Lifetime ewe cull rates

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
Listened to this Head Shepherd podcast recently. A study followed an NZ cohort of 13,000 ewe lambs from weaning through their productive life.

Key points

Only 10% survived to cull as 6yr old
50% were culled before this point
40% died on farm

Does anyone have similar figures for UK yet? I know this is what Challenge Sheep is looking into, but I haven't seen any results yet.

How does this vibe with posters own records?

What are the implications? Does this counteract the philosophy that a big expensive replacement has her cost offset by increased cull value?
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
I’d have thought after the initial month of transition once they arrive from the North your little Shetland’s should be pretty bomb proof? Hard little sheep
Mortality this batch to date is 1%. That's 01 Oct to present. Had a couple with pneumonia in the autumn then the odd screw that's melted since.

Also had 1% mortality in tupping F1 ewe lambs. Stud easycares and F1 2 tooths are nil. But we've still lambing to come.
 

MRT

Member
Livestock Farmer
Listened to this Head Shepherd podcast recently. A study followed an NZ cohort of 13,000 ewe lambs from weaning through their productive life.

Key points

Only 10% survived to cull as 6yr old
50% were culled before this point
40% died on farm

Does anyone have similar figures for UK yet? I know this is what Challenge Sheep is looking into, but I haven't seen any results yet.

How does this vibe with posters own records?

What are the implications? Does this counteract the philosophy that a big expensive replacement has her cost offset by increased cull value?
That is bonkers. Keeping and spending on those ewes for 40% to die on farm. Can they not get thier act together and cull at 5? What the devil is killing them over those years and why are they not sorting it?
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
Interestingly the same episode spoke about condition scoring, and how its use it not totally widespread in NZ. Even then, some farmers that do draft on condition score do so by visual guess as the ewes run up the race.
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
Probably the deaths increase as the years increase, if that 40% is evenly spread however you would have to record what they was killing them and sort it out, madness
My understanding (from other studies, including Australia) was mortality didn't significantly increase till 6 1/2. Hence the age cull at 6. I could be wrong though, I often am.
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife

For anyone interested, here's the most up to date study data. I haven't had a chance to read the detail.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 78 42.9%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 63 34.6%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.5%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 5 2.7%

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

  • 1,286
  • 1
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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