Gwlan is wool in welsh i thought it might have been something to do with that. The welsh must have stolen the name from latin or the other way around maybe.
Easycares and blowfly
- Thread starter wbow14
- Start date
- Location
- West Wales
Like a lot of English words wool doesn’t match any other language, French German Latin and welsh all use similar words for window.
Newby
Member
- Location
- East Yorkshire
What's the Welsh for less? As in wool-less?
Less is ‘llai’ but the double ‘ll’ sound would be a nightmare for you guys to pronounce. Like Llanelli. You’d be spitting all over the place. None would be ‘dim’.
Danllan
Member
- Location
- Sir Gar / Carms
The Latin word was in use long before the Romans arrived in Britiain so, like pont / bont, I think we took the word from them.
We've tried word games for re-naming our Easycares, there's nothing Welsh that will work well in other languages - meaning it could be pronounced unambiguously and properly. 'Exlana' works well across languages because it's Latin, but Easycare wouldn't work as a direct translation, 'simplex' and 'facile' not helping.
The Romans liked abbreviations, perhaps we could have a Latin version of Easy sheep = Fac ov…
- Location
- Devon
I think the honest answer to that is they have been seen as "goats", lacking conformation. (As well as being different).
This has had some basis but they are improving - especially the Exlanas ime. Many will compare them to a terminal x ewe that is popular in many circles, but they are more fairly (and favourably) compared to a maternal breed such as a mule, Lleyn or highlander.
The "mess" is also what stopped me from trying them until the last few years. Now with them on the farm this is not the issue I feared it may be, though whether I can convince some of my landlords is yet to be tested. Rubbing points would be more of a concern than wool around the fields in this respect.
Many of our customers are large flockmasters that sell deadweight and so don't get noticed by many farmers i guess ---they also tend to treat lamb production strictly as a business
Heblan works. [emoji106]
There's a shedding breed in Germany which has been called the Nolana - same principle.
GreenerGrass
Member
- Location
- Wilts
If the biggest problem with the breed is the name then there can't be a lot wrong with it. Wait til the showmen get involved once it has a new name, they'll get all excited and order some special bloom and start breeding for pointier ears and a bonnie head. Jesus H Christ, come on lads, it's called an easycare, deal with it!
So if the easycare or any other breed changes its name to or chooses the name 'heblan' im caiming lifetime rights to have as many top 1% index rams of my choosing as i want so that they can use my name
Woolless
Member
- Location
- Berwickshire, Scottish Borders
Therein lies the problem, high index tups are difficult to find as very few breeders can be arsed recording (I have four top 1% tups on the place currentlySo if the easycare or any other breed changes its name to or chooses the name 'heblan' im caiming lifetime rights to have as many top 1% index rams of my choosing as i want so that they can use my name
).TALDLONKTUP2
Member
No, the biggest problem with the breed is they're kept by people on the lowlands who think they've done well when they they get hill farm levels of output and only consider gross margins per ewe, turning a blind eye to net margins across the farm whilst living of the payments. They're often used as a fig leaf for pretend farmers.....a breed which ironically, given the claims made by it's breeders, was born out of the current subsidy system where just sitting on land makes the money. If it is survive as a breed in the future then mature size, growth rates of lambs, milk and lamb numbers will all have to increase.......in my opinion
.....!
Woolless
Member
- Location
- Berwickshire, Scottish Borders
Some of your latter points could certainly be improved (as I am endeavouring to do) but a woolless Mule isn't going to suit everyone. I think @Tim W has made the point that with shedders turnover may be less but profit is better due to less costs incurred. IMO, those resting on their laurels are more likely to run Mules or similar, where they can just buy replacements, put a Texel on them and kill the lot. No thinking required.No, the biggest problem with the breed is they're kept by people on the lowlands who think they've done well when they they get hill farm levels of output and only consider gross margins per ewe, turning a blind eye to net margins across the farm whilst living of the payments. They're often used as a fig leaf for pretend farmers.....a breed which ironically, given the claims made by it's breeders, was born out of the current subsidy system where just sitting on land makes the money. If it is survive as a breed in the future then mature size, growth rates of lambs, milk and lamb numbers will all have to increase.......in my opinion
But what do I know? I'm just a kid on farmer that can't be arsed to do a proper lambing
Plenty of folk keeping shedders on hill farms ---(with good net margins without the dole money) Speak to @Mossfennan Easycares ---
I would argue that shedders (and other low input sheep) are actually preparing a way for the absence of the current subsidy system , for a future when sheep farming has to hold its own in a world market
I am also keen to point out that there is a vast array of shedding type sheep (just as there are many different types of woolly sheep) ---I can show you shedders with 50kg mature weights that operate on hill farms as well as 85kg lowland ewes that churn out E & U grade fat lambs in 12/14 weeks
Shedding is just a single trait that some of us happen to think is an economical asset ---I hope that the ''Cleanskin'' movement can evolve without the ''breed'' arguments that seem so prevalent in other sections of the livestock industry
I would argue that shedders (and other low input sheep) are actually preparing a way for the absence of the current subsidy system , for a future when sheep farming has to hold its own in a world market
I am also keen to point out that there is a vast array of shedding type sheep (just as there are many different types of woolly sheep) ---I can show you shedders with 50kg mature weights that operate on hill farms as well as 85kg lowland ewes that churn out E & U grade fat lambs in 12/14 weeks
Shedding is just a single trait that some of us happen to think is an economical asset ---I hope that the ''Cleanskin'' movement can evolve without the ''breed'' arguments that seem so prevalent in other sections of the livestock industry
Wtf why not? Id have thought the easycare lot would be a forward thinking bunch that would be all about recordingTherein lies the problem, high index tups are difficult to find as very few breeders can be arsed recording (I have four top 1% tups on the place currently
i wouldnt buy an unrecorded ram without any figures to breed replacements from im sure a lot of others eouldnt either
Wtf why not? Id have thought the easycare lot would be a forward thinking bunch that would be all about recording
i wouldnt buy an unrecorded ram without any figures to breed replacements from im sure a lot of others eouldnt either
You know where to come to
This Wednesday ---largest sale of recorded shedding tups in Europe www.exlana.co.uk
Not this year but probably another year. Getting a ram lamb off a friend locally to try this year to get me started then see how the shedders work here. I see no reason why they wont work well but dad is taking some persuadingYou know where to come to
Woolless
Member
- Location
- Berwickshire, Scottish Borders
Yes, so you would think. But the breed society have, up until now, been content to promote the functional nature of the breed but paid only lip service to encouraging the membership to record their sheep. I was at a meeting the night before the inaugural society sale at Worcester mart to discuss performance recording the breed. The general thrust of the conversation was we would like the benefits but don't want the hassle, particularly at lambing time. To be fair, most are lambed outside and there's no doubt tagging up lambs is a bit of work. But someone has to do it if the benefits of high index tups are to be enjoyed.Wtf why not? Id have thought the easycare lot would be a forward thinking bunch that would be all about recording
i wouldnt buy an unrecorded ram without any figures to breed replacements from im sure a lot of others eouldnt either
It's telling that the few recorded flocks are in Scotland, Ireland and Wales. @Tim W and his mates have that market in England with the Exlana.