Suffolk mules

Further a field

Member
Livestock Farmer
I normally buy texel type mules but am considering some Suffolk mule ewe lambs out of north country mules. Any views good, bad or indifferent welcome .I wouldn't be tupping them as lambs but would run them on.
 

Estate fencing.

Member
Livestock Farmer
I lambed home bred Suffolk mules for 10 years I said I would never do it again after lambing 500 yearlings one year. They where terrible, didn’t mother there own lambs and got big a fat easy. But couple of years ago bout a nz Suffolk and lambed the resulting yearlings down for the first time this year, they mothered better than mules and where no problem at all. The lambs have done well and most have gone as strong stores. Got 100 more this time and they are looking well, more like dark mules than heavy Suffolk’s really, only problem is the jump out the prattley as soon as the come in.
 

Agrivator

Member
I normally buy texel type mules but am considering some Suffolk mule ewe lambs out of north country mules. Any views good, bad or indifferent welcome .I wouldn't be tupping them as lambs but would run them on.

I would make sure they come from further up the hill so that hey don't get a shock.

As Andybk said above, they are a very popular cross. And Texel crosses out of them also make very good breeding sheep,
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Some interesting reading for you:


I dare say they wouldn't be quite as bad if you breed your own though, and source the Suffolks sensibly, rather than picking some big eared, big boned buggers out of the auction ring.
 

Mc115reed

Member
Livestock Farmer
One thing you should know is this forum in the sheep department is more popular with the Romney, easy care, or other random NZ style or shedding outdoor lambing sheep…. Some of them are quite my breeds better than yours and wouldn’t have a good word said about the early indoor lambing Suffolk mule man…. Personally I love the Suffolk mule they take the tup well for January lambing and they give plenty of lambs…Iv no trouble with them mothering, or with there milk or with keeping grass infront of them… they suit my system at the minute …
 

Ysgythan

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Ammanford
I normally buy texel type mules but am considering some Suffolk mule ewe lambs out of north country mules. Any views good, bad or indifferent welcome .I wouldn't be tupping them as lambs but would run them on.
Went to see a Texel breeder’s farm. He had Pedigree Texels, purebred Suffolk’s, NEMSA mules, their daughters out of Texels and Suffolks, their daughters out of Charolais and their daughters out of Romney’s. Of all the crosses the Suffolk x mule ewe lambs were my pick.

We’ve had a few out of Scotch Mules as recipients. They work well, but we wouldn’t keep many of the Texel cross ewe lambs out of them. Good mart lambs, and saleable as breeders if you prefer though.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
One thing you should know is this forum in the sheep department is more popular with the Romney, easy care, or other random NZ style or shedding outdoor lambing sheep…. Some of them are quite my breeds better than yours and wouldn’t have a good word said about the early indoor lambing Suffolk mule man…. Personally I love the Suffolk mule they take the tup well for January lambing and they give plenty of lambs…Iv no trouble with them mothering, or with there milk or with keeping grass infront of them… they suit my system at the minute …

If you want a ewe that will get in lamb early, and you’re going to lamb them indoors, then they’d be hard to beat ime. However, I’d certainly be doing some homework on the Suffolk blood behind them, rather than buying well produced ewes in the market.

For a later lambing flock, I wouldn’t give Suffolk crosses house room ever again, but each to their own.:)
 

Top Tip.

Member
Location
highland
I confess to never having lambed Suffolk x mules but I did find it interesting on a visit to one of the top Texel breeders the other week he had a park full of them for recips. He really rated them as mothers.
 

Mc115reed

Member
Livestock Farmer
If you want a ewe that will get in lamb early, and you’re going to lamb them indoors, then they’d be hard to beat ime. However, I’d certainly be doing some homework on the Suffolk blood behind them, rather than buying well produced ewes in the market.

For a later lambing flock, I wouldn’t give Suffolk crosses house room ever again, but each to their own.:)
Glad we agree they have there place… after all, if everybody was running a flock of may lambing shedding easy cares off grass, there would be some bloody lambs about for sale in September and f**k all else for sale the rest of the year… different systems create that all year round supply we need too spread prices
 

noagain

Member
I normally buy texel type mules but am considering some Suffolk mule ewe lambs out of north country mules. Any views good, bad or indifferent welcome .I wouldn't be tupping them as lambs but would run them on.
I bought, privately, 30 ewe lambs for 2 years and lambed as hoggs. I have 10 adopter pens, when they were 1+2 crop I had 8 suffs in them plus 2 others and another 2 suffs waiting to get a spell in them. As I said only bought them for 2 years
 

Ysgythan

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Ammanford
Sounds like the Suffolk part of the equation is all important. If I was going to have a flock for early lambing, I would be trying to source some by an NZ Suffolk or a more maternal UK type. Buying big strong sheep at the mart could be buying a lot of work.
Nah, it’s half mule, they’ll carry any old tup…
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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