TexX ewes - which Tup to use?

Gator · Jun 9, 2020

Nithsdale Farmer said:
Was up at my mates yesterday and did 70 odd Mule dry hoggs and 20 something pure BFL and pure Texel ewe and tup hoggs. Nice steady day easy going. Got hone last night and ran 100 of my ewes into the cow shed for doing today.

Glad they're done but was regretting it half way through. They weren't very good going... sticky round the edges/points, shyte bellies (although most were clear of the belly) and still fully zipped up the neck. They were mostly good shearing once you got them opened, but a lot of work and no big tallys.

The very first ewe up the race, destined to stand in the decoy dropped dead as soon as she got there. Gutting at the best of times but she was a good ewe. I felt better for shearing when I found a ewe well struck - they'd started in clean wool up in the small of her back! I was very surprised to see it.

I felt better for the bad shearing, once they were out with there lambs. When I had finished shearing I shut the gate and was looking over them... aye the 'poor doers' had bloody good lambs on them.
View attachment 885582

Tomorrow is to be a wash out so I've another 100 shut in tonight - might not get any more done til Friday otherwise. Not confident of their shearing quality after today, but there's a lot more plucks laying in their fields so I'm hopeful. But, If they break me, I'll just keep them in and do them over 2 days if needs be...

Still got the ewes to do yet, im not looking forward to them, just might get someone in. Done about 60 today, some hoggs , very good to do, some sufforks, big fat lazy feckers, with bellies that need a blow torch on, then a few tups thst where real barstwards, wouldn't bend, fought all the time

Nithsdale · Jun 9, 2020

Gator said:
Still got the ewes to do yet, im not looking forward to them, just might get someone in. Done about 60 today, some hoggs , very good to do, some sufforks, big fat lazy feckers, with bellies that need a blow torch on, then a few tups thst where real barstwards, wouldn't bend, fought all the time

The ewes today didn't fight but they were awkward. Lifting their front leg when you're doing the neck or shoulder, curling their back legs... Stiff necked and always wanting to turn their head the wrong way.

You always get the odd one but I've ever seen a group of ewes carry on like that. Had 3 bite me today, too!!

firther · Jun 10, 2020

ya putting me off starting wi main 1s are you 2

Green farmer · Jun 10, 2020

Nithsdale Farmer said:
The ewes today didn't fight but they were awkward. Lifting their front leg when you're doing the neck or shoulder, curling their back legs... Stiff necked and always wanting to turn their head the wrong way.

You always get the odd one but I've ever seen a group of ewes carry on like that. Had 3 bite me today, too!!

Were they your ewes or someone else's ?

Nithsdale · Jun 10, 2020

Green farmer said:
Were they your ewes or someone else's ?

Aye, my own.

Doing another 100 today, stopped for lunch at 1pm there. 38 left to do. They're much better going - sitting a lot nicer and not so many bad ones

Nithsdale · Jun 11, 2020

Been raining here for a solid 24hrs

grass took a very noticeable jump this morning and the whole farm is a lot greener tonight. I think the drought is over... But I don't think I've ever done a day's shearing then had to get kitted out in full waterproofs to put the ewes back in the field

Markedly better going than yesterday - seemed to be a lot more younger ewes in this group, so that'd explain it. Funny though, as these 2 mobs were just a straight split at the end of lambing, and it was yesterday's mob which were the ones split out and moved... they also sat better and were much more cooperative.

Thats 421 shorn here with about 300 still to do and somewhere around 950ish done in total.

The neighbours who I sheared for last week called in this morning, so he took the other machine and did a few. Used our spare/2nd handpiece... and it sounded like a sack of nails! Probably needs a good service but I've emailed pictures of it and another very old handpiece to Horner to see what value they'd put on them and give me prices to change. So I'll maybe chop them both in for a new oil bath Suregrip (although I actually really fancy the Supershear Viper), see what Wullie comes up with.

Will take a good drive round the hill tomorrow and see what I think the singles look like. They might get gathered in for shearing on Friday

pgk · Jun 11, 2020

Nithsdale Farmer said:
Been raining here for a solid 24hrs grass took a very noticeable jump this morning and the whole farm is a lot greener tonight. I think the drought is over... But I don't think I've ever done a day's shearing then had to get kitted out in full waterproofs to put the ewes back in the field
View attachment 886179

Markedly better going than yesterday - seemed to be a lot more younger ewes in this group, so that'd explain it. Funny though, as these 2 mobs were just a straight split at the end of lambing, and it was yesterday's mob which were the ones split out and moved... they also sat better and were much more cooperative.

Thats 421 shorn here with about 300 still to do and somewhere around 950ish done in total.

The neighbours who I sheared for last week called in this morning, so he took the other machine and did a few. Used our spare/2nd handpiece... and it sounded like a sack of nails! Probably needs a good service but I've emailed pictures of it and another very old handpiece to Horner to see what value they'd put on them and give me prices to change. So I'll maybe chop them both in for a new oil bath Suregrip (although I actually really fancy the Supershear Viper), see what Wullie comes up with.

Will take a good drive round the hill tomorrow and see what I think the singles look like. They might get gathered in for shearing on Friday

Still waiting for our rain to arrive, no more than a few light showers?

Nithsdale · Jun 11, 2020

pgk said:
Still waiting for our rain to arrive, no more than a few light showers?

Been breezy and dry all day, till I got the hill singles gathered tonight! They'll have a dampness on them, the bike was wet by the time we were in the shed... but they're in for shearing tomorrow.

That was about 6:30 I shut the shed gate on them. Still raining now, everything is soaking. The grazing fields are actually jumping with the rain, despite being stocked as heavy as any other year!

Would've had the hill ewes in sooner and before the rain, but for a few being at the farthest away end from the gate... and this awkward bitch having fun playing "come and get me"

But we got there. Another 90 to do tomorrow, they're looking pretty good - only noticed 1 which I thought might be bad shearing.

Get these done and it just leaves the last mob of 170 (the hill twins, running away on grass parks) for next week

Nithsdale · Jun 16, 2020

No pictures from that lot I did on Friday... they were worse than they looked. Did an hour before lunch and was ready to give up and put them back in the field! I gave them another chance after a decent break and I got a really good run and fairly got through them. Then the last handful were crap again. It was raining by time I had finished so put them into a nearby field... where they had to stay until yesterday morning. They've had Dysect now and are back to the hill. That'll keep them covered upto weaning. There had been prolonged heavy rain over the weekend with a lot of firey heat. The grass is rocketing now! Silage fields have bulked up markedly and I'm fairly confident we are on for a usual crop - even if it will be a few weeks late.

Haven't been as active on the fencing front the past couple years, and any job we had been doing was repairs/maintenance to old fences etc... but I've finally got started on a big stretch of the hill dyke which causes headaches with cattle rubbing on and ewes jumping. It's never been wired before, but that will change! Got all the posts in today, wire will go on tomorrow

Yep, that's the (2nd hand) new loader tractor. Very pleased with it so far.

When we were shearing on Friday brother thought he'd do a few just to help get them done. The 2nd handpiece has always run a bit rough (that's why it's the 2nd handpiece) but he was moaning it was really bad. After 5 or 6 sheep he put it back in the box complaining his hand was throbbing/tingling and sore. His words were that handpiece is f**ked, get yourself a new one.

So who am I to argue with a green light like that

I was very close to buying a Lister Outback, or Supershear Viper... but I kept to what I know and decided I was probably best sticking with an oil bath, so it's a Horner (Beiyuan) Suregrip. I've traded in the Lister Golden and the older Lister with the overlapping forks for it. It's a tiny little more bulky in the hand than the Lister Golden (might just be the flock grip?) but feels OK... I'm not shearing again until hopefully Friday (keeping an eye on these thunderstorms and trying to plan getting them home dry), so it'll just have to look pretty for a couple days before I can get her heated up and see what I think. Just need a solid drive next...

All the gear, but no idea

Gator · Jun 17, 2020

Nithsdale Farmer said:
All the gear, but no idea

Sounds familiar

???

Bill dog · Jun 17, 2020

Don’t be fooled @Nithsdale Farmer into thinking we’ve forgotten about the promise of the shearing video.!

If you’ve only 170 left, you’ve got 169 attempts to get the pattern spit on !!
After all we are all experts here !

Nice tractor!

yellowbelly · Jun 17, 2020

Bill dog said:
Don’t be fooled @Nithsdale Farmer into thinking we’ve forgotten about the promise of the shearing video.!

Gator · Jun 17, 2020

Bill dog said:
Don’t be fooled @Nithsdale Farmer into thinking we’ve forgotten about the promise of the shearing video.!
If you’ve only 170 left, you’ve got 169 attempts to get the pattern spit on !!
After all we are all experts here !
Nice tractor!

Nithsdale · Jun 17, 2020

Bill dog said:
Don’t be fooled @Nithsdale Farmer into thinking we’ve forgotten about the promise of the shearing video.!
If you’ve only 170 left, you’ve got 169 attempts to get the pattern spit on !!
After all we are all experts here !
Nice tractor!

It's all just a cunning plan to keep you engrossed in this thread! Tease you with the promise of something juicy and it peaks your attention every time you see I've posted

Nithsdale · Jun 19, 2020

Looonnnggggg day!

170 ewes shorn. Their 300 lambs ran through the Gripper to be wormed, multivit dosed, checked and ewe lambs marked on the shoulder then all sprayed with Zermasect (Dysect).

This was the hill twins (and a few singles which got in off the hill). Very good shearing, but could've done with more condition. Lambs looking tremendous, but a few are dirty - they've only ever had 1 dose for Cocci, so I gave them a white drench incase it's Nemo bothering them. But I suspect its just the rain we have had making the grass lush...

There were 4 ewes struck, with 1 looking like she had been struck earier and this was a 2nd go!!

(good ewe but I'm for culling her now).

So I'm very glad to say my (own) shearing is finished for 2020. Been one of them days, I've only stopped twice, an hour at lunch and when I shut the field gate at 7:45pm there... so no pics or the shearing video. Sorry folks!

The inbye Texel lambs are coming in tomorrow for their first worming, and a spray of Vectocert... depending on how knackered I feel after walking today's mob back to their ground - where they should now can be forgotten about until weaning

Norfolk Hill Farmer · Jun 19, 2020

Why Zermasect for one group and Vectocert for the other ?

yellowbelly · Jun 19, 2020

Norfolk Hill Farmer said:
Why Zermasect for one group and Vectocert for the other ?

I'd guess.................

Long withdrawal period for Zermasect (for ewe lambs he'll be keeping).Some of the ones done with Vectocert might be ready before the retention period would be up for Zermasect.

Nithsdale · Jun 19, 2020

Norfolk Hill Farmer said:
Why Zermasect for one group and Vectocert for the other ?

Zermasect for the pure Lleyn lambs which are up on the high ground, far away from home and logistically I don't (can't) take fat lambs from the wedders until they are back home and weaned. Guaranteed longer fly cover (10 weeks) and tick cover. The meat withdrawal period (7weeks) isn't important/restrictive...

Vectocert for the Texel lambs inbye because they need covered now, but I expect to start selling lambs soon. Poorer fly cover (6 weeks... ish) but it has a very short meat withdrawal (8 days).

I'll choose anything over an Elanco product.

Nithsdale · Jun 20, 2020

I cracked on and got all the inbye ewes with Texel lambs gathered and in today.

Wormer, multi vit, vectocert.

Had to split them into 2 groups to work with, so half stood out in the old pens the time I did the other half.
Really pleased how the lambs are doing, the drought hasn't held them back that's for sure.

Pretty knackered tonight. I'm not religious but tomorrow is definitely a day of rest!

Woolless · Jun 20, 2020

Nithsdale Farmer said:
I cracked on and got all the inbye ewes with Texel lambs gathered and in today.

Wormer, multi vit, vectocert.
View attachment 888774 View attachment 888776 View attachment 888779

Had to split them into 2 groups to work with, so half stood out in the old pens the time I did the other half.
Really pleased how the lambs are doing, the drought hasn't held them back that's for sure.

Pretty knackered tonight. I'm not religious but tomorrow is definitely a day of rest!

Good day here too. Big mob in, Easycares eight-week weights done. Hampshire x lambs crovect and everything second Jag Ovivac. Wasn't going to have a drink this weekend but a day relying on the kids to push sheep up to me in the sun resulted in that decision being reversed. Mutton burgers, Spotify tunes and McEwans Export tonight ?

TexX ewes - which Tup to use?

Never Forgotten

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Never Forgotten

Member

Member

Never Forgotten

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

0 %

Up to 25%

25-50%

50-75%

75-100%

100% I’ve had enough of farming!

Share this page