Lifetime ewe cull rates

[Humble Village Farmer]

There is something very far wrong with these figures. That level of losses is simply unsustainable.

Not if they are still farming it isn't.

 

[Northumberland]

What about premature culling?

I've never worked this out but 50% won t be far off when you add together all the ewes that get culled early for bad bags, mouths, geld, lean, we cull on 7 year old and there's never many to cull on age alone

 

[Top Tip.]

Not if they are still farming it isn't.

There has to be an explanation,is it on ewe lambs born?

 

[Northumberland]

Google Podcasts

podcasts.google.com

Listened to this Head Shepherd podcast recently. A study followed an NZ cohort of 13,000 ewe lambs from weaning through their productive life.

Key points

Only 10% survived to cull as 6yr old
50% were culled before this point
40% died on farm

Does anyone have similar figures for UK yet? I know this is what Challenge Sheep is looking into, but I haven't seen any results yet.

How does this vibe with posters own records?

What are the implications? Does this counteract the philosophy that a big expensive replacement has her cost offset by increased cull value?

Still a lot nicer to sell a texal x for 100 than a easycare for 50 even if you lose 20% over a lifetime it's still 80% of the ewes making 40% more per animal.
Nz have low cull ewe trade compared to us so makes the low ewe weight a no brainer for them but not so simple for us

 

[MRT]

Not if they are still farming it isn't.

It may be financially sustainable but can't be right to pick up 40% dead and be forced to cull another 50%

 

[Macsky]

Where does the progression of genetics just cross into poor shepherding? Animal welfare crew would have a field day with that data

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

I've never worked this out but 50% won t be far off when you add together all the ewes that get culled early for bad bags, mouths, geld, lean, we cull on 7 year old and there's never many to cull on age alone

Exactly. A few here and there every year. I would assume in the uk that most will have been culled rather than died on farm to get a similar figure.

After all NZ have more ewes per man and as far as I know, some of them don't go near them during lambing, so that would account for some of it.

 

[MRT]

Where does the progression of genetics just cross into poor shepherding? Animal welfare crew would have a field day with that data

50% cull fair enough. 40% dead shameful

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

50% cull fair enough. 40% dead shameful

Presumably that 40% would translate into a flock mortality? In which case you would struggle to keep the numbers up.

 

[unlacedgecko]

@Global ovine I'd be interested in your input

 

[Sharpy]

Just one thought, if cull ewe values are low, and transport to slaughter costs high for small amounts, coupled with on farm disposal of carcases the mentality may well be to let slightly iffy ewes run rather than cull.

 

[Six Dogs]

We are one of the Challenge Sheep farmers and I think you’ll find that NZ and ourselves have a policy of drafting after 4/5 crops regardless of teeth so that will figure in replacement %

 

[unlacedgecko]

We are one of the Challenge Sheep farmers and I think you’ll find that NZ and ourselves have a policy of drafting after 4/5 crops regardless of teeth so that will figure in replacement %

They'll be the 10% that went cull at 6yr old then.

What about the other 90%? Can you share any figures?

 

[Woolless]

I could understand the 50% culled as Kiwis are famously unforgiving with their sheep but 40% dying on farm seems excessive? Seems odd that they haven't cottoned on to the importance of BCS as well, given that they seem to be so progressive in other ways.

 

[Six Dogs]

They'll be the 10% that went cull at 6yr old then.

What about the other 90%? Can you share any figures?

Some of it was also selling empty hoggets if ewe lambs were mated
For us it’s 3% mortality
3% barren
6% for non future breeding-mastitis prolapse lame etc
The remaining are drafted at 4 crops for one last early lambing
The project still has another 2 years to run to see lifetime figures

 

[unlacedgecko]

I could understand the 50% culled as Kiwis are famously unforgiving with their sheep but 40% dying on farm seems excessive? Seems odd that they haven't cottoned on to the importance of BCS as well, given that they seem to be so progressive in other ways.

I suspect the kiwi sheep and beef farmers are a broad spectrum, just like UK farmers.

There will be those at the very top of their game, very progressive with excellent stock and grazing management. At the other end there will be loss making businesses kept afloat by rising land values and depreciation.

@NZDan @Kiwi Pete anything to add?

 

[Lincs]

This was a really interesting podcast. The only thing i could think was a high death rate during lambing? Due to being unassisted? Also not having sheep close to hand to draw out thin ewes and put on better land or cull might result in those ewes dying??

 

[Top Tip.]

This was a really interesting podcast. The only thing i could think was a high death rate during lambing? Due to being unassisted? Also not having sheep close to hand to draw out thin ewes and put on better land or cull might result in those ewes dying??

I’ve shepherded extensive hills and you don’t have that death rate. It’s a case of you can make figures say anything and it will be the way that they are collated that is throwing up these weird stat’s

 

[CopperBeech]

To be fair ..... people are decrying the number dead and calling it terrible non farming.

But to my knowledge, on mature ewes you would expect about 3% losses if you were running a tight ship in the UK.

Considering they are ewe lambs you would probably expect higher mortality to start, and over a 6 year period with big numbers of stock I wouldn’t think 5% would be crazy.

So 5% of 13,000 is 650 a year, or 3900 over 6 years. Or 30%. So on an extensive hill system, subject to changeable brutal weather etc ...... would 40% over so many years really be shameful ?

 

[Guleesh]

Google Podcasts

podcasts.google.com

Listened to this Head Shepherd podcast recently. A study followed an NZ cohort of 13,000 ewe lambs from weaning through their productive life.

Key points

Only 10% survived to cull as 6yr old
50% were culled before this point
40% died on farm

Does anyone have similar figures for UK yet? I know this is what Challenge Sheep is looking into, but I haven't seen any results yet.

How does this vibe with posters own records?

What are the implications? Does this counteract the philosophy that a big expensive replacement has her cost offset by increased cull value?

This needs more break down of data to understand what's really going on? Such as, at what ages were the 50% culled?

I'd be very interested to know if the % dying on farm was fairly consistent each year, or if it increased or decreased with age. I tend to see our unexpected deaths in quite young animals, including death by misadventure, whereas once a ewe has been on the place for a good few years, gained some wisdom and had a trial of every parasite and ailment going, then she's pretty much bomb proof and she'll go on well past 6 years, eventually needing culled when she's unable to hold enough condition.

The 40% dying on farm is perhaps a bit on the high side and for better welfare, more of these could have been in the culling group, but it doesn't change the end result.

Need more info.