Best ewe Indoor February lambing.

Kingcustard

Member
Just wanting to get some opinions.

Currently lamb 300 mules indoors Feb/March but to be honest getting sick of the mules and the amount they eat, the udder problems and the amount of triplets I seem to get from them.

Had Scottish mules for decades but as I get older I am losing my patience with them. I find it shocking how few ewes you have to sell fat after 5 crops of lambs, there is always too many with the cull mark on them after every lambing.

I am not needing any lessons in sheep farming or lambing thankyou please!!!!

Just curious as to what people would recommend to lamb indoors to cut out the problems mentioned above.

I am well aware all breeds have problems too, just not as many as my mules haha.

There must be a cross that is slightly more docile, doesn't need a kilo of feed a day so they have milk, have good udders and like the prospect of actually living for a year or two.

Posting this now because come May when I am selling lambs for good money I forget about all of the issues I get a lambing time.

Does anyone run any of the newer composites like Durnos, Highlanders, etc and have good success.

And just to include everyone in the conversation, which tups would give me the easiest lambing and Hardy lambs.

As you can see I am having a large clear out this year and looking to trial 200 ewes of a different breed to get my faith back in sheep.

Have 300 easycares but don't fancy these wild buggers in a shed, they are fine on the hill.
 

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
Just wanting to get some opinions.

Currently lamb 300 mules indoors Feb/March but to be honest getting sick of the mules and the amount they eat, the udder problems and the amount of triplets I seem to get from them.

As you can see I am having a large clear out this year and looking to trial 200 ewes of a different breed to get my faith back in sheep.

Have 300 easycares but don't fancy these wild buggers in a shed, they are fine on the hill.
Not looking forward to the EC trips and quad here, as they will need to be kept close... Hopefully a few days on ewe rolls will calm them down again!
 

Kingcustard

Member
Not looking forward to the EC trips and quad here, as they will need to be kept close... Hopefully a few days on ewe rolls will calm them down again!
I have 230 to the NZ Suffolk so no cake going near them, already having nightmares about lambs needing pulled, going to set up gates along fences all over the hill for catching them.

The rest are gimmers to the EC tup, hoping they continue to do it all themselves. If the NZ Suffs have any problems everything will be remaining pure from now on.
 

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
I have 230 to the NZ Suffolk so no cake going near them, already having nightmares about lambs needing pulled, going to set up gates along fences all over the hill for catching them.

The rest are gimmers to the EC tup, hoping they continue to do it all themselves. If the NZ Suffs have any problems everything will be remaining pure from now on.
Mine are old girls all to myomax EC, so hoping all will be fine... 🤞

I have just completed a new pig netting fenced lambing field, with a funneled holding pen that I sincerely hope will not be needed, and if necessary, it is 5mins to house them! Twins are hopefully staying out and away, but see how they get on, at worst, they can be brought with the trips.
 

sheepwise

Member
Location
SW Scotland
Going all Logie crosses here after having them for last few years. A medium sized ewe which is much easier kept and very maternal but most importantly gives a quality lamb to terminal sure in our case Charollais. We breed our own from our hill NCC and BF hill ewes. They could be more difficult to source if buying in.Think the mules aren’t as good now off the crossing type tups ,as you say big, hard and hungry.
 

Kingcustard

Member
@sheepwise I have spoken to Gregor at Logie over the last few years about ewes but never bit the bullet but needing a clear out this year and so will be after 200 gimmers or young ewes, I will give him a call although he is probably sick of my calls saying I may need sheep and never following through. Hopefully I don't follow through at the price of them haha
 

JohnAC

Member
Livestock Farmer
We have some ECx NZ Suffolk seem easier fleshed than our mules more lambs than our EC look nice sheep were lambed as ewe lambs last year and was happy with milk etc have them in lamb to meatlinc so will be interested to see half our easycare ewes go to the meatlinc and we are really impressed by them as a terminal sire
 

spark_28

Member
Location
Western isles
Going all Logie crosses here after having them for last few years. A medium sized ewe which is much easier kept and very maternal but most importantly gives a quality lamb to terminal sure in our case Charollais. We breed our own from our hill NCC and BF hill ewes. They could be more difficult to source if buying in.Think the mules aren’t as good now off the crossing type tups ,as you say big, hard and hungry.

How do you think the logie would do on pure Lleyns?
 

Jonp

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Gwent
Go old style here. I have homebred mules out of South Wales Mountain sheep. Find them easy to keep, little or no bag problems, long lived (have 7 croppers), good mothers, lamb relatively easily, feet good (don't trim). About five days off lambing and ewes are still in big field next to shed. They can come and go as they please. They are getting half a bag of rolls chucked at them in the evening (100 ewes) and then stay in the shed all night eating hay and sleeping. Came back from winter grass tack six days ago looking good. Did some udder checking last night and they're filling up nicely. Will only shut them in shed with a small run out field when first lamb appears. Lambs go out after about 2 to 4 days, weather permitting.
Put to lleyn, charolaise or texel rams. Not the meatiest of ewes but will milk well off grass or sugar beet pellets if little grass.
 

Kingcustard

Member
Go old style here. I have homebred mules out of South Wales Mountain sheep. Find them easy to keep, little or no bag problems, long lived (have 7 croppers), good mothers, lamb relatively easily, feet good (don't trim). About five days off lambing and ewes are still in big field next to shed. They can come and go as they please. They are getting half a bag of rolls chucked at them in the evening (100 ewes) and then stay in the shed all night eating hay and sleeping. Came back from winter grass tack six days ago looking good. Did some udder checking last night and they're filling up nicely. Will only shut them in shed with a small run out field when first lamb appears. Lambs go out after about 2 to 4 days, weather permitting.
Put to lleyn, charolaise or texel rams. Not the meatiest of ewes but will milk well off grass or sugar beet pellets if little grass.
So are they Welsh mules or are they something else. Had English mules but not overly keen on them.
 

Jonp

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Gwent
I used to love mules but they have gone soft, need to fund a breeder who breeds hardier types, all seem to be for form over function these days
I still love my mules! They don't live on a harsh hill but are still pretty tough; cold, wet, snowy, rain or sunshine they get on with it. Good workers to employ...and they look good.
MVIMG_20180610_140600.jpg
 

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