[firther]

were at that time of year again, so what tups and ewe's are you all using?



i'm using texel shearlings onto a mixture of texels and mules. I did have some llyens but they all moved on now. Hopefully the 2 tups won't be firing blanks but I do have a ram lamb for back up, unlikely all 3 to be misfiring

[zarzar]

we have just brought a portland ram for our 4 registered girls and he will be going in with the 15 commercial x bred ewes( Texelxs and a couple shetlandxportlands)

[Fleecewife]

We are breeding the same Heb ewes and the same 4 tups.  We are pleased with our lamb crop from last year, so we will do the same tupping groups this time.  It will save me many hours of puzzling out who to mate with whom, although I enjoy that really - like a crossword
 
For our two Shetlands we are borrowing a tup lamb - haven't seen him yet 

[ZaktheLad]

I'm using my Hampshire Down again on my girls but he is not going in until 14th November as I am planning a slightly later lambing next Spring.    I should have lambs around first week in April onwards and I am just hoping for more grass growth than there was in early Spring this year!   I was really pleased with the lambs sired by this HD tup in his first season this year and so he will be staying with me for a long time yet.   

If I decide to keep any of his ewe lambs I will be on the look out for another HD ram for them 

[Bionic]

I bought a coloured ryeland ram lamb yesterday called Tonto. I am hoping I can keep him away from the girls until mid Nov also. The weather is a bit kinder to the lambs (and me) in April

[SallyintNorth]

Our two new tups, one Dutch Texel (Baler) and one Texel (Wee Wally, hope he isn't Wee Willy  ) have been out a while now, but no action yet.

BH always puts the new boys to work first - keeps 'em happy and we have time to assess their lambs before the regulars start flooding the market.

My little fleece flock, and a half-dozen of BH's small (Dutch Texel X) gimmers are going to Cap'n, my Shetland X (Charollais X (Beltex X (BFL x Swale))) tup lamb.   Not ideal with all those breeds in there, but he's a good lamb, nice fleece, and should give a reasonable fat lamb that's easy lambed, up and running quickly, and fastish growing.  Hopefully with nice fleece 

That leaves Old Dutch (did you not get 'Baler'?  He's the New Holland  ), Fred the Charollais and three Texels - Stamper, Big Daddy and The Old Boy.

BH will deploy them as and when he sees fit - sometimes I get to help decide, sometimes he just does his own thing.  I helped choose last year and we've had the best grades we've ever had - just saying 

[chonty]

Well Im new here but I thought Id join in

Got a charollais x texel going into half the commercial girls (texel x mules) and a new texel going into the other half, that lot started flushing yesterday so the boys will go in in 3 weeks.

Its my first year experimenting with pedigree whitefaced woodlands, so the boy (ram lamb) is going into the vast flock of 5 girls next sunday. Want an early lambing as Im going to experiment with leaving the woodie lambs intact so they are off the property quicker. Might not be a great plan when ive got a few intact lambs come October!! Lets hope not!

[JulieWall]

My poor old tup was getting so frustrated he was squirting constantly poor lad. As he is going to the mart this year I put him in early to get one more season out of him. Instead of keeping a tup this winter I'll be keeping some of his offspring, ready for a new tup next year. He's a nice Suffolk and built like a farmhouse table, we've had some lovely lambs from him but it's time for a change.

[Rosemary]

We breed pedigree Coloured Ryelands; we have 13 females this year including three gimmers (Sweetpea, Smudge and Stella) and we're using the same tup as last year - Lingah Nemo. He'll be off after this year as his daughters will be coming up next year and he doesn't have the best temperament (but he did throw nice lambs).

The ewes and gimmers are starving to death (they tell me) on our worst grass; they'll have their makeovers at the weekend (fluked, dagged (although I don't think any of them need it), faces trimmed (so at least they can see him coming  ) and feet done) then they'll be on to some nice grass on the 16th with Nemo in the next paddock, so they can flirt along the fenceline then on 5th November, we'll open the gate.

Last year, we could hardly get him in for the ewes reversing up to the gate. Tarts.

[Bramblecot]

Rambo our Shetland is checking out the wether lambs in with him and pulling faces .  He will soon be going in with our Shetland x Ryeland ewes and a couple of GFD.  Last year the cross produced 'teddy bears' with lovely fleece. 
Henry the GFD ram is coming to visit again and will have his regular GFD ewes and a couple of the Shetland X's for more 'teddy bears'.  Just waiting to see how the skins turn out from last year...looks promising but it is always a lottery with the tannery

[wayfarer]

Bramblecot - off the topic of tups, but which tannery do you use for your sheepskins?

[Azzdodd]

Mines over and done my boy got ill so they went with a neighbours oxford down tup getting tempted by getting a few more ewes.....I really like my charolias

[mowhaugh]

Mainly we have Lairg type north country cheviots which are bred pure, so we will be using 8 of those first time over, chasing up with homebred shearlings.  But the oldest of those females will be tupped with Berrichons - 3 of those (we'll keep the ewe lambs for our crossbred flock). The crossbred females will be tupped with Meatlincs - 3 of those too.  We also have 28 elderly dorper mules who we will tip with our Zwartbles Sebastion, he'll then get to chase up for the cross sheep, and 18 Kerry Hills in two groups with two tups. Also hope to have 3 black cheviot ewes with a black tup lamb I am borrowing.

Other than the Kerry Hills, this won't be until bonfire night.

[Rosemary]

Mainly we have Lairg type north country cheviots which are bred pure, so we will be using 8 of those first time over, chasing up with homebred shearlings.  But the oldest of those females will be tupped with Berrichons - 3 of those (we'll keep the ewe lambs for our crossbred flock). The crossbred females will be tupped with Meatlincs - 3 of those too.  We also have 28 elderly dorper mules who we will tip with our Zwartbles Sebastion, he'll then get to chase up for the cross sheep, and 18 Kerry Hills in two groups with two tups. Also hope to have 3 black cheviot ewes with a black tup lamb I am borrowing.

Other than the Kerry Hills, this won't be until bonfire night.

How do you keep up?

[Backinwellies]

15 Llanwenog ewes/ewe lambs await the gate opening to let in Sam the Llanwenog Ram (well shearling really).