TexX ewes - which Tup to use?

Nithsdale · Jun 7, 2019

80 Scotch Mule ewe hoggs, including a handful dry ewes done this afternoon... that's 507 done this week. I'm happy with that!

I never enjoy doing my mates hoggs - hoggs are always ALL clipping, but his squirm and wriggle and fight all the time. My ones just sit there and let you get on with the job!! They were OK going, but not amazing, nice size and decent condition though. My back was about giving up when we stopped and I was getting sick of it... bad part is I know there's 50 more before we are into his ewes.

I'm just hoping my 140 hoggs behave themselves now, they are up next

hendrebc · Jun 7, 2019

I finally got some dry sheep today. Got the dry hoggs in first rain was forecast mid morning but it still hasn't rained at 9am so thought f**k it lets get some more in I'll do the hoggs tomorrow. Shut the hoggs in as little space as I could and went to gather some ewes and lambs in and they ran in just as it started to rain. Did them mixed in with the lambs it was too wet to think about taking them to the pens to sort. Ended up turning out about 1/4of them because they got wet running into the shed last. That slowed me down quite a bit but still managed to do 60 in 4 hours which was 60 more than I thought I'd be able to do this week looiking at the forecast this morning. 120odd dry hoggs to do tomorrow they will be like your mates. I'm not looking forward to them they're arseholes and will fight and kick me all day

Nithsdale · Jun 7, 2019

Atleast your hoggs will have emptied, he fetched his in this morning. We were forecast to be dry upto 3pm, been a really good day here but aye it chucked it down around 4pm. Things are pretty wet now and tomorrow is a write-off for everyone. Won't lift the handpiece til Tuesday now by the looks of it.

Bellies are a sickener, but if they sit and behave the job is OK

Just off the phone someone wanting me to go help him shear some sheep next week (which he says aren't ready but owner wants them done!). Said I would if I could but my own comes as priority first and the weather isn't giving us any spare days...

hendrebc · Jun 7, 2019

Nithsdale Farmer said:
Atleast your hoggs will have emptied, he fetched his in this morning. We were forecast to be dry upto 3pm, been a really good day here but aye it chucked it down around 4pm. Things are pretty wet now and tomorrow is a write-off for everyone. Won't lift the handpiece til Tuesday now by the looks of it.

Bellies are a sickener, but if they sit and behave the job is OK

Just off the phone someone wanting me to go help him shear some sheep next week (which he says aren't ready but owner wants them done!). Said I would if I could but my own comes as priority first and the weather isn't giving us any spare days...

Yes I hadn't planned on letting them empty but it's worked out well doing the others today. Looks like it will be dry on Sunday here till late Monday morning so I'll hopefully get the rest of the bunch I didn't do today done. Not too worried after that if I don't get any more done for a week or two even.
I'd have made any excuse up not to have to go and shear someone's sheep that aren't ready

let's hope he can't get them dry for a while

Nithsdale · Jun 10, 2019

Been a good day here, could've been shearing... but there's a big breeding cattle sale at Dumfries so everyone's at it leaving the shepherd on his own

Set the trailer up, up at the hill farm yesterday ready for doing the hoggs. Spend this morning shifting ewes round at home so they are handier for shearing.
Spent this afternoon gathering the windfarm hill and shut the hoggs in one of the sheds. It's a loose hardcore floor so they'll stay clean and dry... and be empty for tomorrow

The rain came on as I was tidying some rubbish in the shed and it's drizzled away since so I'm glad they are in. I'm ever hopeful I'll get all my sheep shorn this week but the forecast isn't so promising...

Nithsdale · Jun 10, 2019

@Bill dog or whoever else it was?... if you remember I described the pens up there and said the estate had ruined the sheep yard so they could work with cattle, well here's the yard for you to see. It was once upon a time state of the art sheep farm.

hendrebc · Jun 10, 2019

I said I'd show you some pictures of charollais cross lleyn lambs a while ago. Finally got round to it but didn't do a particularly good job of doing it

I had some ewes and lambs in the shed today for shearing and remembered but didn't really have time to take good pictures or find the best lambs so what was in the pen when I remembered was what you see here. There are some lambs that look almost pure charollais and are very well shaped but they weren't in the pen so these are what I got. These are typical of the type really so is probably a more honest than thing to show than picking out the best ones like some would do. Pleased with them so far.
@neilo @TexelBen @will6910

Downunder · Jun 10, 2019

Thanks for the pictures. Always nice to see the top end but in reality the average is what we need to see so well done!

TexelBen · Jun 11, 2019

hendrebc said:
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I said I'd show you some pictures of charollais cross lleyn lambs a while ago. Finally got round to it but didn't do a particularly good job of doing it I had some ewes and lambs in the shed today for shearing and remembered but didn't really have time to take good pictures or find the best lambs so what was in the pen when I remembered was what you see here. There are some lambs that look almost pure charollais and are very well shaped but they weren't in the pen so these are what I got. These are typical of the type really so is probably a more honest than thing to show than picking out the best ones like some would do. Pleased with them so far.
@neilo @TexelBen @will6910

Must be a good Charlie to get shape out of a lleyn
[emoji12] [emoji12] [emoji12] [emoji12]

Nithsdale · Jun 11, 2019

TexelBen said:
Must be a good Charlie to get shape out of a lleyn
[emoji12] [emoji12] [emoji12] [emoji12]

Go sit on the naughty step and think about what you've said

yellowbelly · Jun 11, 2019

TexelBen said:
Must be a good Charlie to get shape out of a lleyn

goin' to need yer tin hat on with fighting talk like that

hendrebc · Jun 11, 2019

TexelBen said:
Must be a good Charlie to get shape out of a lleyn
[emoji12] [emoji12] [emoji12] [emoji12]

My lleyns aren't normal shapeless types though

Did i send you pictures of the last 2 rams I kept back?

TexelBen · Jun 12, 2019

hendrebc said:
My lleyns aren't normal shapeless types though
Did i send you pictures of the last 2 rams I kept back?

Nope, WhatsApp me [emoji106][emoji106]

hendrebc · Jun 12, 2019

TexelBen said:
Nope, WhatsApp me [emoji106][emoji106]

I'll take some when they are in for shearing if it ever stops raining. I couldn't find the last ones I took.

Nithsdale · Jun 12, 2019

Bloody hell she's windy today!! Doesn't feel like June at all

But f**k it, I'm clipping sheep all the same! Weather forecast was looking touchy last night so stuck 1 mob in the cattle shed, for cracking on with today

things were very wet at 6am but there's been no rain since and all that wind has dried things up.

130(ish) today, takes the count to 760(ish). I'm a day behind last year, having passed 720 a year ago yesterday. But we are on track. Another 140ish fetched in just there so we should pass 900 tomorrow, regardless of the rain. Get them done and there's just the 200 or so hill ewes to do and that's my lot all done for another year

The ewes are OK going, but not quite as good as I had been expecting. But better than last year! Most just feel a bit dry, they're missing a week of good heat to get the oils and sweat into the wool... But I had several ewes today which are struck, nothing bad but no signs until you got into the wool - most were in the 'small' of their back or at the shoulders, all in clean wool. This surprised us all and is almost unheard of, especially this early in the year. Any belly wool was bad going, too, so it's a bit of a strange year for the ewes.

No videos of me shearing, but here's the set up

Nithsdale · Jun 12, 2019

Out after tea tonight gathering the hill twins and fetching them closer to home. Plan is to do them on Friday, but the rain forecast I doubt I'll get them...
Quite a few dirty lambs in this group, they'll be wanting wormed

I will gather the hill tomorrow, after I finish shearing.

unlacedgecko · Jun 12, 2019

Nithsdale Farmer said:
Drum roll please !...

Used the mobile yard today for the first time Nemo drench and copper multi vit for the Suffolk lambs. Lambs are almost all 5-7weeks of age, with the bulk around the 6 week. The 1 which had gotten very skittery and prompted me wanting to worm them has dried up a bit, but peace of mind now they are all done - for a while, at least

Wasn't sure how I'd get on with the yard, so I used all the hurdles out the back and ran them into it before setting up the dosing race and forcing pen. It's set up in the farthest away corner of the field - I don't think we will ever have driven the ewes into there before so really wasn't confident of them 'playing ball' but with the dog they went in fine - better than I had hoped! The ewes went through the race OK and I shedded them off leaving just the lambs to dose... but the lambs took a lot of work to get through. Probably too shiny and new, new system for us all and ofcourse lambs are young so just want back to mum - I wonder if sheeted hurdles for the forcing pen would be better
It worked fine though, once I made the dosing race and forcing pen, it wasn't really for holding many more than the 70 something ewes and 120 lambs... I'd think 100 with lambs would be its limit. Definitely think l'll buy more hurdles to make it bigger, but I'll plug on as it is this year and get them in the autumn or winter
View attachment 790746 View attachment 790748 View attachment 790750 View attachment 790752

DO NOT USE SHEETED HURDLES FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN A RACE.

I was short of hurdles and used a couple on a forcing pen 2 years ago. A hogg with lamb at foot jumped out to get to her lamb. She caught her foot in the hurdle and snapped her leg below the hock. £300 vet bill and she still never recovered.

Nithsdale · Jun 12, 2019

unlacedgecko said:
DO NOT USE SHEETED HURDLES FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN A RACE.

I was short of hurdles and used a couple on a forcing pen 2 years ago. A hogg with lamb at foot jumped out to get to her lamb. She caught her foot in the hurdle and snapped her leg below the hock. £300 vet bill and she still never recovered.

Using them as forcing pen at the moment

works pretty well as they can't see a way out other than following round and up the shedding race

The gap at the top is pretty small. I think (

) I'd be pretty unlucky to have something catch a leg on them.

unlacedgecko · Jun 12, 2019

Nithsdale Farmer said:
Using them as forcing pen at the moment works pretty well as they can't see a way out other than following round and up the shedding race

The gap at the top is pretty small. I think ( ) I'd be pretty unlucky to have something catch a leg on them.

Only need to be unlucky once...

Nithsdale · Jun 12, 2019

unlacedgecko said:
Only need to be unlucky once...

That's true

TexX ewes - which Tup to use?

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