[mowhaugh]

We had our main scan yesterday, and I am really disappointed (and very worried about the financial implications) with the result - we are expecting about 150 lambs less than last year.  Only 8 empty sheep, who will go down the road on Wednesday, but just a huge number of singles and few twins.  And typically the 8 sets of triplets are in OAP hill sheep, not young fit cross sheep! We are pleased with the condition of the sheep, they are how we would want them; our scanning man said this is a pattern he has seen across the board this year.  We are just going to have to work extra hard to do the lambs we've got really, really well, I suppose there will be more grass to go round so we should spend less on feed.  Trying to think positive.

[bloomer]

how many sheep do you run?


if its a pattern the scanner has seen does that mean there will be a shortage of lambs and prices will be higher?

[SallyintNorth]

Sorry to hear that you are disappointed - but yes, you will gain in other ways.  Single-bearers need less feed, less meds, their lambs ditto.  The lambs will be bigger and grow faster, so they'll hit the earlier trade and hopefully better prices.

Himself, soon to be 60 and a farmer all his life and his father before him, always prefers a ewe to have a good single.  Less inputs, less work, better price, earlier away.  And ewes fitter going into tupping next time too.

And think about ways of using up any spare grass too - make more forage, buy in some store lambs, even rent some grazing out.

[mowhaugh]

how many sheep do you run?

 - Just under 1000 ewes


if its a pattern the scanner has seen does that mean there will be a shortage of lambs and prices will be higher?

- I'd like to hope so, but then I've heard quite a few people in the South with ridiculous numbers of lambs in their sheep, so it'll probably be the usual guessing game!

[mowhaugh]

Thanks, Sally, you are absolutely right, there is no need for it to be a disaster, it is just that awful moment when you comapre the wee cards from the past few years with a sinking feeling.

[suziequeue]

Sorry to hear about your disappointment. I sympathise and identify entirely having had the same experience myself this year. 

[Tim W]

The story from the scanners down our way is more empty and more multiples (3 or 4) leaving the scan rate broadly in line with previous years
certainly this is true with us, a few more empty than usual but still near 190% scanned ---this in my view is too high for an outdoor/extensive lambing system as 165% seems to maximise the amount of twins scanned which is what we want in a lowland flock. I would still rather have a triplet than a single --- a ewe scanned with a single can only rear 1 lamb whereas a triplet carrier can rear 2(or even 3)

Commercial lamb price is less dependant on UK lamb figures than export markets which in turn is dependant on the £/ exchange rate
Plus of course how much the kiwis have to export our way

[Rosemary]

Sorry to hear about your disappointment 

[Marches Farmer]

I too prefer a good single to scrappy twins.    It's not so much how many and how high the average cost of producing each one is.  So long as you don't get lots of big singles that need hepl to lamb you may well have a high survival rate.

[sokel]

Sorry to hear you have had a disappointing scan, Our friends have had a shock the other way out of her 400 ewes 186 of them have been scanned with triplets most of the rest have twins, a handful with singles and 10 empty. 
we are standing at hand for helping with bottling again this year

[Marches Farmer]

Look on the Fearing website for multi-suckling buckets - the Shepherdess system is a more expensive option which may save time and money in the long run.