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Author Topic: Suffolk sheep tupping question  (Read 3877 times)

OhLaLa

  • Joined Sep 2010
Suffolk sheep tupping question
« on: June 06, 2015, 08:04:22 am »

Do Suffolk sheep breed all year round? (I know some breeds are seasonal). Would like to put the ram in with the girls after shearing (need to do a bit of field maintenance), but not wanting to put  him in with them if it means early lambing (the girls are all youngsters, due to be put to the ram for the first time this coming Autumn).


He arrived last year as a youngster, and has already proved himself keen by breaking into the older girls field a few months back and tupping the lot.

Me

  • Joined Feb 2014
  • Wild West
Re: Suffolk sheep tupping question
« Reply #1 on: June 06, 2015, 10:14:55 am »
No its not safe to assume. I've caesared "ooops" Suffolk cross lambs in November

shep53

  • Joined Jan 2011
  • Dumfries & Galloway
Re: Suffolk sheep tupping question
« Reply #2 on: June 06, 2015, 12:28:05 pm »
Putting a ram with any breed of female sheep not suckling over 5mths of age MAY stimulate them to cycle at any time of year

GrannyAching

  • Joined Apr 2015
  • Pembrokeshire
Re: Suffolk sheep tupping question
« Reply #3 on: June 06, 2015, 12:51:03 pm »
The local pedigree sheep flock lamb from a week before Christmas based on natural service. My ewes cycled from the time they were put in a field next to the ram last year which was at least a month early as I recall.

OhLaLa

  • Joined Sep 2010
Re: Suffolk sheep tupping question
« Reply #4 on: June 06, 2015, 03:15:53 pm »
Thanks shep, nicely explained, and thanks grannya for the info.
All now shorn and separated once more. Another mega hot day again today too.  :sunshine:

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Suffolk sheep tupping question
« Reply #5 on: June 06, 2015, 04:27:59 pm »
Poll Dorsets are the breed generally used for 3 crops of lambs in two years. 

beagh-suffolks

  • Joined Oct 2014
Re: Suffolk sheep tupping question
« Reply #6 on: June 07, 2015, 09:53:23 am »
i put my ram in first week or august and thats for lambing round the new year

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Suffolk sheep tupping question
« Reply #7 on: June 07, 2015, 10:01:55 am »
Seasonality also has a climatic / geographical element.  Hereabouts, I perceive that some tups (Charollais, Shetland) are always ready if called upon, but most of our ladies aren't interested until the weather cools and the days shorten.  (And it has to be both, IME.)

Last year we bought some Mules in from a farm which lambs later than we do.  The Mules we already owned all came a-tupping before the bought-in ones.  It'll be interesting to see if our new Mules come a-tupping a little earlier this year.

All of which said, farmers all over the country, including up the road from me here, produce Suffolk lambs indoors in December / January, which would suggest that the breed is amenable to tupping and being tupped in July, even in the far north of England.

Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Suffolk sheep tupping question
« Reply #8 on: June 07, 2015, 10:04:59 am »
Poll Dorsets are the breed generally used for 3 crops of lambs in two years.

I hear that phrase but am of the opinion that it means a farm can have two or three crops of lambs in a year, and so offer lamb for the table year round, rather than that individual ewes can produce lambs every 8 months.

I worked on one farm which had an autumn-lambing Dorset flock and a spring-lambing Dorset flock.  Each ewe lambed once every 12 months, but the farm had two crops of lambs a year.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Suffolk sheep tupping question
« Reply #9 on: June 07, 2015, 07:35:56 pm »
I do know several farmers who lamb every eight months.  The youngsters have a year between first and second lambings then move on to every 8 months, although they wean early and the lambs get a lot of creep.  The ewes are generally sent for cull much younger than mine, though, as they've been pushed quite hard, although generally fed much more cake than I do.

andywalt

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • kent
  • observe react administer enjoy !!
    • photos
Re: Suffolk sheep tupping question
« Reply #10 on: June 10, 2015, 07:44:20 pm »
id only be worried if i had dorset ewes or i think the other breed is wiltshire horn ? or any ewes crossed with that breed other wise ive never had a problem in the summer with ewes cycling


andy
Suffolk x romneys and Texel X with Romney Tup, Shetlands and Southdown Tup

 

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