Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Getting a tup for ewes  (Read 8288 times)

Keepers

  • Joined Jul 2015
Re: Getting a tup for ewes
« Reply #15 on: September 15, 2015, 07:57:57 pm »
would texel x blackie produce a good lamb?

No, you'd be going backwards.  Texel cross x Blackie would look like Blackie x Texel and I'd say they would fetch less than Texel cross x Shetland, which would look like a slightly smaller/younger Texel cross.   (But I'm not in your area, so I could be wrong.)


Agree, my friend put a blackie tup onto his beltex cross ewes (no idea why) and the lambs look almost pure blackie, wheras a white shetland tup will produce white lambs that would sell well as stores even if they didnt make fat

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Getting a tup for ewes
« Reply #16 on: September 15, 2015, 08:16:07 pm »

I think it would differ between breeds, cant really say that about all ram lambs, maybe its that number for Southdowns? the general known amount around my area is 1:25 for ram lambs however breeds with higher libido can cope with more and breeds with low libido less.

Generally accepted 1 ram lamb to 10 ewes for all breeds in these parts, although most folkshere  lamb between late March and late April.  If you're in an area where they start lambing in December then it's a different story.


Keepers

  • Joined Jul 2015
Re: Getting a tup for ewes
« Reply #17 on: September 15, 2015, 08:42:50 pm »

Generally accepted 1 ram lamb to 10 ewes for all breeds in these parts, although most folkshere  lamb between late March and late April.  If you're in an area where they start lambing in December then it's a different story.

That is very low, I wonder the reasons why, I know of ram lambs going to more in harsh parts of scotland and wales, perhaps its to do more with the breeds used in the area, interesting  :thinking:

I lamb mid march to mid april, the ram lambs would be around 6 months old when used for tupping I guess, but yes if lambing early then a ram lamb would be too young to use, unless he was born early himself I suppose  :thinking:
But also depends on breed as to when he himself would be feeling randy enough

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Getting a tup for ewes
« Reply #18 on: September 15, 2015, 10:16:13 pm »
The general practise hereabouts is up to 15 ewes for a ram lamb, preferably none of them first timers.  You certainly want him to have some experienced girls, not all first-timers, if he has that sort of number and you want a tight lambing.

And you wouldn't expect a ram lamb to work on the fell, you'd have him and his girls in-bye in a smallish enclosure.  You'd probably go in and bring the ewes around him twice a day, too.  And if you saw he was devoting himself to one girl only, and ignoring another that was interested in him, you might take the well-covered lady out ;)

And yes, you'd want him to be at least 6 months old, have well-developed testicles, and be at least 60% of his adult weight.

Having said all of which, I've twice used ram lambs on my fleece sheep and some commercials in meandering pastures, 25 acres in total, in 7 fields and pastures, mostly in a long line, and they've both covered everything well.  Even the first one, who had two distinct groups who didn't mix (and were often at the diametrically opposed ends of the 25 acres ::)), managed to get all the girls in both groups.

And on one occasion, BH put a 9 month old Charollais ram lamb in with a large (over 100) batch of ewes early in our season.  He left Fred with the big batch for about a week, then took off the marked ewes, and divided the remainder up, leaving Fred with about 30. 

People said he'd ruin the boy for future years, but he was fine.  He worked well for three years for us, and then had to go because we had too many of his retained daughters.
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

princesslayer

  • Joined Jan 2013
  • Tadley, Hants
Re: Getting a tup for ewes
« Reply #19 on: September 16, 2015, 09:53:44 am »
I'm starting to think I got extremely lucky - ram lamb in late October on four first time ewes, six lambs born within four days of each other starting 150 days after he went in! He was in for 8 weeks too. Will prob be a complete disaster this year just to bring me to my senses.
Keeper of Jacob sheep, several hens, Michael the Cockerel and some small children.

 

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