Thinking of changing my sheep breed from mule and mule x ,and trying wool shedding easy care type ewes, a lot of my ewes are getting old ,so this would be a good year to change . is there any breed of sheep you could compare them with so I could have some idea what I'm getting into , I know there will be differences with in any breed and how they are culled. But just a rough idea ?
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Changing sheep breeds
- Thread starter Bones
- Start date
Live,,, but was thinking of putting terminal rams of different breeds on the ewes ,and buying in ewe lamb replacments
spin cycle
Member
- Location
- north norfolk
CopperBeech
Member
- Location
- A Welsh man lost in England
There is big variation. Some wool shedders are very like welsh mountain ewes, only more prolific. Others are more like lleyns, or even mules. There is a lot of size variation etc. You will get different type and quality depending upon where you buy.
even the ewe lambs .....put a wooly terminal on a shedding ewe and the lambs will look 'normal'
Welsh mountain, lleyns,mules, I'd be happy enough with those characteristics
CopperBeech
Member
- Location
- A Welsh man lost in England
The right ones are just a good maternal ewe that loses its wool.
Hope I get the right ones
spin cycle
Member
- Location
- north norfolk
SheepFarmer10
Member
put a wooly terminal on a shedding ewe and the lambs will look 'normal'
So if you end up with lambs just as wooly as normal, won't they be as susceptible to blowfly as normal lambs.
Big own goal if you ask me.
Blowfly control doesn't cost a lot for ewes anyway.
The real reason I would be getting into them would be to cut down on ewe numbers , ,,working away from the farm , ,,,but if I cut down on the numbers of the Woolie sheep that I have now I would never get a Shearer to clip them , they like big numbers around here , hoping to go from 220 to 120 sheep , not big numbers I know , but when working and lambing doesn't mix that we'll
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
I think the point of woolshedders is the savings in checking stock for coupies, and then the work of Shearing - so it's fuel, time, labour, shearers...
There's an argument a ewe 'wastes' alot if energy growing wool, so shedders are potentially cheaper to keep too by taking less feed.
Flystrike prevention/control is only 1 aspect, of a much larger picture.
Cab-over Pete
Member
- Location
- Kenilworth, Warwickshire
Surely wool shedders still grow wool, it just sheds.
I was up north a few weeks ago and walked a field with about 100 or so Easycares and lambs. I thought they looked shocking. The lambs didn't look to be thriving, neither the ewes. A dozen or so were extremely lame and I could see a couple had infected udders. As soon as I got a plastic bag from my pocket to take a soil sample their ears pricked up. They knew what a bag was even though the owner claimed everything he did was off grass.
I'm no expert, but I wasn't impressed at all.
I was up north a few weeks ago and walked a field with about 100 or so Easycares and lambs. I thought they looked shocking. The lambs didn't look to be thriving, neither the ewes. A dozen or so were extremely lame and I could see a couple had infected udders. As soon as I got a plastic bag from my pocket to take a soil sample their ears pricked up. They knew what a bag was even though the owner claimed everything he did was off grass.
I'm no expert, but I wasn't impressed at all.
is there any way you could adjust your shearing date - so that even a smaller number would appeal to the shearers?
NZDan
Member
- Location
- Broomfield, New Zealand
In theory yes, but they grow very little wool, perhaps 200-500 grams.
That's what I do at the moment , winter shearing, means ewes are housed a long time , and it was a bad spring to be turning out ewes , but it does work , its all up in the air yet I might never change my system, its just housed ewes cost money, only concern I would have with easycares would they be as attentive as say a scotch mule . and how Hardy they would be . most reports on here are good , as said before I would use some kind of terminal sire on them, wounder do they have a wide birth canal like a mule ? ... I have no knowledge of the breed at all
Woolless
Member
- Location
- Berwickshire, Scottish Borders
I'm sure I could find a field of Hampshires which looked like that somewhere! Sounds like they are just bad sheep, poorly managed.
I think @ Nithsdale Farmer expounded the benefits of a shedding ewe as well as I could.
Cab-over Pete
Member
- Location
- Kenilworth, Warwickshire
I'm not starting a woolly sheep/shedding sheep argument, just saying what I saw.
I'm sure they're good sheep, but I don't like like the look of even a great flock. If all you want is to make money I'm sure they're great, but if I wanted to make money and enjoy looking at my flock, I don't think I would keep them.
I'm sure they're good sheep, but I don't like like the look of even a great flock. If all you want is to make money I'm sure they're great, but if I wanted to make money and enjoy looking at my flock, I don't think I would keep them.