Any prices from Hawes?

[livestock 1]

like it or not they need some colour puting into their faces,my darker coloured ones were making £15-20 more than my light coloured ones.

Light Swales are very fashionable too

 

[Northeastfarmer]

like it or not they need some colour puting into their faces,my darker coloured ones were making £15-20 more than my light coloured ones.

No good having a bonny head and scrawny body

 

[muleman]

Light Swales are very fashionable too

yes,that is the problem

 

[hally]

There’s the dilemma, who do you blame for these narrow lambs?
The breeder who merely responded to the buyers preference for Bonny lambs or the buyer for encouraging this breeding which has lead to the detriment of the sheep

 

[livestock 1]

yes,that is the problem

These Swales look crap.....I know let’s tell them that this is the fashion now

 

[muleman]

No good having a bonny head and scrawny body

a nice face with a good body is what we are after

 

[muleman]

These Swales look crap.....I know let’s tell them that this is the fashion now

 

[Northeastfarmer]

a nice face with a good body is what we are after

I honestly couldn’t care less if theirs heads were pink, the body’s on them now are getting narrower and narrower

 

[livestock 1]

I honestly couldn’t care less if theirs heads were pink, the body’s on them now are getting narrower and narrower

Some say brown faces are better milkers though

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Some say brown faces are better milkers though

Some people will tell you owt to sell you it

 

[livestock 1]

Some people will tell you owt to sell you it

Ha there’s no difference

 

[muleman]

Some say brown faces are better milkers though

and you save on transport costs with the narrower ones

 

[livestock 1]

and you save on transport costs with the narrower ones

Even when you take em back home?

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Even when you take em back home?

He saves on transport costs then

 

[mghley]

Mule breeders need to understand that at the end of the day the fashion for coarse hair in Swale tups, coloured legs and the perfect coloured face in a NCM ewe is really not that important. For many years the NCM has been the backbone of the British sheep industry but there is definitely a swing away from the NCM
I am not on my own in moving away from the NCM and the principle reason is its loss of shape/ conformation. At the end of the day you mule breeders need to produce a better shaped sheep

 

[muleman]

Even when you take em back home?

hah,never thought of that!

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Mule breeders need to understand that at the end of the day the fashion for coarse hair in Swale tups, coloured legs and the perfect coloured face in a NCM ewe is really not that important. For many years the NCM has been the backbone of the British sheep industry but there is definitely a swing away from the NCM
I am not on my own in moving away from the NCM and the principle reason is its loss of shape/ conformation. At the end of the day you mule breeders need to produce a better shaped sheep

Agree with all of this

 

[livestock 1]

Agree with all of this

Yes me too. Go to the fat sale on a Monday at Carlisle and there’s many 45 kilo lambs off white faced ewes. Texels our of mules don’t look that good there

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

Why does having a nice face make the sheep better. Is this some Northern genetic factor that means they all lamb easily and have two lambs which can be sold fat in 12 weeks.
Seriously though I am sure they are mostly good sheep but reality has just clicked in as they have a poor conformation and low value when sold as a cull. Depreciation has been too high for a long time!

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Why does having a nice face make the sheep better. Is this some Northern genetic factor that means they all lamb easily and have two lambs which can be sold fat in 12 weeks.
Seriously though I am sure they are mostly good sheep but reality has just clicked in as they have a poor conformation and low value when sold as a cull. Depreciation has been too high for a long time!

The way they are dropping atm they’ll be less than culls before long