[Hillview Farm]

A little while ago I posted as I wasn't  sure if I should keep going with the sheep. I went on holiday,  planned to cut down on my numbers which I already have started to do. Did lots of planning and number crunching and convinced myself it can work.

Now at work we are in full swing of harvest I'm working 75 hour weeks I'm doubting it again. I lightly touched with my boss about cutting my hours down which he seemed keen on and as he put it we have half a person Too many.


Now my question is if I cut my hours (I can cut them in half or I'll have no money) how can I make my flock more profitable?

Can ewes be housed on good quality haylage with mineral buckets and no concentrate? Or could I leave them closer to lambing before they get any?

Lambing outdoors sadly isn't an option. But during winter months work is quieter so I don't struggle as much as the summer.

After issues with dogs attacking the sheep 16 months ago it made me paranoid and I obsessively check the sheep,  but at this time of year could I drop the daily checks from twice a day to once?

Any advice and I'm put welcome. Please go easy on me if it's negative,  I'm an over tired wreck! Haha

[Keepers]

Can ewes be housed on good quality haylage with mineral buckets and no concentrate? Or could I leave them closer to lambing before they get any?

Short answer, yes 

I have my ewes on haylage only pre lambing, you may have to cull out ewes which do not fit the system but ultimately yes its easy to do

Other options would be to try and keep an easy-er care breed or a lower input breed?
I know this doesnt take away sheep tasks or sheep checks, however it really really does help with peace of mind that the sheep wont all start limping when its wet etc (not saying yours do)

By running an easy-er care flock you can cut down hours needed on them per day (and per year) and run it whilst working full time?

Or cut down numbers of sheep?

If you are mainly busy during the summer, get a breed or system that the lambs are away sooner? so even if you sell the rest in august/july as stores? then all you have would be the ewes to worry about rest of the time?

They should be fine being checked once per day, however if you really can't not check twice, ask someone else or pay someone to do the 2nd check?

Hope this helps 

[Womble]

I'm working 75 hour weeks......... as [my boss] put it we have half a person Too many.

I understand that long hours and harvest time go hand in hand, but if all his staff are working 75 hour weeks, I'd say he has a couple of people too few TBH!

[harmony]

I agree with Womble. The standard working week is (I believe!!) 37.5 hours so you are doing two jobs plus your own sheep. I hope he pays you well! Maybe a good hard look at your job, pay and hours would also be wise. Is there something else you could or want to do?


Sometimes it's really hard to make the decision but a new direction might be the answer.

[Hillview Farm]

Keepers,  thank you.  Can you explain your system to me lambing wise regarding your feeding? Do you feed once they have lambed?

My lambs have finished this year at three months on grass only and all in all the breeds I have seem to be fairly easy. I'm not saying they are never lame but we are working and culling on this.

Unfortunately I'm slighted trapped at work. OH just got a promotion so we now have a house tied on.   End of harvest me and the boss ate having a chat to reduce my hours. Would mean I have the time and flexibility to be able to market and have viewings of my stick for sale as at the moment it's hard and of course no one wants to come at 5am  when I'm there in the morning to look at a ram lol.

[Victorian Farmer]

I have 200 lambs to sell they are £25 dawn at the mo each no phrophit this season selling in York no reserve ,gutted

[Hillview Farm]

As I only have a small amount of meat lambs I sell them direct to the customer and fetching a brilliant price,   selling the pedigree sheep is proving more difficult

[Keepers]

Keepers,  thank you.  Can you explain your system to me lambing wise regarding your feeding? Do you feed once they have lambed?

The sheep are out on grass all winter, its a mix of poor pp and a little dairy grass, the dairy grass is not great however, I either lamb outdoors or move some into a polytunnel a week or two before lambing

Reason some go in the polytunnel is that my lambing/spring ground is small and poor, enables me to take them out of the tunnel when lambs are a day old and take them straight to the grazing land

Twin and trip bearing ewes get lifeline buckets and haylage, singles get yellow rockies and haylage, this is for the two weeks pre lambing if they are indoors, if they are outdoors they can lifeline buckets and hay

As soon as they have lambed they move to grazing and get nothing but grass, works very well 

If you are struggling for time try selling lambs to the market instead? just one trip there and back and nothing else to worry about

With pedigree sheep, if you are struggling to sell them, maybe they are better off going dead? or lower the prices? book them in at a market?

[Hillview Farm]

Very interesting! Do you find the lambs are a good size? I've always fed 6 weeks pre lambing and had lovely sized lambs.

selling lambs is no problem as they go straight to slaughter. Just trying to arrange viewings on my shearling rams when your not sure when you can get away is difficult but not impossible. 

Just looking to lower my inputs and getting more in return, That way I can afford to reduce my hours and also have a life again!

[Porterlauren]

Maybe knock the pedigrees on the head, and focus upon a good little commercial flock, producing meat lambs. Lamb them out, feed them just grass, maybe a bit of hay / haylage, and cull them like hell for anything that eats up your time. Oh yes, and lamb when the days are getting longer!

To be fair, if I fed mine 6 weeks before lambing, I think id be pulling a lot of lambs!

[Keepers]

Very interesting! Do you find the lambs are a good size? I've always fed 6 weeks pre lambing and had lovely sized lambs.

selling lambs is no problem as they go straight to slaughter. Just trying to arrange viewings on my shearling rams when your not sure when you can get away is difficult but not impossible. 

Just looking to lower my inputs and getting more in return, That way I can afford to reduce my hours and also have a life again!

To make it easier selling pedigree sheep, don't take any viewings at all? if you can't find the time to do them just dont, rear the rams over the summer, just check them each day and then book them into a breeding sale, drop them off, watch them sell, if they dont sell lower the reserve or kill them, 

Will go get my spreadsheets and give you some data regards weights, grow etc

[Keepers]

Mix of Charmoise and charollais tups out of welsh mule and crossbred ewes

Average lamb birth weight: 4.01 kilos
(min was 1 kilo prem twins out of a ewe lamb, going up to 6.60 kilo singles coming from the charollais tup)


Charmoise sired, mix of twins, trips and singles
Average of 34.2 kilos, ranging from 25-45 kilos

Charollais sired, twins and singles (no trips)
Also an average of 34.2 kilos (was suprised they were the same), ranging from 20-45.5 kilos

They lambed from mid march to mid april, turned out at grass at 24 hours old with no feed for ewes or lambs, first load of lambs went away end of june averaging 42kgs at market, mainly the charmoise cross lambs, lambs have been ready ever since, selling a load next week, they are getting a little heavy with many weighing from 45-50 kilo (woops)

[Keepers]

I had issues with single charollais sired lambs all in mid 6 and a half kilo weights getting very stuck in april

I think if I fed 6 weeks pre lambing my sheep would explode 

[Hillview Farm]

My poor little brain is absolutely fried at the moment But I will go through your information. I've never had to pull a lamb due to size. This year I had my first hard lambing with a charollais ewe with triplets who had a dead lamb in the way of the others. But other than that my charollais have been brilliant.


Will definitely knock the feeding on the head! Pedigrees are paying me well and will continue to do so if I can reduce my costs.  I will also be looking into cheaper vaccines for the meat lambs.


Thank you so much. You've all once again put my mind at ease

I

[waterbuffalofarmer]

In Hungary the Hungarians keep kommondors in with the sheep to get rid of any wolves, their fur is matted so that if a wolf bites em it will get a mouth of hair. They're brilliant guard dogs, I had one as a sheepdog awesome he was. Worth considering I suppose, however they're a little costly. am glad you have sorted everything