General sheep thread

charolais0153

wrangler wrote: »

This is what we use from quickttag, you can get a tagger for €7, you should get numbers and reconcile them to their mother....when you find a runt you can identify the mother.
Put a different colour for every year
http://www.tagfaster.com/management-tags-69-c.asp

We have an automatic gun, very handy.it holds and loads about a dozen tags automatic
Only lost one tag from birth to sale on nearly 800 lambs
http://www.tagfaster.com/tagfaster-automatic-sheep-tag-applicator-4-p.asp

I thought you had two that went with clostridial things of a shot both together

Sheep breeder

wrangler wrote: »

This is what we use from quickttag, you can get a tagger for €7, you should get numbers and reconcile them to their mother....when you find a runt you can identify the mother.
Put a different colour for every year
http://www.tagfaster.com/management-tags-69-c.asp

We have an automatic gun, very handy.it holds and loads about a dozen tags automatic
Only lost one tag from birth to sale on nearly 800 lambs
http://www.tagfaster.com/tagfaster-automatic-sheep-tag-applicator-4-p.asp

Wrangler how did you find the retention rate and how long do they stay in for and can you get what you want printed on the tag

Siamsa Sessions

We housed the ewes this week and thankfully they've settled very well.

If anything they've settled too well and are flying thru the hay we're giving them, at a rate of around 1 square bale per day for every 6 ewes.

Does this seem about right?

They're due to start lambing from mid-Feb and aren't getting any meal yet. They'd be average sized, around the 60kg mark, with plenty Llyen and Belclare blood.

wrangler

Sheep breeder wrote: »

Wrangler how did you find the retention rate and how long do they stay in for and can you get what you want printed on the tag

Most ewes would have them all their lives, we use them in the fattening lambs as well, slaughter tag goes into them and coloured tags in ewe lambs eligible for replacements...less than 1%loss in the first year

arctictree

wrangler wrote: »

Most ewes would have them all their lives, we use them in the fattening lambs as well, slaughter tag goes into them and coloured tags in ewe lambs eligible for replacements...less than 1%loss in the first year

Do you write the ewes number on them?

wrangler

arctictree wrote: »

Do you write the ewes number on them?

No, we keep good records, record the lambs number and the ewes number. don't think there'd be room to write on the tag, the herd number is on the back of the slaughter tag, but it'd be hard to write it as tidy as the printer.....OH does all records on computer program and has it on the phone as well for when we find a baby lamb lost out in the field.

Inchilad

Siamsa Sessions wrote:

If anything they've settled too well and are flying thru the hay we're giving them, at a rate of around 1 square bale per day for every 6 ewes.

Seems alot alright.ive 11 pedigrees housed and theyll get through just over a bale.theyve a chrystallix bucket too but thats it.might be smallish bales too tho.can be a big difference in bales size/weights.

Siamsa Sessions

Inchilad wrote: »

Seems alot alright.ive 11 pedigrees housed and theyll get through just over a bale.theyve a chrystallix bucket too but thats it.might be smallish bales too tho.can be a big difference in bales size/weights.

Thanks. The bales are possibly on the small size and I've given them a ChrystalX bucket as well now. Will keep an eye on it.

They're in good condition and I'm a little worried they'll get too fat but at the same time I don't want to reduce the feed in case any lighter one misses out.

early_riser

Few irish company's doing management tags as well. Get mine here https://www.sheeptags.ie/ ,find them good very few get lost

Hard Knocks

early_riser wrote: »

Few irish company's doing management tags as well. Get mine here https://www.sheeptags.ie/ ,find them good very few get lost

Do you get blank or printed tags?

early_riser

Hard Knocks wrote: »

Do you get blank or printed tags?

Similar to what wrangler does,i get numbered tag and write down ewes number to match in a notebook and use different colours each year. With replacement ewe lambs then when i am electronic tagging them i put the same coloured disc on the tag so it easy to tell what age ewes are. Started this system 3 year ago takes a bit of getting used to, remembering to take down numbers at tagging and all but think it is paying off as poor performing ewes can be culled

Green farmer

Lamb finisher,
How many lads look at what's in the ingredients ? Started looking at different products lately and was surprised at how some products claim to be "rolls Royce " of lamb finishers, but don't contain any soya bean, while other products claim to be good, yet have the likes of palm kerrel and sunflower in their ingredients. What do people like to see in their finisher ?

White Clover

Green farmer wrote: »

Lamb finisher,
How many lads look at what's in the ingredients ? Started looking at different products lately and was surprised at how some products claim to be "rolls Royce " of lamb finishers, but don't contain any soya bean, while other products claim to be good, yet have the likes of palm kerrel and sunflower in their ingredients. What do people like to see in their finisher ?

A mix of barley, maize and soya bean meal is as good as you could ask for.

tomwaterford

Green farmer wrote: »

Lamb finisher,
How many lads look at what's in the ingredients ? Started looking at different products lately and was surprised at how some products claim to be "rolls Royce " of lamb finishers, but don't contain any soya bean, while other products claim to be good, yet have the likes of palm kerrel and sunflower in their ingredients. What do people like to see in their finisher ?

Afaik sunflower is counteract acidosis...if they eat too much

razor8

Green farmer wrote: »

Lamb finisher,
How many lads look at what's in the ingredients ? Started looking at different products lately and was surprised at how some products claim to be "rolls Royce " of lamb finishers, but don't contain any soya bean, while other products claim to be good, yet have the likes of palm kerrel and sunflower in their ingredients. What do people like to see in their finisher ?

Maize no.1 & barley after soya hulls fine for finishing lambs too imo. There’s huge variations in what can be bought. Some stuff is a waste of time & same with pre lambing meal

Green farmer

razor8 wrote: »

Maize no.1 & barley after soya hulls fine for finishing lambs too imo. There’s huge variations in what can be bought. Some stuff is a waste of time & same with pre lambing meal

Ya, most if not all manufacturers don't put the details up on their website of top 5-6 ingredients. It's only when you buy a bag and look at the label, you discover what's in em. found it hard enough to get a product with decent ingredients, but ain't overpriced. A lot of bagged lamb finisher out there are around €300 a tonne, even though teagasc says it becomes uneconomical to buy it once it goes north of €280. Your spot in that some products have absolute rubbish in them.

ganmo

tomwaterford wrote: »

Afaik sunflower is counteract acidosis...if they eat too much

That's a new one on me.
A quick google didn't turn up much, where ya hear it?

wrangler

Green farmer wrote: »

Ya, most if not all manufacturers don't put the details up on their website of top 5-6 ingredients. It's only when you buy a bag and look at the label, you discover what's in em. found it hard enough to get a product with decent ingredients, but ain't overpriced. A lot of bagged lamb finisher out there are around €300 a tonne, even though teagasc says it becomes uneconomical to buy it once it goes north of €280. Your spot in that some products have absolute rubbish in them.

They think that everyone should be in a position to buy in bulk and transport it yourself which is worth about 50/ton

Green farmer

wrangler wrote: »

They think that everyone should be in a position to buy in bulk and transport it yourself which is worth about 50/ton

A Rep told me before I should install a bin and have it blown in. Save myself 20 a tonne. I though cost of bin a few grand. Even a second hand at just say €1,500 you'd have to buy 75 tonne to break even. I'd prefer to spend the €1,500 on grassland improvement, have lambs gone earlier and not need the meal in the first place.

White Clover

Green farmer wrote: »

A Rep told me before I should install a bin and have it blown in. Save myself 20 a tonne. I though cost of bin a few grand. Even a second hand at just say €1,500 you'd have to buy 75 tonne to break even. I'd prefer to spend the €1,500 on grassland improvement, have lambs gone earlier and not need the meal in the first place.

What are you feeding them at present?
I'm feeding in lamb (I hope!) Ewe lambs 200g roches finisher and 300g of an 18%p of the 3 way mix I mentioned above

razor8

I just go into merchants & go around with phone & take pictures of ingredients. Go home & access which is the best

wrangler

Green farmer wrote: »

A Rep told me before I should install a bin and have it blown in. Save myself 20 a tonne. I though cost of bin a few grand. Even a second hand at just say €1,500 you'd have to buy 75 tonne to break even. I'd prefer to spend the €1,500 on grassland improvement, have lambs gone earlier and not need the meal in the first place.

We were thinking of it one year too, until i needed to bring five bags to the yard on the outfarm and I just thought aren't the bags very handy.
Imagine having to fill bags/buckets everytime you wanted meal and the back of the jeep would smell like a piggery with spilt meal......No, life's too short

tomwaterford

ganmo wrote: »

That's a new one on me.
A quick google didn't turn up much, where ya hear it?

Off a lad that mills course mix.....was asking him why he didn't have it

He told me that's what it's for,and he used something else for same thing

Green farmer

White Clover wrote: »

What are you feeding them at present?
I'm feeding in lamb (I hope!) Ewe lambs 200g roches finisher and 300g of an 18%p of the 3 way mix I mentioned above

Don't have the setup here for mixing, but currently feeding a ration made from barley,maize gluten, soya bean hulls, distrillers dried grains, maize , soya bean meal, molasses.
Have used roches before, but their lamb finishers are €296 and something like €330 a tonne, which are both above the price that teagasc says mealing lambs doesn't make sense.

wrangler

Green farmer wrote: »

Don't have the setup here for mixing, but currently feeding a ration made from barley,maize gluten, soya bean hulls, distrillers dried grains, maize , soya bean meal, molasses.
Have used roches before, but their lamb finishers are €296 and something like €330 a tonne, which are both above the price that teagasc says mealing lambs doesn't make sense.

I think you found out that not mealing them is worse last year.
I paid €272 collected in bags for similar to yours..

Green farmer

wrangler wrote: »

I think you found out that not mealing them is worse last year.
I paid €272 collected in bags for similar to yours..

Was the fluke that caused me bother last year. Lambs never fully recovered from it. A symptom of the flooding the winter before. This year have most of my lambs gone. I'm down to the last of the ewe lambs now, that weren't good enough to breed off, and their being heavily mealed. Paying similar price to yourself for the bagged stuff. I just won't go over the €280 mark.

wrangler

Green farmer wrote: »

Was the fluke that caused me bother last year. Lambs never fully recovered from it. A symptom of the flooding the winter before. This year have most of my lambs gone. I'm down to the last of the ewe lambs now, that weren't good enough to breed off, and their being heavily mealed. Paying similar price to yourself for the bagged stuff. I just won't go over the €280 mark.

Apparently it's costing 20/ton to bag it and 20 to deliver, was complaining about the delivery charge one day and was told that they'd take their lorry off the road if I delivered for them at 20/ton

Green farmer

wrangler wrote: »

Apparently it's costing 20/ton to bag it and 20 to deliver, was complaining about the delivery charge one day and was told that they'd take their lorry off the road if I delivered for them at 20/ton

They've an answer for everything. I was trying to buy the stuff mentioned above priced €7.40 a bag or €296 a tonne. I asked how much if I bought it by the pallet and pay up front. They refused to give anything off. Said I was already getting it at the best price as I was collecting it myself and paying up front at the counter, i.e. Same price if I bought 1 bag or 2 tonne. So that's why I switched suppliers and now buying from an alternative mill that have flexability and paying a similar price to yourself.

orm0nd

buying a mix of soya hulls/barley/maize here as a fodder stretcher for cattle , costing 198/ton blown in, in 10 ton loads

feeding that to ewes as well with some soya bean meal added for the ones near lambing

ewes are getting hay also and are in fine condition, housed 4 weeks

I think Isaac Crilly has the right approach to meal feeding, as for cost effectiveness, (scroll down to the bottom of the link)

http://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/move-away-from-continental-breeding-pays-dividends-for-co-tyrone-sheep-farmer/

Willfarman

Green farmer wrote: »

razor8 wrote: »

Maize no.1 & barley after soya hulls fine for finishing lambs too imo. There’s huge variations in what can be bought. Some stuff is a waste of time & same with pre lambing meal

Ya, most if not all manufacturers don't put the details up on their website of top 5-6 ingredients. It's only when you buy a bag and look at the label, you discover what's in em. found it hard enough to get a product with decent ingredients, but ain't overpriced. A lot of bagged lamb finisher out there are around €300 a tonne, even though teagasc says it becomes uneconomical to buy it once it goes north of €280. Your spot in that some products have absolute rubbish in them.

It is very dependent on lamb price and then all the other variables.