Lifetime ewe cull rates

[Mc115reed]

Be better keeping a few less ewes and not loosing 40% a year if you ask me

 

[Estate fencing.]

Be better keeping a few less ewes and not loosing 40% a year if you ask me

There not loosing 40% a year they are 40% by the time they are 6.

 

[Mc115reed]

There not loosing 40% a year they are 40% by the time they are 6.

If theyve only 10% left by time they’re 6 though that’s the majority of the flock on a rolling age group 6.6% of each age group
A year… I’m guessing the final 10% don’t get too see 7 year old too

 

[BAF]

40% over the course of 6 years is just over 6.6% per year. Which isn't huge numbers. This year I've lost by misadventure 4.54% of my flock...or in other words 2 sheep dropped dead this year.

 

[Guleesh]

40% over the course of 6 years is just over 6.6% per year. Which isn't huge numbers. This year I've lost by misadventure 4.54% of my flock...or in other words 2 sheep dropped dead this year.

You better hope another one doesn't do anything stupid or you'll be well into the 'shameful' category.

 

[NZDan]

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

3% mortality would equate to 18% loses over the life cycle of a ewes flock with 6 lambing and is a good figure.
That study was met with disbelief by NZ farmers as well, and the figures were questioned, From my experience scanning ewes in both both countries I suspect the figures from each country are not a lot different from each other. Data presented in a talk I attended where this ewe mortality study was quoted also presented data on Lamb mortality, most of the audience were surprise there was very little difference between NZ lamb mortality and UK lamb mortality, and I suspect most UK farmers would be equally surprised.

 

[unlacedgecko]

There not loosing 40% a year they are 40% by the time they are 6.

It's 40% of that particular age class by the time they're 6 yrs old.

As I read it, rates given in the study are 6-12% per year of that age class. So mate 100 2tooth ewe hoggs, and only have 88 to mate as 4tooth. Then of them only 76-77 mate as 6tooth. Then there's premature culling on top.

 

[Mc115reed]

40% over the course of 6 years is just over 6.6% per year. Which isn't huge numbers. This year I've lost by misadventure 4.54% of my flock...or in other words 2 sheep dropped dead this year.

Yes but unless There flock is purely ewe lambs until 6years old then they start again fresh there is all the other age classes in the flock also having 6.6% mortality a year which adds up…

so all there ewe lambs 6.6% mortality
All there shearlings 6.6% mortality
All there 3 YO 6.6% mortality
All there 4 YO 6.6% mortality
All there 5 year olds 6.6% mortality
All there 6 year olds 6.6% mortality…
Then with selective culling ontop that they’re probably all dead before there’s any 7 year olds in the flock too have a mortality rate

 

[unlacedgecko]

Yes but unless There flock is purely ewe lambs until 6years old then they start again fresh there is all the other age classes in the flock also having 6.6% mortality a year which adds up…

so all there ewe lambs 6.6% mortality
All there shearlings 6.6% mortality
All there 3 YO 6.6% mortality
All there 4 YO 6.6% mortality
All there 5 year olds 6.6% mortality
All there 6 year olds 6.6% mortality…
Then with selective culling ontop that they’re probably all dead before there’s any 7 year olds in the flock too have a mortality rate

I think you're misunderstanding how percentages work.

6% of 100 and 6% of 1000 is still 6%. The raw number will be higher (6 vs 60), but it's still only 6%.

As per the study, ewes were culled for age at 6yrs old. By which time, only 10% of the original cohort were still alive on farm.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Yes but unless There flock is purely ewe lambs until 6years old then they start again fresh there is all the other age classes in the flock also having 6.6% mortality a year which adds up…

so all there ewe lambs 6.6% mortality
All there shearlings 6.6% mortality
All there 3 YO 6.6% mortality
All there 4 YO 6.6% mortality
All there 5 year olds 6.6% mortality
All there 6 year olds 6.6% mortality…
Then with selective culling ontop that they’re probably all dead before there’s any 7 year olds in the flock too have a mortality rate

That was the way I read it too. 40% of each age class died on farm before culling at 6 years.

 

[Mc115reed]

That was the way I read it too. 40% of each age class died on farm before culling at 6 years.

Glad it’s not just me I get that there would be a lot less 5 year olds around too die than ewe lambs so obviously less deaths but as a whole on average 40% of the flock must die naturally every year too get them figures in the report … which too me is just madness

 

[NZDan]

That was the way I read it too. 40% of each age class died on farm before culling at 6 years.

It's 40% died on farm over the 6 year life span, plus 50% culled. So 6.6% deaths per year and 8.3% culled per year. UK figures won't be a lot different I suspect. But it would be great to do a comprehensive study on it similar to this one.

 

[unlacedgecko]

It's 40% died on farm over the 6 year life span, plus 50% culled. So 6.6% deaths per year and 8.3% culled per year. UK figures won't be a lot different I suspect. But it would be great to do a comprehensive study on it similar to this one.

Challenge Sheep | AHDB

Challenge Sheep is a project funded by AHDB Beef & Lamb which aims to develop best practice for managing replacement ewes and understand the impact of the rearing phase on a ewe’s lifetime performance.

ahdb.org.uk

It's running now. Started 2017.

 

[unlacedgecko]

Glad it’s not just me I get that there would be a lot less 5 year olds around too die than ewe lambs so obviously less deaths but as a whole on average 40% of the flock must die naturally every year too get them figures in the report … which too me is just madness

No, 6-12% of the flock die in farm every year.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Glad it’s not just me I get that there would be a lot less 5 year olds around too die than ewe lambs so obviously less deaths but as a whole on average 40% of the flock must die naturally every year too get them figures in the report … which too me is just madness

It’s alright, we can sit in the remidial corner making paper aeroplanes

 

[BAF]

You better hope another one doesn't do anything stupid or you'll be well into the 'shameful' category.

I know! My cull rate for this year is going to be high too. I've got 5 that have pee'd me off so that's nearly a 12% cull rate!

 

[Mc115reed]

It’s alright, we can sit in the remidial corner making paper aeroplanes

Sounds a plan my head hurts too tying to figure out how no other ewes in the flock die apart from this batch of ewe lambs

 

[unlacedgecko]

Sounds a plan my head hurts too tying to figure out how no other ewes in the flock die apart from this batch of ewe lambs

Other ewes in the flock of die. But the study only focuses on this particular age cohort.

 

[Top Tip.]

Well if nothing else this study confirms what we all suspected , that a sheeps one ambition from the day it’s born is to die!!!

 

[Guleesh]

Sounds a plan my head hurts too tying to figure out how no other ewes in the flock die apart from this batch of ewe lambs

Your maths seem spot on to me, 40% in one age group in 6 years or 40% in all six age groups in one year.