The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Ladygrey on May 28, 2014, 05:52:19 pm
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Just wanted to make a post to celebrate my shetlands (and a few other sheep)
Went to go check the sheep, finally found them :excited: its always good news if I can find my sheep when I go to check them :)
Tully says they are that way!
(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Duckberry/DSC_0564_zpsf78afeaa.jpg)
Found them! Shetland shearling gimmers
(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Duckberry/DSC_0534_zps566cbeb4.jpg)
(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Duckberry/DSC_0546_zps083d7e69.jpg)
Charmoises and shetlands (dotty one and white one behind are shetlands)
(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Duckberry/DSC_0499_zps367f8549.jpg)
Climbed up to find these guys! (this is why I need hardy sheep)
(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Duckberry/DSC_0575_zpsf9653edb.jpg)
The blind summit into the field below, we once let go of a roll of stock netting at the top when we were fencing, turned around and it was busy free-falling into the paddock below, wasn't fun lugging it back up, I cant walk up and down on two legs....
(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Duckberry/DSC_0582_zps4e29f3e0.jpg)
Fencing still up :)
(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Duckberry/DSC_0584_zps5a771bc6.jpg)
Shetland cross lambs, vs pure commercial lambs, 5-7 weeks of age, shetland crosses weighing 18-22 kilo, commercials weighing 20-22 kilo, not much in it
Charollais lamb next to shetland cross lamb
(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Duckberry/DSC_0447_zpseb50529c.jpg)
Two of these are half shetland (dotty faces)
(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Duckberry/DSC_0419_zps3b61a900.jpg)
Two of these are half shetland (dotty faces)
(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Duckberry/DSC_0406_zps004ce13b.jpg)
Lamb on far right is half shetland
(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Duckberry/DSC_0398_zpsc90be046.jpg)
Shetland/charollais ewe lamb, 7 weeks old, 19 kilos
(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Duckberry/DSC_0394_zpsa0d20857.jpg)
Enjoy the photos :)
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Correction, shetland cross lambs weigh 18-20kilo, not 22kilo
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Very nice pictures :thumbsup:
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Great pics :thumbsup: And very reassuring about the Shetland cross lambs after my debacle at the mart yesterday. Pinning my hopes on getting a blue Texel tup lamb.......
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Very nice :sheep: . I am crossing my shetland ewes with GFD tup and the lambs are similar to the one in your last photo. Very envious of your lovely land, :sheep: must be happy too! thanks for sharing the photos :thumbsup:
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Ye lovely place for them to roam, good chunky lambies :love: :sheep:
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Thanks everyone :wave: yes lambs are chunky monkeys! growing by the day :) some of the crossbred lambs had to be pulled, and I dont want lambs that have to be pulled, so this year everything will go to my charmoise tup,
which also hopefully should produce lambs that are a more "consistent" batch
Thanks yes the land looks lovely :) just have to accept I cant do much with improving it, so the plan is to spend as little as possible on it and have sheep that need as little as possible spending on them in order to get the most out of it, fortunately the grass seems to grow all year round here due to the wet and warm but well drained nature of it
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Great pics and interesting information.
On the pic of the Charollais lamb next to a Shetland cross... to me, the difference in the backside is very evident. So I'd expect the Charollais to be an E or U, the Shetland X an R.
So far I too have been very impressed with the size and growth of our crossbred lambs, and also of the lambs out of crossbred Shetlands. The conformation isn't as good as the purebred meat breeds, but is perfectly acceptable, and the killout %age should be higher than pure Shetland.
I just looked up the details on my last year's Shetland x (Charollais x Beltex) tup lamb. R3L, 17.4kgs deadweight, £73. He was in a batch of mainly good commercial lambs, batch average £81. So not bad at all. :)