If I want to loose the wool..........

[JohnGalway]

For reasons (same ones have me consuming a bottle of vino tonight) I'm considering losing the wool in the flock.

I started with my blackie flock and my fathers blackie flock.

I have been busy ruining them ( some would say) crossbreeding with Wicklow Cheviots (coathangers).

Not happy with this destruction I moved on to NCC rams and halving flock numbers.

I believe I'm going the right direction for a commercial flock, leaving more in my pocket.

Can I continue this direction, best lambs on (insultingly termed) marginal land that get's no fert etc. making 40kg end of August if I start buying Easycare or Exlana rams?

I've never liked wool or shearing tbh.

I have an excellent contract shearer.

But, I had a flock health scare today which either came from a bought in animal or contract shearing and it's got me thinking.

My environment, which I better mention, can be unforgiving. Coastal exposure with minimal shelter.

 

[Y Fan Wen]

Think where wild goats live and consider their hair covering.

 

[JohnGalway]

Think where wild goats live and consider their hair covering.

Wild goats in this region iirc, you're saying don't worry about it?

 

[Pan mixer]

There are plenty of people on here happy with the self shearing types.

I am continually surprised at how much less hassle my Easycares are compared to the mules we used to keep. Ok smaller lambs and they laugh at the mart but they are ok on the hook.

 

[Man_in_black]

Imo the biggest deciding factor (and this applies to lots of decisions) is who/what is your customer? Rightly or wrongly you'll get less at mart for shedder.

 

[JohnGalway]

Imo the biggest deciding factor (and this applies to lots of decisions) is who/what is your customer? Rightly or wrongly you'll get less at mart for shedder.

The mart IS currently my customer. It's hard to consider when I can't quantify less. IF I didn't need to buy Clik, IF I didn't need to shear, IF I didn't need to spend those extra hours gathering to apply Clik, or treating flystrike at times before I'd Clik'd or after it had worn off

I could accept less, but it would depend on how much less if I free up my own time.

 

[hendrebc]

You might struggle to find suitable rams to do it in Ireland.
I'm certain it could be done though if you can find something suitable. There's a few names I can think of that might do but they're all over here. Mosfanenn easycares and blackhaugh chevease being two off the top of my head.

 

[Tim W]

Try Campbell Tweed in NI
Or we can probably export rams

You might struggle to find suitable rams to do it in Ireland.
I'm certain it could be done though if you can find something suitable. There's a few names I can think of that might do but they're all over here. Mosfanenn easycares and blackhaugh chevease being two off the top of my head.

 

[Estate fencing.]

The mart IS currently my customer. It's hard to consider when I can't quantify less. IF I didn't need to buy Clik, IF I didn't need to shear, IF I didn't need to spend those extra hours gathering to apply Clik, or treating flystrike at times before I'd Clik'd or after it had worn off

I could accept less, but it would depend on how much less if I free up my own time.

Save £3 on fly prevention, loss £20 a ewe on lamb sales. I’m yet to see a half decent shedder lamb in the fat, and stores, well even when they where flying in March where worth f**k all.

 

[tinsheet]

Grade aswell as anything dead weight
Not so good live, but that is changing slowly as numbers of shredders are defiantly increasing.

 

[Troward]

Deadweight isn't very well catered for where I am, so selling live is the only real option for me too...that's the only reason I still wouldn't personally consider shedders.

I have no issue with shedders, and I think some of the most forward thinking ram breeders are breeding shedders....but the savings wouldn't be worth what I would lose for the end product. Hopefully that changes, but they are very rarely in my market, and when they are they get hammered.

You can manage your wool to cost you a lot less and take up a lot less of your time.

I'm sure some shedders would be fine surviving in your environment.

 

[Wood field]

Just sorting out first year of lambs from an easycare tup
These are out of hill ewes ( Cheviot, Cheviot x Welsh,and a few speckle faced )
I found they lambed easily outside with minimal interference, they were a bit neglected as we’ve had a rough time with hospital and health issues.
One worm dose for lambs and nothing else.
If nothing else I will keep the shedding tups for using on first time lambers

 

[hendrebc]

Save £3 on fly prevention, loss £20 a ewe on lamb sales. I’m yet to see a half decent shedder lamb in the fat, and stores, well even when they where flying in March where worth f**k all.

I get the same for mine as what I had for my lleyns. I think it's very market dependent.

 

[toquark]

The marts are changing for the better around here - a few big players have got into shedders and suddenly the buyers are more receptive to them. We’ve had Easycares for 7 years now and the trade has improved consistently through the live ring. Good store trade just now and fat is fine too, though if you’re selling fat you may as well sell straight to the factory if you can as they hang up better.

 

[Wood field]

The marts are changing for the better around here - a few big players have got into shedders and suddenly the buyers are more receptive to them. We’ve had Easycares for 7 years now and the trade has improved consistently through the live ring. Good store trade just now and fat is fine too, though if you’re selling fat you may as well sell straight to the factory if you can as they hang up better.

Chap who buys a lot of lambs ( including ours) has been rearing shedders for getting near 20 years
He was here yesterday for lambs and said they are becoming more and more popular.

 

[Pan mixer]

It isn't just the saving on fly strike.

When we had mules it was always a continual hassle of when the shearer could come - is it going to rain, have you got them in overnight? Sorry, we can't come today after all etc etc.

Time spent lambing mules indoors or even outside is easy to ignore if you don't value your time, we have lambed Easycares for 5 years and have assisted one ewe who turned out to be deformed inside. We lamb outside at the end of April. We wander around in the mornings and catch, tag and ring the lambs. Leave the tails, they are good fly swats.

Occasional fly in November it must be said, worm once, vaccinate once, get them in to wean. End.

They won't eat cake, they aren't keen on hay or silage and live on some rough grass all year.

That is my experience anyway, I often see my neighbours gathering their sheep for some thing or another and am not going back to that.

 

[toquark]

They very much suit our system, and once you get over the fact you’re not breeding “pretty” sheep for the benefit of your own ego, you’ll come to realise they’re the way forward. Economically we are better off with the shedders. It’s not just the cost of shearing, its flies, stuck sheep and all the handling and facilities not to mention shepherding that these extra operations incur. A neighbour just put up a shearing shed for his 600 blackies for a cool £35k. Bonkers.

 

[Henarar]

Grade aswell as anything dead weight
Not so good live, but that is changing slowly as numbers of shredders are defiantly increasing.

How do they go in the store market ?
A lot of store buyers sell deadweight so they should make their money store if they are good.

 

[Pan mixer]

How do they go in the store market ?
A lot of store buyers sell deadweight so they should make their money store if they are good.

Up here the cynics who laugh at buying the fats infect the store buyers with their ideas.

 

[Henarar]

Up here the cynics who laugh at buying the fats infect the store buyers with their ideas.

will have to keep an eye out for them in the stores then
we have bought assorts of "frowned upon" stores over the years its not hurt us yet