Confessions of the Sheep/Beef Cattle/Pig Addicts

[Bill dog]

View attachment 1177010
Neighbour has two sheep, one was yeld, one expecting triplets of course. Can anyone guess which one managed to choke itself to death between his tractor wheel and step ???

Funky wee tractor , and a pity about the ewe, but what pansy puts a ridiculous cab on a tiny tractor . What’s wrong with hail and sleet hammering you on the face !

 

[neilo]

Do they still kill out as badly as they were renowned for ? Or has the NZ influence of Wairere got them sorted out now ?

I would imagine that any animal bred to have a big engine room, as required to live well off forage, will suffer in terms of KO%, whether sheep or cattle.

A big gut is exactly the opposite of what you need for high KO%.

 

[Hilly]

I would imagine that any animal bred to have a big engine room, as required to live well off forage, will suffer in terms of KO%, whether sheep or cattle.

A big gut is exactly the opposite of what you need for high KO%.

Its whats needed to live off poor quality forage tho .

 

[yellowbelly]

Cotswold need 2 summers really. Suppose no one has ever tried to improve them, wouldn’t matter if it 5 years to get fat if you had a high value wool every year.

That's what they did in the old days - the wool was the main product, the meat was the byproduct back then.

We got our first draw of Cotswold hoggs next week, 4 out of the 60. Been on roots all winter then hopper for the last 6 weeks. Christ they are really are shite, plus none of the mothers have lambed yet and where due 25th March. I don’t have much to do with them (management “shepherd” them) but do want to take them on a try and improve a little.

If they're anything like Lincolns (and they are) nothing has been done to improve the breed since Robert Bakewell's time.
I've a little 'crossbred' flock of Lincolns that I'm putting the myostatin gene in.

Reading the Texel breed society handbook, it says something like, "The Texel breed was founded on the island of Texel in such and such year using this breed, that breed, another breed but mainly a Lincoln."

This got me thinking I might use an outcross to a Texel to get some myomax.
These are a set of twins I'm using as stock tups by a Lincoln out of a Texel x Lincoln ewe....

As lambs

As sheatlings...

Both carry one copy of the myostatin gene.
When I get a tup lamb with 2 copies, I'll be sure all his progeny carry one.
Blood tested the best tup lambs last week
This is my best crossbred Lincoln gimmer this year....

The myostatin gene will shift the grades from R to U ... or maybe in the Cotswold case from O to R

 

[Estate fencing.]

If they're anything like Lincolns (and they are) nothing has been done to improve the breed since Robert Bakewell's time.

I don’t keen improve the breeding just maybe feed the ewes and look after them a little so they milk.

 

[jendan]

View attachment 1176893
No style today, all the crossbred texel types were meat but the breed of the mothers being anyone’s guess really.
The Cheviot tup Hogg wasn’t quite full of meat, but I looked in his gob and his teeth were starting to space. So I thought he’d better go before he pops teeth through and devalues himself (might not affect the price but I’m not for risking it)
Blackies were nice meat but light as you can see. But that’s the type of lamb I start with, not the hoggs fault.
all in all for the type of Hogg I presented I’m not going to be complaining anytime soon.

The blackies could be going back to the mart in June,unless he is buying for someone else.

 

[Gulli]

That's what they did in the old days - the wool was the main product, the meat was the byproduct back then.

If they're anything like Lincolns (and they are) nothing has been done to improve the breed since Robert Bakewell's time.
I've a little 'crossbred' flock of Lincolns that I'm putting the myostatin gene in.

Reading the Texel breed society handbook, it says something like, "The Texel breed was founded on the island of Texel in such and such year using this breed, that breed, another breed but mainly a Lincoln."

This got me thinking I might use an outcross to a Texel to get some myomax.
These are a set of twins I'm using as stock tups by a Lincoln out of a Texel x Lincoln ewe....

As lambsView attachment 1177019
View attachment 1177018

As sheatlings...
View attachment 1177023
Both carry one copy of the myostatin gene.
When I get a tup lamb with 2 copies, I'll be sure all his progeny carry one.
Blood tested the best tup lambs last week
This is my best crossbred Lincoln gimmer this year....
View attachment 1177026
View attachment 1177027 View attachment 1177028
The myostatin gene will shift the grades from R to U ... or maybe in the Cotswold case from O to R

Lovely sheep definitely not my thing but nice all the same

 

[neilo]

That's what they did in the old days - the wool was the main product, the meat was the byproduct back then.

If they're anything like Lincolns (and they are) nothing has been done to improve the breed since Robert Bakewell's time.
I've a little 'crossbred' flock of Lincolns that I'm putting the myostatin gene in.

Reading the Texel breed society handbook, it says something like, "The Texel breed was founded on the island of Texel in such and such year using this breed, that breed, another breed but mainly a Lincoln."

This got me thinking I might use an outcross to a Texel to get some myomax.
These are a set of twins I'm using as stock tups by a Lincoln out of a Texel x Lincoln ewe....

As lambsView attachment 1177019
View attachment 1177018

As sheatlings...
View attachment 1177023
Both carry one copy of the myostatin gene.
When I get a tup lamb with 2 copies, I'll be sure all his progeny carry one.
Blood tested the best tup lambs last week
This is my best crossbred Lincoln gimmer this year....
View attachment 1177026
View attachment 1177027 View attachment 1177028
The myostatin gene will shift the grades from R to U ... or maybe in the Cotswold case from O to R

If you used a myostatin carrying Charollais, you could breed some of that awful shaggy wool off too...

 

[JockCroft]

I doubt the nz type romneys will make them kill out better more like worse , ive ised them both and much prefer the British genetics , all that nz stuff is just marketing garbage for punting plain sheep

I wish you had written that 18 months ago.
The NZ x lambs form last year did look poor fleshing, but had a kg or two advantage over tex/beltex. Price per kg was little difference.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

The blackies could be going back to the mart in June,unless he is buying for someone else.

Good luck to him if he makes a shilling out of them. I’m happy at £3.75/kg. I’ve made my bit.

 

[yellowbelly]

If you used a myostatin carrying Charollais, you could breed some of that awful shaggy wool off too...

Yeah, the Charollais do take the wool off but I'm just aiming for a Lincoln with a better carcase.

I started playing around with it when it looked like Defra were going to come up with a scheme that paid handsomely for native breeds grazing in their original locations.

I knew that if such a thing ever came off..
a) There'd not be enough Lincolns to go round.
and..
b) if there were, nobody would be too keen unless they would grade better.

Obviously that's all been superseded by SFI but, as I've started, I'm quite enjoying playing around with it.

Maybe I should get out more

 

[Mrs Y B]

Yeah, the Charollais do take the wool off but I'm just aiming for a Lincoln with a better carcase.

I started playing around with it when it looked like Defra were going to come up with a scheme that paid handsomely for native breeds grazing in their original locations.

I knew that if such a thing ever came off..
a) There'd not be enough Lincolns to go round.
and..
b) if there were, nobody would be too keen unless they would grade better.

Obviously that's all been superseded by SFI but, as I've started, I'm quite enjoying playing around with it.

Maybe I should get out more

Yeah, the Charollais do take the wool off but I'm just aiming for a Lincoln with a better carcase.

I started playing around with it when it looked like Defra were going to come up with a scheme that paid handsomely for native breeds grazing in their original locations.

I knew that if such a thing ever came off..
a) There'd not be enough Lincolns to go round.
and..
b) if there were, nobody would be too keen unless they would grade better.

Obviously that's all been superseded by SFI but, as I've started, I'm quite enjoying playing around with it.

Maybe I should get out more

We most definitely should!!

 

[yellowbelly]

It appears that not only am I being stalked ....


.......but she's repeating herself, too

 

[Anymulewilldo]

We most definitely should!!

Ooooooo @yellowbelly Busted!! You’d better behave now!

 

[yellowbelly]

Ooooooo @yellow belly !!! Busted!! You’d better behave now!

You've tagged the wrong one.....


.......the arable one from south Lincs will be scratching his head in the morning wondering what on earth you're talking about

 

[Anymulewilldo]

You've tagged the wrong one.....


.......the arable one from south Lincs will be scratching his head in the morning wondering what on earth you're talking about

I didn’t know there were 2 of you!!

 

[yellowbelly]

I didn’t know there were 2 of you!!

He has a gap between his yellow and his belly

 

[hendrebc]

Didn't really think this through but it's worked out OK so far. Mum and dad usually do the problem lambs during the night because they still live on the farm save me having to drive up to feed one lamb like this. But had an operation on her wrist on Thursday so she can't do anything for 2 weeks and she usually does the bottles dad doesnt like that job. I picked up this runty little thing cold hungry and almost dead last night about 7pm so thought I'd bring it home to warm up and get it going again because it would be easier than driving back to check on it and feed it. Sent the wife a message just to warn her but didn't get a reply assuming she hadn't seen it.
Came home to 3 of my own very exited kids and another 3 of their friends who were just as exited to see it... no pressure for it not to die then
It looked a bit better by 9pm after a tube and lamp so I fed it twice during the night and just given it a little bit more and it's stood up bleating. That's a bloody relief!
I was going to take it back quick before anyone got up if it died and try and find one thats already a pet that looked like it

 

[hendrebc]

Didn't really think this through but it's worked out OK so far. Mum and dad usually do the problem lambs during the night because they still live on the farm save me having to drive up to feed one lamb like this. But had an operation on her wrist on Thursday so she can't do anything for 2 weeks and she usually does the bottles dad doesnt like that job. I picked up this runty little thing cold hungry and almost dead last night about 7pm so thought I'd bring it home to warm up and get it going again because it would be easier than driving back to check on it and feed it. Sent the wife a message just to warn her but didn't get a reply assuming she hadn't seen it.
Came home to 3 of my own very exited kids and another 3 of their friends who were just as exited to see it... no pressure for it not to die then
It looked a bit better by 9pm after a tube and lamp so I fed it twice during the night and just given it a little bit more and it's stood up bleating. That's a bloody relief!
I was going to take it back quick before anyone got up if it died and try and find one thats already a pet that looked like it
View attachment 1177113
View attachment 1177115

Ffs kids have noticed that the lamb is a girl and now they want to keep it. Just what we want a runt from a single that didn't have enough milk for it
Really didn't think this through

 

[Olly_eavis254]

I doubt the nz type romneys will make them kill out better more like worse , ive ised them both and much prefer the British genetics , all that nz stuff is just marketing garbage for punting plain sheep

Bought some NZ romneys as couples last year and the lamb weighed like corks pulling them at 44kg and was still dying 17.9-18.6kg whereas all our other lambs Suffolk and texel x Heinz 57 ewes were 44kg aswell and dying 19.5kg plus all the time