dconlon
Member
The rate of post turnout mastitis in my Mule x Texel flock is twice that of my Mule flock. We've had a particularly bad year for mastitis this year so I'm wondering about an alternative to the Mule x Texel which will still produce a tighter skinned lamb but with less mastitis.
I'd be really interested in how much post turnout mastitis others are getting on their farms in non Texel bred ewes (e.g. Lleyn, Cheviot Mule, Suffolk Mule) vs. their straight Mule ewes.
We are a lowland spring lambing farm, our turnout fields have shelter and we put out salt for the lambs. We never have a significant number of cases before turnout so I think lambing shed hygiene is okay. It's always a week or two after turnout that the mastitis problems start. This year lambing was particularly good but mastitis has been particularly bad (14% of Texel bred ewes, 7% of Mule ewes) - perhaps due to late frosts. I'm looking at nutrition too but am wanting to move away from the Mule x Texel considering that the Mule flock always suffers so much less in the same conditions. It may be that we switch back to the Mule but keen to try something else first!
I'd be really interested in how much post turnout mastitis others are getting on their farms in non Texel bred ewes (e.g. Lleyn, Cheviot Mule, Suffolk Mule) vs. their straight Mule ewes.
We are a lowland spring lambing farm, our turnout fields have shelter and we put out salt for the lambs. We never have a significant number of cases before turnout so I think lambing shed hygiene is okay. It's always a week or two after turnout that the mastitis problems start. This year lambing was particularly good but mastitis has been particularly bad (14% of Texel bred ewes, 7% of Mule ewes) - perhaps due to late frosts. I'm looking at nutrition too but am wanting to move away from the Mule x Texel considering that the Mule flock always suffers so much less in the same conditions. It may be that we switch back to the Mule but keen to try something else first!