Beef / Lamb & Pig Price Tracker

I know nothing about swales (some would say I know nothing in general :ROFLMAO:) but do people only sell there worst swale gimmer lambs?
Surely if you went to the effort of keeping swale ewe pure you would keep all the best lambs a home.
If this is true at £100 average they are mental but if most are good sheep £100 doesn't sound to bad for mule breeders.
The £100 Swale gimmers would be good strong types capable of breeding a good mule lamb
Usually they are put to a Swale tup for at least the first year of breeding which is as a shearling or thieve as some call it
If you tup them with a BFL as a shearling you will ruin them for life
Good Swale gimmer lambs were £90 last year all day long but had to be good to make that
Ive not been to any sales so stand to be corrected
Some do sell all the poor ones out but these usually appear at later sales
 

Estate fencing.

Member
Livestock Farmer
The £100 Swale gimmers would be good strong types capable of breeding a good mule lamb
Usually they are put to a Swale tup for at least the first year of breeding which is as a shearling or thieve as some call it
If you tup them with a BFL as a shearling you will ruin them for life
Good Swale gimmer lambs were £90 last year all day long but had to be good to make that
Ive not been to any sales so stand to be corrected
Some do sell all the poor ones out but these usually appear at later sales
Thanks.
So when they say uncrossed on the draft ewes that means that they haven't been with a BFL.
 
Thanks.
So when they say uncrossed on the draft ewes that means that they haven't been with a BFL.
Yes uncrossed Swale ewes when you see them means that they have only been to a Swale tup or kept pure
Sometimes you might see a pen of 4/5 crop ewes which have grizzly faces (grey looking) and a bit stressed look like they’ve had a paper round and a milk round (like me) sold as uncrossed and this might be questionable especially if the vendor sells big mule gimmer lambs. This doesn’t happen very often though but does happen nevertheless
 

Estate fencing.

Member
Livestock Farmer
Yes uncrossed Swale ewes when you see them means that they have only been to a Swale tup or kept pure
Sometimes you might see a pen of 4/5 crop ewes which have grizzly faces (grey looking) and a bit stressed look like they’ve had a paper round and a milk round (like me) sold as uncrossed and this might be questionable especially if the vendor sells big mule gimmer lambs. This doesn’t happen very often though but does happen nevertheless
So does rearing mules pretty much bugger them up then? Sorry of the questions (it is Saturday), but its is very interesting so I know nothing about hill farming.
 
So does rearing mules pretty much bugger them up then? Sorry of the questions (it is Saturday), but its is very interesting so I know nothing about hill farming.
It doesn’t bugger them up as such but it does alter them a lot and doesn’t half take it out of them and age them. If you imagine it’s one thing buggering a bout on a fell with a single little swaley lamb to cater for compared to having a pair of big mule lambs sucking them inbye. Usually a swale ewe is best put to the Leicester tup around three crop otherwise it just buggers her up as before that age she is still growing out and developing strength. This is why swale draft ewes are so dear. Theoretically you would think it’s better to go out and buy shearlings or gimmer lambs for replacements to breed mule lambs but it isn’t and if you do that you aren’t straight into action if you follow me. They really need to be three crop then go to Leicester
 

casper74

Member
Location
North Yorkshire
Swaledale gimmer lambs looked a very good trade at Middleton today. Don't know for sure but would say they must of averaged around £100
I spoke to Mont last night, he said they averaged £93 for all sold, best ones around £125-£145, smallest £50-£60, he said they had been a real trade, plenty of customers and the sheep were in good condition overall.
 
I have often wondered why swales are sold as crossed or uncrossed. From what you say the reason is that the uncrossed ones have had a slightly easier life and should last longer for the next man.
Learn something every day on here.
Don’t get me wrong you can buy a load of good Swale ewes which have been crossed around four crop and will still do a job if you want. You get to know who to buy off as time goes on and find which ones are genuine ewes. Problem is everyone wants the same ones. Best ewes are bought off proper Swale men and the ones who have stuck to their type not the silvery faced little bodied narrow shoulder types which are shyte
 
I learnt a lot from you and @Anymulewilldo, the best lessen is buy all the short jaw and stiff legged lambs to can get your hands and next year you can buy rangerovers and the prize wins gimmer lambs. 😂
Well yes you can do it that way if you aren’t too worried about what you look like buying such things. Just remember you will buy a few more than you will sell and you will be on first name terms with the worst ones before they go. My last ones only went 2/3 months ago
 

Estate fencing.

Member
Livestock Farmer
Well yes you can do it that way if you aren’t too worried about what you look like buying such things. Just remember you will buy a few more than you will sell and you will be on first name terms with the worst ones before they go. My last ones only went 2/3 months ago
Oh I’m not worried what I look like buying that for sure, I might change my name to anyoldcrapforaprofit! 😂. When I’ve bought little store Hoggs cheap in the past I usually end up selling more sheep than I buy. 😳😂
 
Oh I’m not worried what I look like buying that for sure, I might change my name to anyoldcrapforaprofit! 😂. When I’ve bought little store Hoggs cheap in the past I usually end up selling more sheep than I buy. 😳😂
My lad said I had lost the plot when he was stuck in the sheep pens offloading and dealing with the loads of average store ‘stuff’ I had raked up
He also said I had definitely lost the plot when we recycled that money into some dear ish cattle this spring
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.5%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 65 34.9%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.1%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 6 3.2%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,287
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top