Thanks, thats very interesting to hear everyones experiences.
The plan is certainly to breed to a terminal sire, so most likely a suffolk, as I have a smaller shouldered and headed one on offer, but which throws good meaty lambs as its well endowed in the right areas.
From previous experience and what Ive seen first hand Hebrideans pure and crossed on straight grass without flushing tend to produce 150-170% lambs, more on better ground. I know of two locals to me who routinely get 190-210 from hebridean x lleyn ewes which are flushed on fodder beet, so I really see hebs as a way of achieving a good lambing without having to flush heavily.
I would be happy with 150-160% lambs, as my main aim is to pay the rent and put some meat in the freezer / perhaps a small profit for investing in good stock in future.
My plan based on this, roughly is to Keep either 35 Hebridean / welsh mountain ewes or 25 Lleyns.
most if not all to be crossed to a suffolk, with following on of a Heb/lleyn ram to perhaps get a few replacements, though as both are long lived breeds I only need to breed 3-5 a year by my calculations.
I can get fodder beets loaded into builders bags for £10 a bag, farmer (also landlord) selling them recons one bag will provide all food needs for 35 hebs (20 mules in his case) for a week if not more, but recons they would scour if put straight on. His suggestion is to start feeding small amounts from end of sept onwards upto 50% of ration, saving the grass on the ground to last through until march - This is how he runs his 900 Mules and it works well for him. With this in mind 5 Bags should see me though at 1/4 ration and up it when the weather gets crap.
My hope is that this will give Me plenty of good lambs and perhaps some nice cross ewes to experiment with, the LLord is interested in seeing how a thrifty breed like heb, x lleyn could do as a comercial ewe and may buy a few to experiment with, He seems to think they may be about = to normal mules but get away without flushing, and may need a couple extra weeks to finish a lamb.
All exited now and pretty set on small breed primitives x to meat sire.
Does anyone have any heb ewes they want to sell me?