled in the dog and presto instant mothering guarding and stamping off the dog.

still good this morning and lamb with full belly. was due to be finished lambing to day but still a few yearlings, 2 days will wrap them up I reckon .

ganmo

I had to laugh at a lamb stamping at me when I had his ewe turned up. The ewe was a good stamper so he must of learned it from her but he was only a week old

Lambman

Give all lambs there first dose on Wednesday aswell as cobalt and there vaccine. First year doing it all in 1 day didn seem till effect them at all. Singles really pushing on say some over 35kg at 6-7 weeks

Young95

Anyone here dairy farming and keeping sheep ? Would the two together during the spring just be disaster? Thinking of going milking 60 or 70 cows and try lamb anywhere from 500 to 700 ewes around end of March ? Is it manageable? Thoughts would be seriously appreciated.