Beltex, so how do you lamb them??

crazy_bull · Mar 9, 2015

In moment of madness (well it seems to be now) I bought 3 pedigree beltex ewes to have as something nice to look at out the window and maybe get the odd ram out of them to put back to the mules. I had been warned not to feed them during pregnancy, so they have had nothing but grass since the autumn, and bugger all grass at that (was grazed level in the autumn).

Well one started to lamb yesterday and was making a meal of it, so had a feel, no chance couldn't get a hand through the pelvis, so off to the vets for her to try, that resulted in a C section with one live and one dead lamb (typical the ram lamb died) got home from the vets to find the other 2 had started again had a wee feel, no chance, so off to the vets with those. I am now the first client that our vets has done three C sections on the trot on the same day!

The ewe with a single to be fair had a lamb that was a reasonable size but the twin'd ewes had small lambs, (if they had been out of mules I'd have said they were tiny) but even then there was no chance of the lambs getting out.

Have I just been unlucky and managed to pick 3 abnormally tight ewes (there was no fat in the birth canal, just bone).
Or was I foolish to think that a beltex ewe could lamb a beltex lamb?

I think I now have 3 very expensive lawn mowers.......

C B

tr250 · Mar 9, 2015

get rid as soon as possible. Sheep are hard enough work without that hassle.

crazy_bull · Mar 9, 2015

tr250 said:
get rid as soon as possible. Sheep are hard enough work without that hassle.

Oh completely, last time they will see a ram!

C B

tr250 · Mar 9, 2015

My mate used to look after some and said they are a pain. I don't even like to look at them give me a texel anyday

buffalo_soldier · Mar 9, 2015

Heard a tale last week about a chap that has 11 of them.
7 C. sections
3 Vet assists
1 Farmer assist.

No idea on live/dead ratio.
But if the tups are worth £000's whats the problem

Bojangles · Mar 9, 2015

With great difficulty

Johnny400 · Mar 9, 2015

buffalo_soldier said:
Heard a tale last week about a chap that has 11 of them.
7 C. sections
3 Vet assists
1 Farmer assist.

No idea on live/dead ratio.
But if the tups are worth £000's whats the problem

I heard some suffolk and texel flocks with stats like above and think it all the norm too.

Woolless · Mar 9, 2015

Johnny400 said:
I heard some suffolk and texel flocks with stats like above and think it all the norm too.

And they wonder why @easyram1 and his ilk are starting to take their customers?

MRT · Mar 9, 2015

Would you consider an alternative small terminal sire? Its this time of year I push the "pigs in wigs" the hardest. We only have 30 ewes at present and there will be no c-sections. I have only heard of one section in Charmoise ever. A pull or need for attention would be a rarity and (in our case) that lamb would be sold as a butchers lamb and probably the ewe culled too.

Woolless · Mar 9, 2015

MRT said:
Would you consider an alternative small terminal sire? Its this time of year I push the "pigs in wigs" the hardest. We only have 30 ewes at present and there will be no c-sections. I have only heard of one section in Charmoise ever. A pull or need for attention would be a rarity and (in our case) that lamb would be sold as a butchers lamb and probably the ewe culled too.

The problem with the Beltex is the way the pelvis is tilted to allow more muscle attachment. Beltex lamb average birthweight is only 3kg, IIRC. So, in theory, commercial ewes should spit out Beltex lambs and the problems should be restricted to ewes with Beltex blood.

What's the Charmoise pelvis like, MRT?

MRT · Mar 9, 2015

Wide enough to pass the lambs! It's unusual to have lambing trouble in the Peds. even with the higher bw singles born at the end of the lambing period. It helps that the lambs are torpedo shaped and bone structure is light.

Woolless · Mar 9, 2015

MRT said:
Wide enough to pass the lambs! It's unusual to have lambing trouble in the Peds. even with the higher bw singles born at the end of the lambing period. It helps that the lambs are torpedo shaped and bone structure is light.

Hoping to try one this year on some ewe lambs to see how they do. Could have had a good one at Kelso for £150!

MRT · Mar 9, 2015

That would have been a steal! They went for a lot more than that at Builth and Welshpool. I don't think they can be bettered overall as a choice for ewe lambs.

z.man · Mar 9, 2015

Johnny400 said:
I heard some suffolk and texel flocks with stats like above and think it all the norm too.

absolutely no doubt about this really think certain section's of the texel breed need to have a long hard think to themselves or they will self implode(to an extent) as a breed just as the suffolk did. Can be very little argument that in cross bred ewe's the beltex is an easily lambed terminal sire but in the pure's it sees to be a little challenging at times

liammogs · Mar 9, 2015

Same as all breeds theres good and bad types!! Some easy lambing some not just got to find the happy medium!! I got a few beltex keeping them pure.....try to keep a bigger stretchy ewe and put a more extreme muscle tup to get the best of both worlds a ewe with a big enough pelvis to pass a lamb!

easyram1 · Mar 9, 2015

Woolless said:
And they wonder why @easyram1 and his ilk are starting to take their customers?

I was only thinking the other day to myself and somewhat smugly about how much our vets bills have been reduced since our change of direction. In the good old days of "proper pedigree sheep" our vets/drugs bill would have been some way north of £50/ewe in the flock - I dread to think what it would be now and that is apart from the general stress and heartache that accompanied big lambs ewes that would not open etc etc.

andybk · Mar 9, 2015

Well , a neighbours dutch texel ram got in with our pure charollais ewe lambs a few years back out on keep , result one texel x charollais ewe lamb , , nice shape , so left her with the flock thought it would be interesting seeing how she compares with our pures maternal wise , jump on till this year and now a shearling , today she started lambing , lamb coming right so left her alone to get on with it , about an hour later , thought better give a hand , not a huge lamb stuck tight in pelvis , eventually got it out , "dead" with big head and very swollen tongue , very disappointing experiment and now i have been reminded why we kept pure easy lambing charollais all those years ago ,

neilo · Mar 9, 2015

easyram1 said:
I was only thinking the other day to myself and somewhat smugly about how much our vets bills have been reduced since our change of direction. In the good old days of "proper pedigree sheep" our vets/drugs bill would have been some way north of £50/ewe in the flock - I dread to think what it would be now and that is apart from the general stress and heartache that accompanied big lambs ewes that would not open etc etc.

Of course, it would help having a few born out of recipient ewes, as seems to be the answer for a lot of Beltex flocks.

Seriously though, I do dread to think what the production costs are for some guys, per ram that gets to sale. There are certainly plenty that give up on it after a couple of years of heartache.

reverand · Mar 9, 2015

How and why has a breed of sheep been let get to the stage were it can't lamb. The breed itself has a future and purpose so why commit business suicide.

Gulli · Mar 9, 2015

Have 2 Beltex ewes to lamb this year (got rid of one last year as an OAP) and havent pulled a lamb in 3 years of lambing them- ever so scientific I know- texel rams, the ewes seem to spit them out quite quickly.

Beltex, so how do you lamb them??

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