I am returning to our family farm after 10 years away to take over from my father who wants to start retiring ( but never fully!!) We own the farm which is 130 acres and have just started tenanting another 70 acres near by. It's a hill farm at 1000ft in the West Midlands/welsh borders. We currently run 220 sheep and 6 suckler cows, but want to increases the sheep. My dad thinks the land will only take 300 sheep but I'd be more inclined to push the numbers up to more 400 level. What sort of stock levels do you think we should be running to maximise things with the acreage? We run a mix of texel ewes and Scottish mules x texels.
Stock levels
- Thread starter Howler
- Start date
multi power
Member
- Location
- pembrokeshire
stocking rate will depend on how much grass you can grow, how much inputs has the farm had reacently? reeseeding programe?
Up until recently the ground has had very little inputs, just a bit of top dress for silage and hay, but am in the process of organising for the ground to be limed to bring the ph back up to where it should be. Obviously can't do the whole farm in 1 year as not enough funds, but will do as much as I can. I hope to then stay on top of the ph by spreading a bit each year. Also looking to put in atleast 2 new lays a year.
sherg
Member
- Location
- shropshire
would of thought you could probably run 400, whereabouts are you I'm in between shrewsbury and welshpool, does your place burn up in the summer?
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
Without seeing the land...
in the height of summer on 200 acres - youd no doubt run 500+ ewes with lambs. Your problem will be the winter months. Even 400 might be pushing it...
With your liming and reseeding programne, up sheep numbers to 300 then gradually increase by 20 or 30 a year, till you find the farms limit without over stretching yourself
in the height of summer on 200 acres - youd no doubt run 500+ ewes with lambs. Your problem will be the winter months. Even 400 might be pushing it...
With your liming and reseeding programne, up sheep numbers to 300 then gradually increase by 20 or 30 a year, till you find the farms limit without over stretching yourself
- Location
- Near Colchester
Don't forget the old adage; - 'a sheeps worst enemy is another sheep'
A farm will go sheep sick fairly quickly with coccidiosis and worm problems, better off in my opinion to expand the cows so that the grazing can be shared by both species. Sell some forage in the meantime if your increased fertiliser/lime regime makes too much for your current stock.
A farm will go sheep sick fairly quickly with coccidiosis and worm problems, better off in my opinion to expand the cows so that the grazing can be shared by both species. Sell some forage in the meantime if your increased fertiliser/lime regime makes too much for your current stock.
Cheers for all the replys. I wanted to increase the number of cattle but my father is digging his heels in about more cows as he does not like them. Which is a shame as he does breed them very well. He only has the ones he has as he knows they work well with sheep for grazing and muck. So can only really concentrate on sheep at the moment. Raising the sheep levels this year to 300 and see how we go with grass and the new lays. Got loads of other ideas so will prob be posting more on here in the near future!!!!!