Ewe mature weight

[wee man]

Page 7 of the below report. Uk average rearing % has been over 120% once in 2013. We have been hover between 115 & 120 for the last 10 years.
http://beefandlamb.ahdb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/SHAWG-report-2016-17-181016.pdf

 

[andybk]

Page 7 of the below report. Uk average rearing % has been over 120% once in 2013. We have been hover between 115 & 120 for the last 10 years.
http://beefandlamb.ahdb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/SHAWG-report-2016-17-181016.pdf

I presume the hill ewes would sway that figure quite a lot , I would have thought many lowland flocks , would be nearer 150 %

 

[wee man]

I presume the hill ewes would sway that figure quite a lot , I would have thought many lowland flocks , would be nearer 150 %

I would assume so but that will be the same for the NZ national average. High country merinos don't produce many lambs.

 

[TALDLONKTUP2]

You'll need to go back to school and learn some maths. since when has 45% of 70 been 15? And I never said that is what I'd be content with, I said that is what I'd observed, in both NZ and the UK over a range of breeds and farms.[/QUOT

Well you need to learn to write then! .if you mean each lamb is 42% of ewe weight you should state that, but that would be a meaningless number and I'm sure you didn't mean that, in what case 70 x 0.42 is 29.4 .....ie. 15kg per lamb for twins

It's interesting that when the grandiose claims of new zealand sheep superiority are scrutinised, you find nothing but hype

 

[TALDLONKTUP2]

You'll need to go back to school and learn some maths. since when has 45% of 70 been 15? And I never said that is what I'd be content with, I said that is what I'd observed, in both NZ and the UK over a range of breeds and farms.[/QUOT

 

[Woolly]

Getting back to the original Q about best ewe mature weight, the consensus seems to be 60-70kg for more lowland type farms, and rather lighter 50-60kgs for harsher more upland farms. Not many folk in favour of big ewes, say 75+kg.

Taking @NZDan 's av scanning value of 2.75, [(2.3+3.2)/2], 65kg ewes should be scanning at 178%.

Clearly these are sweeping generalisations, as everyone's system is different.

 

[unlacedgecko]

It's interesting that when the grandiose claims of new zealand sheep superiority are scrutinised, you find nothing but hype

I don't think that's quite true.

Their sheep seem to make better margin within the set up if their farming systems that UK sheep do. Why is that?

 

[alwayslearning]

olly, post: 4352544, member: 1580"]Getting back to the original Q about best ewe mature weight, the consensus seems to be 60-70kg for more lowland type farms, and rather lighter 50-60kgs for harsher more upland farms. Not many folk in favour of big ewes, say 75+kg.

Taking @NZDan 's av scanning value of 2.75, [(2.3+3.2)/2], 65kg ewes should be scanning at 178%.

Clearly these are sweeping generalisations, as everyone's system is different.[/QUOTE]
Unless its January lambing chasing spring trade
bigger the better

 

[TALDLONKTUP2]

I don't think that's quite true.

Their sheep seem to make better margin within the set up if their farming systems that UK sheep do. Why is that?

Sorry, i don't understand that.

 

[unlacedgecko]

Sorry, i don't understand that.

It's not the weight of lambs per ewe that is the deciding factor in profitability of lamb producing enterprises. It's the KG of lamb produced per limiting factor (within the confines of days to slaughter).

The ruthless culling and large ring fenced farms with no public access have allowed NZers to develop ewes which can produce huge amounts of lamb per labour unit. This is their strength, not the individual performance of individual ewes.

 

[andybk]

olly, post: 4352544, member: 1580"]Getting back to the original Q about best ewe mature weight, the consensus seems to be 60-70kg for more lowland type farms, and rather lighter 50-60kgs for harsher more upland farms. Not many folk in favour of big ewes, say 75+kg.
Clearly these are sweeping generalisations, as everyone's system is different.

Unless its January lambing chasing spring trade
bigger the better[/QUOTE]

yet biggest strongest ewe and rams make most money in mart , or is this vanity farming .

 

[gatepost]

I think you can get too hooked up on 'measures of efficiency' The product is meat and that has to be in a saleable form, It would seem ironic that some of the bigger flocks running very efficiently in terms of ewes per labour unit are selling off all their crop as stores, because, talking to them, the lambs aren't that big at weaning nor particularly saleable when they eventually get to the market after a very expensive finishing period.

 

[unlacedgecko]

I think you can get too hooked up on 'measures of efficiency' The product is meat and that has to be in a saleable form, It would seem ironic that some of the bigger flocks running very efficiently in terms of ewes per labour unit are selling off all their crop as stores, because, talking to them, the lambs aren't that big at weaning nor particularly saleable when they eventually get to the market after a very expensive finishing period.

There's only one measure efficiency that really matters, profit.

It may well be more profitable for them to sell everything store in a one go, then buy in stores later in the season. Would definitely make sense from a cash flow point of view.

 

[NZDan]

Well you need to learn to write then! .if you mean each lamb is 42% of ewe weight you should state that, but that would be a meaningless number and I'm sure you didn't mean that, in what case 70 x 0.42 is 29.4 .....ie. 15kg per lamb for twins

It's interesting that when the grandiose claims of new zealand sheep superiority are scrutinised, you find nothing but hype

That is exactly what I said, average lamb weight at weaning(12 weeks) is about 45% of average ewe weight. Whether it's meaningless or not that is what I have observed in every flock I've had data on.
And I have never claimed that NZ sheep are any better or worse, unless there is accurate data to back up any claims.

 

[unlacedgecko]

That is exactly what I said, average lamb weight at weaning(12 weeks) is about 45% of average ewe weight. Whether it's meaningless or not that is what I have observed in every flock I've had data on.
And I have never claimed that NZ sheep are any better or worse, unless there is accurate data to back up any claims.

So each individual lamb weighs 45% of ewe weight?

Or total weight of litter is 45% of ewe weight?

 

[Downton_shep]

So each individual lamb weighs 45% of ewe weight?

Or total weight of litter is 45% of ewe weight?

The average weight of all the lambs weaned.

 

[unlacedgecko]

The average weight of all the lambs weaned.

I'm having a slow day...

So a flock of 65kg ewes would wean lambs on average weighing 29.25kg each?

 

[Woolly]

I'm having a slow day...

So a flock of 65kg ewes would wean lambs on average weighing 29.25kg each?

I think that is what @NZDan is saying.

Whilst it may be a meaningful average statistic for a whole flock, for an individual ewe it seems less relevant, as surely for a ewe weaning weight will depend upon how many lambs she has?

For an individual ewe, weaning her own weight in lambs seems a realistic aspiration. Of course all done on grass alone.

PS: One further observation, for our hypothetical 65kg ewe, assume she weans twins at 14wks, at 32.5kg each. Assuming 380gm/day, to get lambs up to 41kg will take 3 weeks. So time to slaughter is 17weeks, ie for a 1st April lambing that's end July - just when lamb price is plummeting!

 

[unlacedgecko]

I think that is what @NZDan is saying.

Whilst it may be a meaningful average statistic for a whole flock, for an individual ewe it seems less relevant, as surely for a ewe weaning weight will depend upon how many lambs she has?

For an individual ewe, weaning her weight in lambs seems a realistic aspiration. Of course all done on grass alone.

I suppose it depends on how the average is calculated. Eg if the average is worked out using total number of ewes put to the tup?

 

[Woolly]

I suppose it depends on how the average is calculated. Eg if the average is worked out using total number of ewes put to the tup?

I think I read in an earlier post that barrens should be excluded, on the grounds that there must be something medically wrong with them..... ?