Any prices from Hawes?

[muleman]

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

but you will have 2 lambs per ewe dont forget,quite a few of the fancy shaped lambs will be singles.Its hard to prove but i often wonder if the mule really is worse now or just that the fashion has gone to these texel and beltex crosses which has just made it `look` worse.

 

[livestock 1]

Breeding sheep have been dear to buy in the past

 

[Northeastfarmer]

but you will have 2 lambs per ewe dont forget,quite a few of the fancy shaped lambs will be singles.Its hard to prove but i often wonder if the mule really is worse now or just that the fashion has gone to these texel and beltex crosses which has just made it `look` worse.

I had 3 mules only have 1 lamb a piece this year...now that is a kick in the cock

 

[muleman]

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!

if you think depreciation is bad on them try the swales!

 

[livestock 1]

but you will have 2 lambs per ewe dont forget,quite a few of the fancy shaped lambs will be singles.Its hard to prove but i often wonder if the mule really is worse now or just that the fashion has gone to these texel and beltex crosses which has just made it `look` worse.

I have a lot of mule ewes. I’ve had nothing better yet. Nothing has beaten them for my system. Yes we have Cheviots and Suffolk crosses Texel crosses but they are all inclined to have one or pee off and leave it or don’t want any. Mules much better on the whole

 

[livestock 1]

if you think depreciation is bad on them try the swales!

Will they be cheap?

 

[muleman]

Will they be cheap?

anyones guess...but if they arent they wont be coming here!

 

[livestock 1]

anyones guess...but if they arent they wont be coming here!

Some flock depreciation on buying swale draft ewes

 

[muleman]

Some flock depreciation on buying swale draft ewes

there is,thats the dilemma,do you breed your own but then be stuck with horned wethers to get rid of and shearlings to lamb and hoggs to winter......or buy a draft that is straight into production with 2 lambs, a bit harsh but hopefully the swale men will have faces as long as the mule breeders in 2 weeks but i wouldnt count on it!

 

[mghley]

Imo Over the years when trade has been good the mule sales have included far too many poor quality running lambs which has resulted in an abundance of 3rd rate shearlings and this is giving the NCM a bad name. It is time for your breed society to introduce sale standards not based on how coarse the tups hair was, the colour of its legs or how dark the lambs face is but focus conformation and wool and encourage the bottom end of the ewe lambs to go through the fat and make the NCM better able to compete with the continental crosses and those breeders trying to re-invent the wheel with the new composite breeds.
For years it seems you breed standards have been driven by fashion and not what the commercial lamb producer needs !
My apologies rant over.

 

[livestock 1]

there is,thats the dilemma,do you breed your own but then be stuck with horned wethers to get rid of and shearlings to lamb and hoggs to winter......or buy a draft that is straight into production with 2 lambs, a bit harsh but hopefully the swale men will have faces as long as the mule breeders in 2 weeks but i wouldnt count on it!

Don’t often agree with the wife but-she reckons there’s no point in us selling a mule gimmer lamb the using a lump of the money to buy a draft swale ewe I haven’t been able to find a good enough argument to disagree wit her

 

[livestock 1]

Imo Over the years when trade has been good the mule sales have included far too many poor quality running lambs which has resulted in an abundance of 3rd rate shearlings and this is giving the NCM a bad name. It is time for your breed society to introduce sale standards not based on how coarse the tups hair was, the colour of its legs or how dark the lambs face is but focus conformation and wool and encourage the bottom end of the ewe lambs to go through the fat and make the NCM better able to compete with the continental crosses and those breeders trying to re-invent the wheel with the new composite breeds.
For years it seems you breed standards have been driven by fashion and not what the commercial lamb producer needs !
My apologies rant over.

Look at the Swale ewes. They are smaller lighter and narrower. Some of the Leicester tups get bad conformation too

 

[muleman]

Don’t often agree with the wife but-she reckons there’s no point in us selling a mule gimmer lamb the using a lump of the money to buy a draft swale ewe I haven’t been able to find a good enough argument to disagree wit her

well i better not argue with her either then!

 

[mghley]

Look at the Swale ewes. They are smaller lighter and narrower. Some of the Leicester tups get bad conformation too

Good point made and where does the NCM come from ?

 

[livestock 1]

well i better not argue with her either then!

Worst bit is swale shearings are no good either as it just wrecks them. We always buy some they always seem dear

 

[muleman]

Worst bit is swale shearings are no good either as it just wrecks them. We always buy some they always seem dear

thats what i was saying before,no easy answer, maybe we`ll have to join the beltex brigade!

 

[hally]

Surely if as much effort and money is put into breeding conformation back into the mule as breeding for bonny heads and purl dipping, the problem should be easily sorted.

 

[livestock 1]

Surely if as much effort and money is put into breeding conformation back into the mule as breeding for bonny heads and purl dipping, the problem should be easily sorted.

There’s some narrow shouldered Swales about now. They can stand with both front feet on a fiver

 

[Old Tip]

My pure cheviots grade well with a good third grading U with a few E’s and the rest will be R’s. The Cheviot Mule wethers all grade at an R with the odd U and the Charley lambs out of the few gimmers I don’t sell all grade E or U.
Their heads are white and so are their legs but they are great mothers, milk well and usually lamb at 180% sold. By the way I still have thirty odd tupping size lambs to sell

 

[egbert]

My pure cheviots grade well with a good third grading U with a few E’s and the rest will be R’s. The Cheviot Mule wethers all grade at an R with the odd U and the Charley lambs out of the few gimmers I don’t sell all grade E or U. Their heads are white and so are their legs but they are great mothers, milk well and usually lamb at 180% sold. By the way I still have thirty odd tupping size lambs to sell