[red-september]

A friend of ours asked if we knew how to remove scurs from a ryeland ram..
We had one a few years back that had some and we never did nothing bout them because we didnt know how, but it may crop up again, so be a useful thing to know how to get rid of them. Iv heard and read that scurs dont contain any blood vessels or anything and are quite easy to remove, are they not attached to anything, is it just a case of pulling them off? Im sure i heard someone say something about rubbing them off?

[Foobar]

Why would you?  If it's not to breed standard then don't keep it for breeding.  If it's not for breeding then what does it matter if it has scurs?

[Me]

As above! Also sheep can grow tissue like that in response to trauma, so, if you pull it off, burn it off it may stay gone or it may regrow bigger than ever! I have seen rams that look like rhinos with extra "horns" growing on their noses after repeatedly butting heads etc

[feldar]

We get them occasionally in the Hampshires.
My Hubby uses his thumb on then and is able to work them off the head. They never bleed and if done quickly the rams hardly feel them come off. I think it's more the pressure of pulling them off they don't like, that, and being held still.
We have to remove them for the show ring or we will be penalised. A polled sheep should go in clean headed.
There is no problem breeding from rams that have them it is just a small throwback to using horned sheep when they first made the breed.

[Foobar]

But it is an inheritable trait so surely you shouldn't be breeding from them?  That's the point of having the breed standard surely - they need to be correct "out of the box" (i.e. when born) not after some tweaking here and there?

[Me]

Showing to a breed standard is about getting your animal placed first. Not about finding the best animal! If you threw out any that had been tweaked (c-section deliveries, cake monsters, shed huggers, clipped, whited up/blacked up) the judge would be lonely

[Me]

I tend not to watch the Charmoise judging at the show and sales because I really don't care! However I am glad others enjoy showing as it gets the breed noticed

[Foobar]

Showing to a breed standard is about getting your animal placed first. Not about finding the best animal! If you threw out any that had been tweaked (c-section deliveries, cake monsters, shed huggers, clipped, whited up/blacked up) the judge would be lonely

Yes showing has got a bit stupid really hasn't it, it's not something I'm interested in at all for that reason.  I'm all for showing only fully shorn sheep, less way to hide faults then.  And the fleece can be judged separately.
My point was only that in the long run, whether you are selling or showing, if you want to breed good sheep you have to breed from good sheep.

[Me]

Scurs look untidy but do no harm that I can see, they must "cost" something (small) to produce and doubtless Charmoise aren't supposed to have scurs but if a lamb can grow scurs and muscles - I don't hold it against them

[feldar]

But it is an inheritable trait so surely you shouldn't be breeding from them?  That's the point of having the breed standard surely - they need to be correct "out of the box" (i.e. when born) not after some tweaking here and there?

I have used rams who had small scurs when lambs and they haven't passed them on so inheritable? maybe, but not always, and maybe not in all breeds. I wouldn't penalise a ram or ram lamb who was basically very good to type just for scurs and if they trait is sexed linked it's only the boys i would worry about, but as i said i don't see much of it, certainly not in the Hamps. If it became a problem i would think again.
Showing can be a very good way of educating the public about our various breeds and i would hate to see the Agricultural shows without animals there.
We as a society, and many other societies too are working hard to change the fat overfed animals in the show ring. In fact it is actively penalised by a lot of judges now. views   change slowly and it takes time to change peoples' way of thinking.
Me; i am sorry you don't like showing but please do consider the time it takes to prepare and the many hours put in by both the organisers of the shows and the exhibiters to put a show on. I would have no problem showing my sheep shorn in fact there is a class just for that starting at Dorchester show this year. I have nothing to hide, but even i admit they do look super when they are carded and trimmed.

[Marches Farmer]

I love going to shows and do appreciate the work that goes into preparation but don't show my stock as we're all about rare breeds and for me their strength is their robustness and ability to thrive outdoors in the UK climate.  I breed only from top quality stock with regard to teeth, feet, mouth and udder, good mothering and longevity and would be very glad to see our main breed (Southdown) shown shorn and not backed down.  The breed standard marks down anything other than black hoof horn but we've always found striped horn to be thicker and very rarely suffer from shelly hoof (the only foot problem we see here on our heavy clay soil), so we actively seek new rams with this trait, but they'd be marked down for it in the showring.

[BenBhoy]

I remove scurs on commercial lambs as live buyers use it as excuse to pay less. Crazy. Same reason I castrate.

[Buttermilk]

Showing to a breed standard is about getting your animal placed first. Not about finding the best animal! If you threw out any that had been tweaked (c-section deliveries, cake monsters, shed huggers, clipped, whited up/blacked up) the judge would be lonely

I was interested is showing my sheep - zwartbles - but got put off when I was told by an experienced exhibitor to start stuffing them full of food before the large early shows entries closed and to keep them eating as much as possible for the whole show season.

My sheep have to live off grass in summer and haylage in winter, ewes get a lick bucket and nuts in the run up to lambing and then continued until turnout - February lambing indoors - lambs get creep until everything gets turned out into the summer fields.

[Marches Farmer]

Original post was 2014 ....

[silkwoodzwartbles]

I was interested is showing my sheep - zwartbles - but got put off when I was told by an experienced exhibitor to start stuffing them full of food before the large early shows entries closed and to keep them eating as much as possible for the whole show season.

I was disappointed to read the showing article in the latest ZSA yearbook as it basically said that is what you should do. I'm planning on taking 2 ewe lambs to Chepstow show this year and they will be coming out of the field the day before the show, having lived out 24/7 since they were turned out after birth with just a handful of cake a day to get them all to the trough to be checked. I'll see how I get on - they're both well grown and smart looking girls so even if they don't compare to the pampered and overfed sheep they compete against, I'm pleased with them and will be keeping them in the flock.