The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Jamie12 on September 10, 2014, 08:12:08 am
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Got myself some sheep :excited:. They arrive next week, feeling rather nervous and excited!
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What did you get? And don't forget we will need piccies when they arrive ;D
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30 mule x Suffolk ewe lambs. Only considering tupping the biggest but happy to run them all on till next year. Need to go shopping for sheep things now! I will end up buying loads I dont need ,
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how exciting :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Excellent :thumbsup: What kind of tup are you planning to use?
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That's it, you're hooked now :hugsheep: .
Top tips- buy as many hurdles as you can afford in one go (so they fit together properly, unlike my motley collection ::) ), and get on good terms with your farm vet :thumbsup: .
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Potentially a charrolais. Ideas on a post card please lol
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I reckon Zwarble :) All I'm hearing is good things about the lambs when they are put to most breeds of ewe - easy to lamb as narrow shoulders, nice carcasses and good growth rate and that the lambs do really well :)
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Zwartble is a serious potential, I help with some pedigree ones and they can get me a decent mismarked chap
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It depends what your objectives are, I guess.
If your objective is to farm them and sell fat lambs, then a conventional terminal sire would give you good lambs that should be easy to sell. Charollais would be a good choice. :thumbsup: It will overcome any dopeyness from the Suffolk, and that combination should give a fast growing, cracking good fat lamb. Make sure you get/use a tup with plenty of wool on his head, though - you don't want the lambs to be too bare.
Otherwise a Texel, I guess, but try to get one that isn't too huge in the shoulders or rump.
Just seen your post about Zwartbles... I haven't ever used Zwartbles so I don't know how the lambs would turn out. Would they be black or white? Until you are known as a competent producer, I'd be inclined to stick with the well-known sires, and certainly to be producing white lambs if you are planning to sell in the ring.
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I don't want to :raining: on anyone's parade but...
My neighbour is a professional farmer, not a soppy hobby smallholder like myself, and very experienced. I asked how their Zwartbles got on last year and I cannot repeat the reply :o . Let's just say, if you are planning on taking them to market, and don't want a huge feed bill, maybe think again :thinking: . Just passing it on :sofa:
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Depends as sally says what you want the lambs for / what part of the country , in Scotland if its not one of the three main breeds it will seriously affect the price
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Some people find the zwarbles need too much feeding but others are fine with them so I think its a bit hit and miss :) I love them so I'd risk it :)
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Charollais seems the favorite ATM, having conflicting opinions on tupping ewe lambs (only the biggest will be tupped).
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I'd personally try a Charmoise, a lot of the good points of a Charollais, but real easy lambing for ewe lambs, small head etc, very good conformation, good vigour at birth, very hardy and do well on crap grazing.
Edited to add - We're putting about 30 ewe lambs to Charmoise this year, to lamb themselves outside. . . . fingers crossed!
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You'd not go far wrong with a Hampshire Down tup.
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Would it be an idea to buy some ewes in lamb with singles at a later date for fostering purposes?. Hoping I don't end up with too many multiples :innocent:
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Charmoise would be ideal for ewe lambs or a charollais if you cant get hold of a charmoise
Most (well nearly every farmer I know of) who run suffolk mule ewes put a charollais tup onto them, this complements the ewe very nicely, as she has loads of milk and she is growthy and with good length and shape, also the charollais then gets rid of the black face and produces either a nice store lamb or fat lamb, very versatile!
Zwartbles would not be a good idea if you want to start a good commercial flock, they DO eat loads and loads and the people who say they dont have loads of grass/time/feed for them anyway...
Also I found when crossing them they seem to concentrate of growing legs legs and more legs, and we all know that those are chopped off and not paid for at the end of the day.
Use something that will complement your sheep! suffolk mules have loads of milk, so put something on that will grow on and flesh out on loads of milk!! :) :)
Goodluck!!
I am putting a charmoise tup to a load of welsh mule ewe lambs and crossbred ewe lambs this year and also some welsh mules shearlings, I think its 58 to the tup in total this year :thinking:
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Any of the Down breeds would do a good job and not produce lots of leg in preference to carcase. Better fleece on the lambs than the Charollais, less lambing assistance than the Texel or Beltex.
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I have a charollais ram that was born in January this year and put outside at 24hrs old,
never been indoors since and never creep fed, tough as nails, so I think lack of fleece may not be a problem anyway
Down breeds do tend to have a heavy amount of bone and wide heads, so I would not put a down breed onto ewe lambs especially ewe lambs that are half down breed themselves, shearlings are different,
but basically the aim of farmers who put a tup to ewe lambs is just to produce a lamb that slips out un aided and gets up and sucks, and gives the ewe lambs a good first experience, if the lamb has a good shape and meat then thats a bonus!
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And down x lambs sell badly live weight.