Easycares and pure lambs

[Nithsdale]

Im sure this has been done to death, but after a search I wasn't really finding the info I was after.

How do the pure wedders do? Against all philosophy of 'easycare' I would still band the tails and balls. If I went down the Easycare ewe route, how should I expect the lambs to do/grow/fatten? Would they do similar to my Lleyns?
They'd be running on very old PP upland and hill (bracken).

I'm mainly looking at Easycares, as I can source them locally - there's breeders reasonably close, and a sale at Carlisle... What's the avg. prices for gimmers and the tups?
What sort of lambing % should I expect from them?



No, no... Dont panic - I'm not binning my current ewes!!

 

[Danllan]

We don't do the tails - what's the non-aesthetical point when they don't need dagging? - or the balls on any we are planning to send for slaughter young or to breed from. How will they do? Can't remember exact ages for individuals, but ten weeks after lambing started we put them all through the race for drenching and weighed the biggest lambs, say 20% of the total, and they were all comfortably over 30kg on just grass and milk.

We have our Easycares all from recent Welsh strains, there is a definite size difference to be seen nationally. Lambing % - excluding ewe-lambs - for us + a couple of neighbours is around the 1.6-1.7 mark, so not a patch on Lleyns in that regard. However, there are several Lleyn flocks around here - West Carms - and we have nothing like the overheads or time input per head of stock. No lambing except for the occasional ewe-lamb, no shearing, no dagging, no foot problems so far - they always have access to zinc licks.

The bigger your current flock, the more time you will save relative to it with Easycares.

 

[Ysgythan]

Two flocks locally. One on red sandstone, quite high, but ex dairy farm. Sheep do well. Bottom 25% at mart but cost him nothing to get there. He's a good stockman and knows how to run grassland, although his hands are riddled with arthritis so if it wasn't for these he may as well sell up.

Another on an enclosed limestone outcrop on top of the neighbouring hill. Definite sheep farm but used to turn out good improved Welsh (Heavy Cheviot influence) lambs - top 40% at mart. Easycares there don't do well enough to totally shed let alone fatten.

 

[Sheep92]

We were gradually crossing one flock of ewes with easycares and are crossing everything with easycares this year, we find the half bred lambs kill out well and are very easy fleshed, good lambs to weigh also, only drawback is that itl probably be another 8 years before the flock is fully shedding, oh another thing, most are sold dw but the few that go live i havent noticed much difference in prices

 

[Nithsdale]

Round here the pures would need to go direct. I know that already, but it doesn't bother me - so long as they don't take forever to grow or fleshen up and the lambs do kill out well. Ewe cull value may be poor, as they will have to go live...

Despite getting the opportunity to put ewes on more ground, I will have very little input on grazing management... I won't be farming the place, just grazing amongst cattle. Grass is in abundance, but once grazed off Itl be a different story. For all its just next door - steading to steading is about 4-5 miles up what is basically a forestry track, and the march is away out on our hill - so its not ideal to just 'nip over'. Fuel and time traveling/checking wool ewes twice daily before shearing could cost a fortune.

As for banding... I missed few Texel lambs this lambing, so they have tails and balls. I'm actually quite disappointed when I handled them last week, they were raw compared to the rest
The balls will be getting done regardless of what others think... and for the effort/cost I may as well do the tail when the lamb is caught.

Just trying to get my head round options.

I don't expect the lambs to make as much as my Texels or Suffolks, but, after taking a draw of ewe lambs to keep, if they can pay all costs and leave me something to put in my pocket then I have to consider it.

 

[Ysgythan]

Round here the pures would need to go direct. I know that already, but it doesn't bother me - so long as they don't take forever to grow or fleshen up and the lambs do kill out well. Ewe cull value may be poor, as they will have to go live...

Despite getting the opportunity to put ewes on more ground, I will have very little input on grazing management... I won't be farming the place, just grazing amongst cattle. Grass is in abundance, but once grazed off Itl be a different story. For all its just next door - steading to steading is about 4-5 miles up what is basically a forestry track, and the march is away out on our hill - so its not ideal to just 'nip over'. Fuel and time traveling/checking wool ewes twice daily before shearing could cost a fortune.

As for banding... I missed few Texel lambs this lambing, so they have tails and balls. I'm actually quite disappointed when I handled them last week, they were raw compared to the rest
The balls will be getting done regardless of what others think... and for the effort/cost I may as well do the tail when the lamb is caught.

Just trying to get my head round options.

I don't expect the lambs to make as much as my Texels or Suffolks, but, after taking a draw of ewe lambs to keep, if they can pay all costs and leave me something to put in my pocket then I have to consider it.

Sounds as if you have it all worked out*
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
*are attention seeking

 

[Ysgythan]

Only joking of course

 

[Nithsdale]

Sounds as if you have it all worked out*
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
*are attention seeking

Put that stirring stick away




(You do realise if I buy some I will start a new "what tup" thread )

 

[pgk]

Used to have pedigree Lleyns, first year had easy cares ran lambs together killing lleyns 17 to 20kg kept handling easy cares they need more, no weigh crate then, finally put a few in as looked and felt good enough, averaged 27kg. Bought weigh crate the next year. Crossed old ewes mix of lleyn, lleynxec and pure ec to quality texel, lovely shaped lambs but heaviest yesterday at weaning pure ec, will sell texels live and ec dead as kill out well. No difference in cull price live from pure lleyns. Slightly lower scan but balances out on lambs sold as lower losses. Usually sell 160 per cent across ages.

 

[Ysgythan]

Put that stirring stick away




(You do realise if I buy some I will start a new "what tup" thread )

I'm predicting a corker...

 

[glensman]

Put that stirring stick away




(You do realise if I buy some I will start a new "what tup" thread )

as long as you don't start interfering with them again, that's the main thing.

 

[Ysgythan]

as long as you don't start interfering with them again, that's the main thing.

Oooooooh Matron...!

 

[glensman]

Oooooooh Matron...!

what a carry on................. this sheep business is.

 

[Nithsdale]

as long as you don't start interfering with them again, that's the main thing.

It was the highlight of December on here

 

[Man_in_black]

You do realise if I buy some I will start a new "what tup" thread

Oh for the love of God, please Nooooooooooooo.....!!!

 

[Woolless]

At our old place (smaller scale, better ground), I kept most tup lambs entire. Pretty much all gone off grass only by November, averaged about 19kg R3L. Maybe 20% O grades and a smattering of Us.
The ewes there scanned 180-200%. Last two scans at the new spot (bigger scale, LFA) were 168 and 151% (my fault, overstocked and short of grass).
You could pick up some bargain females at the society sales. IMO, they have spread themselves too thin.

 

[GTB]

Ours scan at 150/160% and average deadweight of about 15/16kg but all our singles out on the hill and twins on better ground.

@Nithsdale Farmer The best advice I could give you is to buy a few ewes and run them with your own. Easycares won't suit everywhere and it's better to mess up with a few than hundreds. Plus of course as with all hill farms homebred sheep always do better as I'm sure you will agree.

 

[reverand]

Could you not, as gtb said, buy thirty or so and put them on this new bit and just see how it goes. I don't think I would use an easy care tup over your own ewes just yet.

 

[Johngee]

Our pure EC lambs are always a pleasant surprise. They're slower maturing than the crosses, not really ready til the autumn. Then I'm going through the lambs and typically will look at one and say he's a bit scrawny, then put my hand on him and there's a bit of meat there. I then put him in the scales and he's 43kg! When the kill sheet comes back he's 19kg and R3L! Some will be O, but there will be just as many U's. (That's why they're better deadweight, only look good when they're hanging up)

 

[Nithsdale]

Our pure EC lambs are always a pleasant surprise. They're slower maturing than the crosses, not really ready til the autumn. Then I'm going through the lambs and typically will look at one and say he's a bit scrawny, then put my hand on him and there's a bit of meat there. I then put him in the scales and he's 43kg! When the kill sheet comes back he's 19kg and R3L! Some will be O, but there will be just as many U's. (That's why they're better deadweight, only look good when they're hanging up)

Sounds like they will kill out a little poorer (weight wise) than I'm used to. But if I know to take them on a little heavier before drawing, that should be OK.

Iv usually got a lot of good foggage in the autumn at home, so could bring these lambs back, if needed, to get them away fat. Was thinking to let the lambs run to weaning, then just take a big draw of everything fat, bringing home what's left to push on.