Increasing NCC scanning percentage

[MJT]

So I’ve been looking back through the records of how our Lairg type cheviot ewes have done over last few years and they’re averaging just under 140%, that’s being flushed on decent grass and in good condition. Seeing some of the scanning results from cheviot flocks has got me wondering if there’s anything I can tweak or alter to push them over the 150 mark. No deficiencies or anything as have blood tested for that. Need them as our base flock for breeding our aberdale ewes so loathe the thought of getting rid of them but sometimes it’s bloody frustrating when they scan low after being flushed.

 

[Jim75]

@scrubbuster Interested as only second year of having NCC and averaged 156% this year. Up 20% on last year and hoping to get near 160 average. They were bolused pre lambing and were almost perfect nick for tupping, verging On too good.
Ewes that I was most worried about on poorer quality but cleaner grass did the best.

 

[Old Tip]

@scrubbuster Interested as only second year of having NCC and averaged 156% this year. Up 20% on last year and hoping to get near 160 average. They were bolused pre lambing and were almost perfect nick for tupping, verging On too good.
Ewes that I was most worried about on poorer quality but cleaner grass did the best.

What sort of land are they on, I struggle to get 140% and this year was well below that, we draft our own ewes off the hill. The Hill ewes will be nearer 120% but are not flushed and tipped on the hill so very happy with that. Some of the Swale Hill flocks will be scanning at 160% but they then end up with a lot of poor small lambs unless they have a lot of inside land

 

[Jim75]

What sort of land are they on, I struggle to get 140% and this year was well below that, we draft our own ewes off the hill. The Hill ewes will be nearer 120% but are not flushed and tipped on the hill so very happy with that. Some of the Swale Hill flocks will be scanning at 160% but they then end up with a lot of poor small lambs unless they have a lot of inside land

I’d call it upland 650-700ft. No reseeding taken place in 30 years although it’s been free of Sheep for similar time so clean. Adviser tells me of guys who average high 180-190 but on the flip side some who are south of 140. @Top Tip.

 

[scrubbuster]

I got 190% last year with bought in Cheviots tupped by 1 Aberfield. My source of gimmers (Heathmount) is cutting away back so I have bought a couple of NCC tups to start breeding my own replacements. My plan is to keep only ewe lambs from pairs born in the first cycle in the hope they will have the most fertile genes. I put out high energy buckets out same time as the teaser tups

 

[Top Tip.]

We scanned 175% this year 182% last year. We are at about 900 ft. I can’t really say that we flush them because up here in mid November the grass is gone but we do shift them to fresh parks 10 days before the tups go in. We do mineral drench with PK drench containing copper this I think helps a lot. The copper is essential it seems to give them a boost which obviously helps ovulation. Blood tests are not a good way of establishing mineral status,liver biopsy’s along with forage sampling would be better.We also put energy buckets out when we shift them to the tupping parks.

 

[Old Tip]

How did you scan @reverand ?

 

[Old Tip]

Interesting what you say re copper, may try that this year, do you use one with iodine as well ?

 

[Top Tip.]

Interesting what you say re copper, may try that this year, do you use one with iodine as well ?

No it is just a mineral drench containing copper.

 

[Top Tip.]

So I’ve been looking back through the records of how our Lairg type cheviot ewes have done over last few years and they’re averaging just under 140%, that’s being flushed on decent grass and in good condition. Seeing some of the scanning results from cheviot flocks has got me wondering if there’s anything I can tweak or alter to push them over the 150 mark. No deficiencies or anything as have blood tested for that. Need them as our base flock for breeding our aberdale ewes so loathe the thought of getting rid of them but sometimes it’s bloody frustrating when they scan low after being flushed.

Could I ask where you get your ewes from or do you breed them yourself?

 

[Anonymous...]

We are short of copper give lambs and ewes a drench last spring and was a visible difference
Mix of chiv and herdy types at nigh on
900'
Drenched ewes before housing this year
Scanned at 150% to mix of texel and chiv
Tups

 

[Ysgythan]

This is a bit like - if you want an arse like a Lim on a South Devon...just buy Lims...

 

[Agrivator]

It's far easier to produce a 100 lambs from 70 ewes (140%) than to produce 100 lambs from 55 ewes (180%).
And ewes with singles can be tighter stocked than ewes with twins. And they don't take as much mothering up or spray paint.

Just saying.

 

[MJT]

This is a bit like - if you want an arse like a Lim on a South Devon...just buy Lims...

How so

 

[MJT]

These ewes would have been tupped between 1000-1200ft. Copper could be an option yes, will look into it . Will find the flock name for you @Top Tip, some are home bred also. Maybe I’m being too hard on myself and over critical on the ewes but I feel they could be doing more.

 

[MJT]

It's far easier to produce a 100 lambs from 70 ewes (140%) than to produce 100 lambs from 55 ewes (180%).
And ewes with singles can be tighter stocked than ewes with twins. And they don't take as much mothering up or spray paint.

Just saying.

I know where you’re coming from but I’m trying to produce 200 good ewe lambs to keep from them, so need a lot of ewes put to tup to get this .

If I could find someone to tup their cheviots with an aberdale and sell me the ewe lambs on contract I would be over the moon.

 

[Ysgythan]

How so

Cheviots are noted for low lambing % and if they do get two for struggling to rear them. So either accept you can only make marginal progress with management and selection and keep them for their other strengths, or if you want more prolificacy again look for another breed and compromise on other things.

 

[Top Tip.]

Cheviots are noted for low lambing % and if they do get two for struggling to rear them. So either accept you can only make marginal progress with management and selection and keep them for their other strengths, or if you want more prolificacy again look for another breed and compromise on other things.

I find this post vaguely amusing as it puts all the misconceptions about the breed together in one place and makes me wonder if you have ever kept Lairg type Cheviots. How high a lambing % do you want,I find that the more over 170% I go the more triplets I get which I don’t want.

 

[Bob the beef]

My Northies have gone up from 140 to 150-155 in the last few years but have plateaued now and nothing I do seems to make them go any further.
It's a pity because the fella I am buying my chev ewe lambs from is consistently doing mid 160's with good lamb survival rate.
I'm like @MGT needing all the ewe lambs I can breed for replacements

 

[MJT]

Cheviots are noted for low lambing % and if they do get two for struggling to rear them. So either accept you can only make marginal progress with management and selection and keep them for their other strengths, or if you want more prolificacy again look for another breed and compromise on other things.

I’d have to disagree with the struggling to rear 2, they’re hellish good mothers hence why I’m using them as the foundation basis for commercial flock . But yes I take your point on the low % I was just wondering if there’s a way to increase it a touch with a few tweaks, as some on here seem to scan high with Cheviots .