Confessions of the Sheep/Beef Cattle/Pig Addicts

[Optimus]

No it’s nighttime robbery. The enchanted forest is a visual and musical walk through the woods un the dark up at Pitlochry. Did it with the kids years ago. Very good but like all these things way overpriced

£12 for a handheld LED whirlygig for the kids an I have 2.

First time I've been, it was ok but not something I'd do ever year.an stuff doing it in the rain!

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

Might be talking out of turn here, but why don’t more people shear their running lambs a month pre sale? Richard Hargreaves’s proved it didn’t make any difference to trade as a hell of a lot of them get sheared anyway. Ridley’s tried a pen at Hexham second sale and they made well over what was expected. Lot cheaper to shear them than dress them? Just dress the tupping lambs?

Would be much more sensible. At Barney you see lambs folks have spent time tarting up and then as soon as they are sold they are clipped before they go on the wagon
There are going to be a lot of changes in the coming years

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Would be much more sensible. At Barney you see lambs folks have spent time tarting up and then as soon as they are sold they are clipped before they go on the wagon
There are going to be a lot of changes in the coming years

I have been told how many lambs get sheared the Sunday after the big sale at Bentham. It’s a hell of a lot of them. Fit more on the wagons heading to Devon then

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

I have been told how many lambs get sheared the Sunday after the big sale at Bentham. It’s a hell of a lot of them. Fit more on the wagons heading to Devon then

Also when they are going onto places with gorse bushes etc

 

[livestock 1]

If you lowland fellas want store and breeding stock to keep coming out of the hills you're gonna have to send a bit more money our way. Folk think mule lambs have been a good trade but they're a joke really, we've averaged this year the same as we did in 2012, people have short memories and think if they're a couple of quid up on last year they've done well, you fellas are selling culls for the price you're giving us for a replacement anyone buying swale yows needs at least 3 culls to buy a replacement, bps is whats keeping us going in the hills and when we're all gone there's no store and breeding stock for you fellas

Absolutely correct. The future in what we are doing is in jeopardy probably worse than it’s ever been before. Heard yesterday of another one selling up just goes on.

 

[livestock 1]

I have been told how many lambs get sheared the Sunday after the big sale at Bentham. It’s a hell of a lot of them. Fit more on the wagons heading to Devon then

Problem is if you shear them in a mart full of dressed lambs yours will look smaller / less money

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

Due to increase in Iceberg Diseases and them spreading between ewes with indoor lambing the lifetime of mules on many lowland farms is significantly shorter then ewes on high health status fully closed flocks. This must be having an effect on demand for mules.

It only needs a single infected mule to introduce the problem, and the mixing of mules when they are sold/transported along with a sales process that normally results in a lowland farm having mules that come from many upland farms don't help.

Where have these iceberg diseases come from in recent years? because they never seemed to be around before. Are these serious outbreaks as widespread as the impression given, or are they more isolated cases? If you keep your own replacements and there is say a few infected ewes with OPA then their lambs are more likely to be infected so you are worsening the problem. I've got a case of OPA identified for the first time and 4 I culled because they started to get that "look", they were all homebred, out of mules. None of the mules have shown any symptoms

 

[livestock 1]

You're not producing food. You're producing a globally traded commodity that someone else buys and processes into food. Then someone else retails.

If you want to set your price become the processor and retailer.

Years ago when the big changes in agriculture came about things that added cost, in my wisdom I asked the reason why? Why should we endure all these costs? I was told food production was now all combined from start to finish from a lamb being born to the dinner plate as now food production is all one thing. That was over 20 years ago. A retailer or a processor is no use without agricultural production

 

[Full of bull(s)]

Don’t keep sheep so I thought I’d pass it on. Are these the next big thing? You don’t want to miss out

 

[Gulli]

View attachment 1143033Don’t keep sheep so I thought I’d pass it on. Are these the next big thing? You don’t want to miss out

They definitely aren't big!

 

[ringi]

I expect iceberg diseases are more of an issue with indoor lambing as an infected older ewe can infect a younger ewe. So a low level of infection on the hill farms can result in a higher infection level in a farm buying mules.

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

I expect iceberg diseases are more of an issue with indoor lambing as an infected older ewe can infect a younger ewe. So a low level of infection on the hill farms can result in a higher infection level in a farm buying mules.

Only if the mules are lambed inside, plenty lamb outside.

 

[ringi]

Only if the mules are lambed inside, plenty lamb outside.

Can also reduce risk by buying all replacements from the same source and keep flock spilt by age.

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

Can also reduce risk by buying all replacements from the same source and keep flock spilt by age.

I think that's very important and often overlooked

 

[andyt87]

New bitch settling in ok anyway, still getting used to each other and havn't tried her on sheep whilst the tups are in. Been doing a load of fencing so no work with the fat lambs since getting her either

 

[unlacedgecko]

New bitch settling in ok anyway, still getting used to each other and havn't tried her on sheep whilst the tups are in. Been doing a load of fencing so no work with the fat lambs since getting her eitherView attachment 1143052View attachment 1143053

Registered? Price?

 

[andyt87]

Registered? Price?

Unregistered from registered parents. £500

 

[RMSLLOYD]

14 500gns for a south Welsh mountain tup at Penderyn

Welsh Mountain ram to 28,000 at Dolgellau just now

 

[Cowpoke82]

Welsh Mountain ram to 28,000 at Dolgellau just now

No money on sheep farming though

 

[andyt87]

Welsh Mountain ram to 28,000 at Dolgellau just now

Much windmill money involved like blackies or is it self funded insanity?