The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Onion on October 08, 2018, 02:07:55 pm
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Hello :wave:
Last Saturday we went to a sale and brought 4 Ryelands. 2 ewes, one gimmer shearling and a ram lamb.
I wasn't intending to buy the ram lamb but I left my friend quickly then came back to hear that he had bought it! Now that we have it I would like to use it but I'm not sure what to do with what I've got. My first idea is to let the ram lamb grow for another month or so then put it with the ewes, so I should (hopefully) get some lambs by April time. Any males we would fatten up then kill, and keep the ewe lambs, then the year after get a Charolais tup and tup the 2 ewes to it again for a better carcass.
Is this worth doing or not? Or does anybody have any better ideas of what I could do with what I have?
Would appreciate some other people views-Thanks! :thumbsup:
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How heavy is the Ram lamb? How are you managing them now, I really wouldn't keep him separate for a month.
I would put the lamb in and see what happens, he should cover them, particularly the 2 ewes, they will probably 'show' him how to do it.. The ewes might not like him though if he's small or if they chase him off he might be too scared to cover them when the time comes, or he might not be interested in the ewes at all..
If you can fine a Raddle to fit him its always good to know if he's done the deed rather than wait till spring to find out.
I think its worth doing, a lamb is a lamb after all and I suspect that it will be easier lambing a purebred Ryeland lamb than one crossed with a larger breed, so should be good experience too.
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What was your original plan for females you intended to buy?
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I would put the lamb in and see what happens, he should cover them, particularly the 2 ewes, they will probably 'show' him how to do it.. The ewes might not like him though if he's small or if they chase him off he might be too scared to cover them when the time comes, or he might not be interested in the ewes at all..
I put a shearling ram in with shearling ewes 2 weeks ago, he's tupped 5 of them out of the 6 and a few older ewes. The shearlings were more forthcoming than the older ewes :roflanim: Let nature take its course... he'll be fine. I'd put some raddle paste on him (not a harness, they can put off first time tups) and see what he does. He probably isn't going to grow much in a month now, ram lambs stall this time of year when hormones get going, so you might as well put him in now.
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Very good chance he’ll work fine and you’ll have 5 or 6 lambs in March. (Or April if you find him a companion and keep him separate from the ewes for a month.)
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Thanks for the help everyone.... ;)
I'll watch out for him and see what the ewes seem to be doing to him....
I've just ordered some raddle paste now....provided it arrives tomorrow I'll put it on and see what he does:)
What was your original plan for females you intended to buy?
I was wanting to get some lambs out of them....but was originally planning to hire a Ryeland tup....but hopefully by the sounds of this brilliant advice I'll be OK with this little one;)
What are they like meatwise?
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What are they like meatwise?
We've just had six back from the abattoir. Born midApril, two @ 17.5, 3@21 and 1@24kg dw. They're fatter than acommerial breed but the meat is fantastic. Sweet and tender and flavoursome. We had some hogget (three ewes that didn't scan in lamb in January) a few nights ago and it was just delicious.
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Very tasty .. but beware of over feeding they will run to fat very quickly.
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Hi Onion. I’ve just read this thread with interest as we have Ryelands and we’re thinking about putting the ewes to a different tup, possibly a Charollais. Can you expand a bit on your comment about better carcass please so I fully understand your thinking. Also have you considered any other tup breeds? Many thanks.
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Hello
You would be better off asking someone else but I think that you need to go for a tup with a fairly high muscle ratio-as Ryelands can have a fairly high amount of fat-although you don't want something with too wide shoulders. Hence why a Charrollais would be a good match.
But as I said I'm sure some people would know more about it than me:)
O
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Hi Onion. I’ve just read this thread with interest as we have Ryelands and we’re thinking about putting the ewes to a different tup, possibly a Charollais. Can you expand a bit on your comment about better carcass please so I fully understand your thinking. Also have you considered any other tup breeds? Many thanks.
Hi SN. Basically, a better carcase is one with a higher muscle (meat) to bone ratio. Think of the difference in body mass between say a greyhound and a labrador. The Ryeland is more like the labrador but has a tendency to go to fat. Such as a charolais will go to a bigger size before it puts fat on. Obviously butchers won't pay for fat because it has to be trimmed off. So the charolais cross lamb will produce a heavier useable carcass than the pure bred Ryeland.
But having said that, for your own consumption the Ryeland produces excellent meat. But if you are producing lambs to sell in the market, you will get a better return by crossing with a larger terminal sire.
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Thanks both - that’s very helpful advice.