General sheep thread

stantheman1979

Don’t mean to sound rude. But they’re very similar. Don’t go by other people’s opinions. The only way to really find out is get a few yourself see what suits you’re set up, what works for you and what you like yourself. It’s the best way to find out. Make your own mistakes and make your own opinions.

Lano Lynn

stantheman1979 wrote: »

Don’t mean to sound rude. But they’re very similar. Don’t go by other people’s opinions. The only way to really find out is get a few yourself see what suits you’re set up, what works for you and what you like yourself. It’s the best way to find out. Make your own mistakes and make your own opinions.

what would we all talk about then:D


other peoples opinion may help you to decide which mistakes to make:D:D:D


don't agree that they are similar
borris (suffolk ram X cheviot ewe)
heavier ewe & more prone to getting stuck on her back,probably not as prolific but is not bad.,probably need more shepherding at lambing.better teeth and longevity.produces better conformation lambs



mule (blueface leicester ramX blackface mountain ewe)
lighter but probably lower cull value.can be very prolific and easily lambed

DJ98

Lano Lynn wrote: »

what would we all talk about then:D


other peoples opinion may help you to decide which mistakes to make:D:D:D


don't agree that they are similar
borris (suffolk ram X cheviot ewe)
heavier ewe & more prone to getting stuck on her back,probably not as prolific but is not bad.,probably need more shepherding at lambing.better teeth and longevity.produces better conformation lambs



mule (blueface leicester ramX blackface mountain ewe)
lighter but probably lower cull value.can be very prolific and easily lambed

Whats the tullow ewe made up of, same as borris?

ganmo

DJ98 wrote: »

Whats the tullow ewe made up of, same as borris?

I thought the only difference was ya bought borris ewes in the borris mart and tollow ewes at the tullow mart

early_riser

Thrive seems to be fairly slow here the last few weeks in the warm weather, anyone else having this? Lambs on good grass, worm count low and cobalt given but the just seem to be standing still regards thrive

stantheman1979

Lano Lynn wrote: »

stantheman1979 wrote: »

Don’t mean to sound rude. But they’re very similar. Don’t go by other people’s opinions. The only way to really find out is get a few yourself see what suits you’re set up, what works for you and what you like yourself. It’s the best way to find out. Make your own mistakes and make your own opinions.

what would we all talk about then:D


other peoples opinion may help you to decide which mistakes to make:D:D:D


don't agree that they are similar
borris (suffolk ram X cheviot ewe)
heavier ewe & more prone to getting stuck on her back,probably not as prolific but is not bad.,probably need more shepherding at lambing.better teeth and longevity.produces better conformation lambs



mule (blueface leicester ramX blackface mountain ewe)
lighter but probably lower cull value.can be very prolific and easily lambed

By similar I meant they’re both a big framed sheep, first cross from a hill x lowland. Hard fed, hard looked after but both have advantages depending on what part of the country you are. By making your own mistakes I mean try them for yourself. How can u fully trust what you hear. Plenty of different sheep have passed through our yard. Some I liked some I didn’t so I’ve made plenty of mistakes and learned what works on my place. A good ewe in Wexford could starve in Mayo.

wrangler

early_riser wrote: »

Thrive seems to be fairly slow here the last few weeks in the warm weather, anyone else having this? Lambs on good grass, worm count low and cobalt given but the just seem to be standing still regards thrive

Haven't weighed lately here but grass has gone very stemmy here and the sheep are spending the final third of their time on each paddock grazing toppings.
I'm not expecting a big daily liveweight gain for the last three weeks when I weigh them.
Hope to wean them this week and put them grazing ahead of the ewes also put them on .5kg meal in the advantage feeder

Blaas4life

What kind of return should one expect from spreading lime

I tested land earlier this year and donkey years since it was spread so,all in all needs 10 ton to hectare....getting 2 to acre for next two years on the better part of the farm



Just wondering is there any risk/unforseen poosioning etc of the sheep that can happen?

ganmo

Blaas4life wrote: »

What kind of return should one expect from spreading lime

I tested land earlier this year and donkey years since it was spread so,all in all needs 10 ton to hectare....getting 2 to acre for next two years on the better part of the farm



Just wondering is there any risk/unforseen poosioning etc of the sheep that can happen?

If ya need 10t/acre i wouldn't be spreading any bagged fert. at 22-24€/t its the best priced fert ya can get
the only complaint we had last year was from the shearers with the dust in the wool dulling their blades quickly

Buford T. Justice XIX

Blaas4life wrote: »

What kind of return should one expect from spreading lime

I tested land earlier this year and donkey years since it was spread so,all in all needs 10 ton to hectare....getting 2 to acre for next two years on the better part of the farm



Just wondering is there any risk/unforseen poosioning etc of the sheep that can happen?

Lime is probably the quickest return on investment you can make on a farm. The returns are 5:1 so you will grow much more grass after liming and it helps release N and P from the soil also.



It releases the equivalent of an extra bag of Can/acre/year for 5 years afterwards.

Blaas4life

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

Lime is probably the quickest return on investment you can make on a farm. The returns are 5:1 so you will grow much more grass after liming and it helps release N and P from the soil also.



It releases the equivalent of an extra bag of Can/acre/year for 5 years afterwards.

So it's worth the money

@gammo....I do be spreading fertiliser as I need some bit for the ewes and lambs and tbh you do see a benefit no matter how limited as I was only place around anyway green this spring...so this is an effort to try improve the place...and was just wondering how much of improvement to expect (ñot meant as a cut at you,If it come across that way,I apologise)


How often should be soil tested...I'm doing this bita liming and hoping to test again the year after I've this done (2020)? ??

Its only small farm,but I do believe in doing everything as good as you can,in all aspects of life.....

Siamsa Sessions

Blaas4life wrote: »

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

Lime is probably the quickest return on investment you can make on a farm. The returns are 5:1 so you will grow much more grass after liming and it helps release N and P from the soil also.



It releases the equivalent of an extra bag of Can/acre/year for 5 years afterwards.

So it's worth the money

@gammo....I do be spreading fertiliser as I need some bit for the ewes and lambs and tbh you do see a benefit no matter how limited as I was only place around anyway green this spring...so this is an effort to try improve the place...and was just wondering how much of improvement to expect (ñot meant as a cut at you,If it come across that way,I apologise)


How often should be soil tested...I'm doing this bita liming and hoping to test again the year after I've this done (2020)? ??

Its only small farm,but I do believe in doing everything as good as you can,in all aspects of life.....

Teagasc advise soil testing at least every 5 years but it’s not too expensive so you could do it after 3-4 years to see how indexes are doing overall

DJ98

When should lambs born mid February to mid March be weaned?

charolais0153

In the next two weeks id imagine. Will wean ours on monday next id say.

wrangler

charolais0153 wrote: »

In the next two weeks id imagine. Will wean ours on monday next id say.

We weaned on friday last, will be grazing lambs ahead of the ewes now.
Their average date of birth is 11th March.
All lambed in March
Average wt is 30kg grass only, no meals

charolais0153

wrangler wrote: »

We weaned on friday last, will be grazing lambs ahead of the ewes now.
Their average date of birth is 11th March.
All lambed in March
Average wt is 30kg grass only, no meals

280g/day. Better than athenry . youd wonder how athenry's performance is worse with the reseeded grass and lower stocking rate.
263g/day on grass and white clover. 249g/day on just grass

wrangler

charolais0153 wrote: »

280g/day. Better than athenry . youd wonder how athenry's performance is worse with the reseeded grass and lower stocking rate.
263g/day on grass and white clover. 249g/day on just grass

We gave them Animax three weeks ago, they were only doing average before but they put on 320g/day since, they must have been short of something and did a compensatory thrive because the grass was very stemmy for the last three weeks, just getting it back right now

Cyclist101

wrangler wrote: »

We gave them Animax three weeks ago, they were only doing average before but they put on 320g/day since, they must have been short of something and did a compensatory thrive because the grass was very stemmy for the last three weeks, just getting it back right now

They are unreal numbers Wrangler. Well done. Can you remind me what sort of ram you are using on your texel/lleyn cross ewes.

wrangler

Cyclist101 wrote: »

They are unreal numbers Wrangler. Well done. Can you remind me what sort of ram you are using on your texel/lleyn cross ewes.

Texel on the adult ewes and vendeen on the ewe lambs,
Unbelievable thrive in the last three weeks, two or three put on 10 kgs.

orm0nd

wrangler wrote: »

We gave them Animax three weeks ago, they were only doing average before but they put on 320g/day since, they must have been short of something and did a compensatory thrive because the grass was very stemmy for the last three weeks, just getting it back right now

thought animax bolus would be a little large for lambs that weight ,?

wrangler

orm0nd wrote: »

thought animax bolus would be a little large for lambs that weight ,?

They have new ones out now, they're smaller, but we've been using the bigger ones at ten weeks for years now, no problem.
That said...the newer ones do slip down easier

MD1983

lads I am looking at buying a few meal feeders for hoggets. I would like them to hold about a tonne of meal, any recommendations?

Thanks

Cran

MD1983 wrote: »

lads I am looking at buying a few meal feeders for hoggets. I would like them to hold about a tonne of meal, any recommendations?

Thanks

Wooden ones are hard beaten

orm0nd

see a couple Milford rams on DD

any body any experience of them ?

thelegend1979

Yes ormond. I went to donegal last year to the special sale and bought a ram and 7 ewe hoggets. Very happy with the results. Had 12 lambs out of 12 scanned. Beautiful markings. Let that milford ram plus a second out to about 60 ewes and ended up with very nice lambs. Very difficult to buy them in Donegal that night. The hoggets i wanted made 330. Those rams on donedeal are def crossed with something else.

DJ98

thelegend1979 wrote: »

Yes ormond. I went to donegal last year to the special sale and bought a ram and 7 ewe hoggets. Very happy with the results. Had 12 lambs out of 12 scanned. Beautiful markings. Let that milford ram plus a second out to about 60 ewes and ended up with very nice lambs. Very difficult to buy them in Donegal that night. The hoggets i wanted made 330. Those rams on donedeal are def crossed with something else.

Are milfords not crossbreed sheep?

thelegend1979

Yes they are but they are being bred to each other which gives lovely black and white markings. I dont know where the brown would come from.

thelegend1979

20180608_120634 (1).jpg

Milford ewe lamb

Ard_MC

thelegend1979 wrote: »

Yes ormond. I went to donegal last year to the special sale and bought a ram and 7 ewe hoggets. Very happy with the results. Had 12 lambs out of 12 scanned. Beautiful markings. Let that milford ram plus a second out to about 60 ewes and ended up with very nice lambs. Very difficult to buy them in Donegal that night. The hoggets i wanted made 330. Those rams on donedeal are def crossed with something else.

What kinda ewes did you put the ram too? And whats the ram lambs like? Also how are they to lamb? Would they be ok outdoors? Thats Milford x lambs.

thelegend1979

Rams went out to suffolk border leicester cross ewes. Biggest plus points with the breed are the easy lambing and hardiness of the lambs. The milford ewes showed fantastic mothering ability. No doubt the ram lambs are a bit leggy and will be harder to finish but im expecting the price of the ewe lambs to make up for that.