Ewes x hectare

[Kazak]

How many ewes x hectare do people run? ( including replacement hoggets).
Running at 10 x hectare here..
Good ground, in one block, old permanent pasture...
Keeping the replacements is painful at times (spring and winter) but buying in disease is probably much worse [emoji6]..
Just wondering how is people stock generally.
Thanks.

 

[AftonShepherd]

Just over 1 here but probably overstocked if I'm honest.

 

[Highland Mule]

Hectares per ewe in some parts of the Highlands.

 

[An ancient git]

I've dropped back to about 7.5 ewes /ha . Finding that the £s return is just as good overall . Maybe I'm getting lazy and , many would say , inefficient ! ..... But it's not all about total output /ha , it's the ultimate £s margins that matter ...... A lot depends on your cost base ; if you have no rent / labour / borrowings / fert etc , life gets more interesting overall ..... Doing it !!!!

 

[An ancient git]

Actually that is this year .... Took the radical decision to sell all usual replacement ewe lambs in case job declines during Brexit sort-out . Sold out at more than HMRC book value ! Can play again this autumn to balance numbers back . But in principle I now run 4 ewes + 1 ewe lamb @ the 7.5/ha . Similar good PP in one block . Also gain in autumn , as have some cattle also plus some 'free' (!!) winter keep . This knocks me back , once cattle housed , to just over 1 ewe/ewe lamb per acre . Means that I can run some fattener lambs on later and hope trade is good ...... Has been Dec>Jan , so happy days . Bottom line is every place is different , and everyone's financial needs and situation are also ....... If I'd run @ 7.5/ha totally this autumn/winter I'd be digging them out of mud long ago , and fully housed on 1/1 this time ; don't lamb until last 10 days March onwards ...... Good luck to the high stocking-rate guys , but they had no 'get out of gaol' this time ! Plenty of grass and still growing , but pointless poaching it ...... There'll be a drought yet in Summer !!!!!

 

[will6910]

How many ewes a hectare would be possible on small farm with winter grazing from November then housing from January to lambing in March ?

 

[An ancient git]

About 10 / ha would be a fairly sensible figure to go for in an 'av'ge' type year .....

 

[will6910]

About 10 / ha would be a fairly sensible figure to go for in an 'av'ge' type year .....

I’m starting from scratch again with ewes so wanted a sim to get to that’s possible. Thanks

 

[neilo]

A bit of a daft question really, to which there is no answer.

Every single farm is different, even neighbouring ones, let alone South Devon vs Sutherland.
There are so many variables as to make the question pointless. How big is a ‘ewe’, 50kg or 100? Are you rearing 100% or 200? Finishing lambs or selling as stores? Buying acres by tacking/housing/feeding roots, or running them on grass all winter? Buying concs in or doing it all off those acres? What fert & reseeding policy?

 

[An ancient git]

Totally agree with Neilo .... So many factors , from land, ewe types to fit area and local marketing , to personal finances ..... What is 'happy days' for one person might well be Bankruptcy for another . Everyone should run their budgets on the pessimistic side , and then they are likely to succeed ....

 

[farmerm]

As a rough calculation yesterday I deemed if all else remains equal I would need to triple our stocking rate over the next 7 years if I am to replace the income lost by the removal of BPS

 

[An ancient git]

As a rough calculation yesterday I deemed if all else remains equal I would need to triple our stocking rate over the next 7 years if I am to replace the income lost by the removal of BPS

That would leave you in the 'casualty' oobusiness category then ? Bet 3X Nos. is impossible !

 

[will6910]

Apologies for daft question

 

[rancher]

I retired three years ago but retained 5 ha just for the crack, we've lambed 65 ewes and 20 ewe lambs on it for the last two years.
Just to see could we do it, real hobby flock, start lambing 1st march, ewes in from 1st december wintered on straw and meal.
We can do it alright, just need to perfect the system now
Scanned last week adult ewes 2.1, ewe lambs 1.6

 

[neilo]

I retired three years ago but retained 5 ha just for the crack, we've lambed 65 ewes and 20 ewe lambs on it for the last two years.
Just to see could we do it, real hobby flock, start lambing 1st march, ewes in from 1st december wintered on straw and meal.
We can do it alright, just need to perfect the system now
Scanned last week adult ewes 2.1, ewe lambs 1.6

That’s just my point about variables. Presumably your straw & meal was all bought in, so you kept your sheep on that 5ha for 8 months out of 12? That’s without reference to breed, ewe size, fert inputs or grassland quality.

Absolutely impossible to compare that to someone farming halfway up a mountain in the Lake District, etc.

 

[neilo]

Apologies for daft question

The op asked the daft question.

 

[will6910]

The op asked the daft question.

Ah sorry

 

[rancher]

That’s just my point about variables. Presumably your straw & meal was all bought in, so you kept your sheep on that 5ha for 8 months out of 12? That’s without reference to breed, ewe size, fert inputs or grassland quality.

Absolutely impossible to compare that to someone farming halfway up a mountain in the Lake District, etc.

Breed lleyn cross texel, ewe size 65 -70kg, fertiliser, 150kg 27%N, and what ever P AND K it takes to keep soil at index 3, reseeded 25 years ago.
sold 20 bales silage as well

 

[Kazak]

The op asked the daft question.

Yeah I deserve to take that credit [emoji6]

 

[Kazak]

The op asked the daft question.

Yeah I deserve to take that credit [emoji6]