Mules are still supreme

jendan

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Northumberland
Part of the report from the recent Kirkby Stephen sale of 10,580 Mule Gimmer (ewe) Lambs. :)


''After a couple of years of some sheep producers looking to alternative breeds of sheep, the North of England Mule Gimmer lamb bounces back to prove herself as possibly the most resilient longstanding and prolific breeding sheep in the UK and this resulted in an abundance of sheep producers from Aberdeen in the north to Cornwall in the South being present keen to secure Mule Gimmer Lambs.

Aside from top pens the strongest well bred tupping lambs met fantastic competition from start to finish with plenty of these selling from between £125-£150 regardless of the size of pens.''
There seems to be a good trade going on at Carlisle at the moment.One pen of ten made £250.
 
If only life was that simple.

When it comes to constitution and hardiness, what two other breeds do you suggest would produce even more amazing results
than a soft BFL crossed with fairly hardy hill breeds.

And there is no peer-reviewed research, or reliable observation, that within breeds, lambing percentage can be increased by rejecting single-born lambs, and only selecting twin-born lambs as replacements.
Is there science to say there isn't?

Didn't you earlier quote 3 different lambing percentages for 3 different breeds, if that's the case, how come breeds have different levels of twinning if it's not inherited? :scratchhead:
 

Agrivator

Member
Is there science to say there isn't?

Didn't you earlier quote 3 different lambing percentages for 3 different breeds, if that's the case, how come breeds have different levels of twinning if it's not inherited? :scratchhead:

The only reliable way of increasing the fecundity of a breed is to introduce a second more fecund breed - all the composites including the Cambridge have done that.

But lambing percentage isn't everything. Most commercial flocks have situation where a proportion of singles is welcome.

They will utilise poorer grazing after lambing and for the rest of the grazing season.

Their lambs are often able to hit the higher prices.

Some are able, with a bit of luck, to foster spare lambs.
 

Ysgythan

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Ammanford
The only reliable way of increasing the fecundity of a breed is to introduce a second more fecund breed - all the composites including the Cambridge have done that.

But lambing percentage isn't everything. Most commercial flocks have situation where a proportion of singles is welcome.

They will utilise poorer grazing after lambing and for the rest of the grazing season.

Their lambs are often able to hit the higher prices.

Some are able, with a bit of luck, to foster spare lambs.

Try sifting out the fecundity of embryo lambs implanted as singles from donor ewes who have never lambed, and neither have a few generations of the female line before them. Yes they are out there.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Well no she didnt.. but there has been a bit of a craze of keeping fat lambs for ewes for a year or two,
Great to see the mule getting the recognition it deserves again.

Is there any evidence to suggest that those that have been keeping Texel/Suffolk x ewe lambs out of mules, have stopped and are flocking back to buying expensive mules in their droves? Or that the vast numbers that have taken to keeping self-replacing breeds of various kinds have realised the error of their ways?

Or are all breeding sheep just having a good go because fat & cull price has been at unprecedented levels, giving a bit of confidence in the job to everyone that can't see beyond New Year?
 
Sheep will never be a dear as they've been, so it crazy buying gimmering lmbs at 100+, surly around 80 is enough because they will be back 20£ a head next year. As said nice sweet faced smaller lmbs would grow fine threw the winter and summer time.
 

Llmmm

Member
So a mule has more hardiness constitution and will to live even though they are losing teeth at 4 years old and need masses of feed to keep them alive. Bred off "hill" ewes that never seen a hill and marketed purely for the colour of their face because obviously the darker ones milk better. Are you having a laugh?
Your over exaggerating everything i am easily getting 5 to6yrs out of my mules.I sell them to a lower stocked farm where they get another year or two.The mule is around for generations and has stood the test of time.How many mules are sold each year and how many lyens.
 

Nithsdale

Member
Livestock Farmer
I’ve a neighbour like that, waste of time I tend to keep myself busy with my own interests and the neighbours can do as they please I miss most of what they do because I never look .


I've plenty of interests and keep myself busy... but sure I'd like a fair crack at next door. It's a bloody waste sitting empty as the estate farms "in hand"
 

Nithsdale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Or are all breeding sheep just having a good go because fat & cull price has been at unprecedented levels, giving a bit of confidence in the job to everyone that can't see beyond New Year?


This is the glaringly obvious bit, which the Mule lovers seem not to have noticed.

All breeding females, of all breeds and crosses, are up around £40 on the year. The Mule trade is just in line with everything else...
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 80 42.3%
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    Votes: 66 34.9%
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    Votes: 30 15.9%
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    Votes: 3 1.6%
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    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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