ringi
Member
Using a raw kg weaned figure will favour bigger ewes. Weight of lambs weaned as a percentage of ewe weight at tupping is the better figure.
Unless cull all oversized ewes before topping.
Using a raw kg weaned figure will favour bigger ewes. Weight of lambs weaned as a percentage of ewe weight at tupping is the better figure.
I not convinced that tagging at birth is costly for small flocks and the saved money/time due to geting same output from fewer ewes could justify it.Would require tagging at birth or DNA testing, both of which are expensive.
Yes cull empty’sDo they cull if empty at scanning?
Do they count these culls as loses?
Do they cull based on age?
I see the bigger problem is that selling at a fixed age is cutting short the chances that the most longed lived ewes will have of proliferating their genes (superior genes to a sheep that dies at an earlier age), effectively replacing their potential lambs with lambs born to less proven ewes. Obviously there's a limit to how long a ewe should be kept for and there's an optimum age to sell, but this age varies by many years between individuals.That depends on the relative cost of keeping a ewe lamb as a replacement compared to the cull value of a 4 crop ewe. But I would rather see culling based on kg of lambs from each ewe rather then a fixed age of ewe.
I see the bigger problem is that selling at a fixed age is cutting short the chances that the most longed lived ewes will have of proliferating their genes (superior genes to a sheep that dies at an earlier age), effectively replacing their potential lambs with lambs born to less proven ewes. Obviously there's a limit to how long a ewe should be kept for and there's an optimum age to sell, but this age varies by many years between individuals.
That slows genetic gain.Can party help with this if replacements are never kept from 1st crop.
Can party help with this if replacements are never kept from 1st crop.
Using tup lambs bred from oldest ewes seems the most logical way to me.That slows genetic gain.
That slows genetic gain.
Using tup lambs bred from oldest ewes seems the most logical way to me.
But could you not have older ewes that have better genetics than younger ones born from other ewes, so keeping replacements from the older ones is better?That slows genetic gain.
Potentially.But could you not have older ewes that have better genetics than younger ones born from other ewes, so keeping replacements from the older ones is better?
That's working on the premise that each ram is better than the previous....which isn't always the case.Potentially.
However, at a flock level most genetic gain comes from the ram. Therefore younger ewes should have better genetics than older ewes.
When we're really on it, jnr goes through ewes at tupping, and marks best teeth etc, then using that, we select tup lambs off ewes we like the look/performance off later.Using tup lambs bred from oldest ewes seems the most logical way to me.
I thought it was wrapped silage that raised the life expectancy round here. No more 'farmers lung'.Many factors other than Individual genetic inheritance will determine longevity. 80 years ago the average age of death of men was somewhere around seventy, I forget the precise age, but now is 84. This increase is likely predominantly diet driven and attributable to fortification of foodstuffs with vitamins and trace elements more than being genetically determined. Also of course quality food is widely available. Before world war 2 rickets was relatively common in Britain leading to poor growth and stunting; now that many foods are fortified with vitamins, especially b and d height weight ,and longevity are hugely improved. I suspect that the lack of trace elements and probably also vitamins in sheep may still be somewhat unappreciated and possibly under researched as well as being under treated especially in marginal farming areas. As an example our lambs were cobalt deficient in September despite being given supplements earlier on. This may well have caused some failure to thrive. We are still trying to establish a better b12 regime and continue to explore appropriate measures to enhance other deficiencies.
Life expectancy was early 60s then so a big jump. Better housing and diet has helped but the expectancy was lowered by children dying of infections. Some of those would have lived to 100 if they avoided all the diseases which are now preventable by vaccination. Longevity is strongly influenced by genetics and health promotion and improvements helps the genes to do their stuff.Many factors other than Individual genetic inheritance will determine longevity. 80 years ago the average age of death of men was somewhere around seventy, I forget the precise age, but now is 84. This increase is likely predominantly diet driven and attributable to fortification of foodstuffs with vitamins and trace elements more than being genetically determined. Also of course quality food is widely available. Before world war 2 rickets was relatively common in Britain leading to poor growth and stunting; now that many foods are fortified with vitamins, especially b and d height weight ,and longevity are hugely improved. I suspect that the lack of trace elements and probably also vitamins in sheep may still be somewhat unappreciated and possibly under researched as well as being under treated especially in marginal farming areas. As an example our lambs were cobalt deficient in September despite being given supplements earlier on. This may well have caused some failure to thrive. We are still trying to establish a better b12 regime and continue to explore appropriate measures to enhance other deficiencies.
Definitely not .But when the payment for draft ewes is good there maybe no reason to try keeping past 4crop.
Link please. Thanks.If anyone enjoys a podcast I was listening to the head shepherd podcast the other day where they interviewed a researcher on ewe wastage. Research done in NZ suggested ewe mortality throughout the year was 7-8% and replacement rate close to 30%. Certainly made me feel better anyway
+1 Another issue I have with keeping old sheep is that by the time they do go off, they can be quite frail. It's not fair to them after all the work they have done. They deserve a better end. In years past we have actually shot them here or had them die on us. Better a few quid to us rather than the knacker.Definitely not .
I don't think it's unfair to let a sheep carry on doing what she does for as many years as she is capable, she doesn't think of it as work, she simply wants to live, she isn't hoping to be killed in her prime to avoid frailty in old age.+1 Another issue I have with keeping old sheep is that by the time they do go off, they can be quite frail. It's not fair to them after all the work they have done. They deserve a better end. In years past we have actually shot them here or had them die on us. Better a few quid to us rather than the knacker.