Mules to easycare

[Downton_shep]

If you wanted to switch from nc mules lambed indoors late march to April lambing outside with easycare sheep what would be the best way to go about it? Cross the mules to a maternal sire and keep the trouble free ewe lambs or just buy in easycare replacements? How have others made the switch?

 

[Poorbuthappy]

When you say easycare do you mean shedders or the likes of Romney/ highlander/ lleyn?
Suspect putting a shedding ram on mules could result in a mess for a few years.
But if you don't mean shedders, I've found the first cross from a mule very good, with Romney, highlander & lleyn sires, and have bred up from there.

 

[Tim W]

If you do mean wool shedders then Exmoor Dave would be the man in the know as I think he has started down this route

Either way I would buy the best maternal tup you can and keep the resulting ewe lambs ---if that doesn't work then get your cheque book out and put a deposit down for some Exlana ewe lambs (tups are out and the first deposits for next years crop have been taken)

 

[Downton_shep]

Yeah by easycare i mean romney, highlander type, not worried about shedding. Something that will lamb themselves outside without have lots of miss mothering and will do there lambs off grass

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Then I would suggest as Tim says and buy good recorded maternal tups and breed from what you have, and select hard from there on.

 

[PFH]

Agree with the above. I would breed up from best of your existing Mules and if wool shedding I'd go Exlana and if not I reckon NZ Texels from @easyram1 would be the way forward

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

Why not buy good draft Romney ewes and start from there.
Always have them to sell in the Autumn at a sensible price and you can either stick with them or breed your own replacements.

I have sent ewes to all parts of England, southern Scotland and Wales!

 

[Johnny400]

If you wanted to switch from nc mules lambed indoors late march to April lambing outside with easycare sheep what would be the best way to go about it? Cross the mules to a maternal sire and keep the trouble free ewe lambs or just buy in easycare replacements? How have others made the switch?

Hasnt Willy on here has just replaced all his mules with Easy care sheep (the breed). I guess if you can source a whole flock that you like then do it that way. If not as others have said buy some good maternal rams and breed your way up.
Wont NC Mules run on a later outdoor lambing system??

 

[Gilchro]

Hasnt Willy on here has just replaced all his mules with Easy care sheep (the breed). I guess if you can source a whole flock that you like then do it that way. If not as others have said buy some good maternal rams and breed your way up.
Wont NC Mules run on a later outdoor lambing system??

And wasn't that thread great fun......

 

[poorsheepfarmer]

Keep the mules, lots of lambs, milk, good mothers

 

[neilo]

Keep the mules, lots of lambs, milk, good mothers

Here we go again...............................

You're just trying to poke a stick at @Jackson4 now.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Lleyn , I seen Chatsworth are buying them now

 

[Jackson4]

neil (The A team for functional sheep.... you got a problem? Want sheep without having to assist them with bog standard stuff, walking, lambing, actively eating grass instead of expecting the cake bag, keeping their teeth, worms halting growth, mucky backends and strike, being knackered at middle age... we're here to help... da da da da.... da da da..... ta da da da da da... da da da da da ) wait better read thread first.

Breed from the best mules, cheapest way and you know what youve got. Or if your feeling brave sell up and pay a fair wak for a whole new system like exlanas... which might be a bit of a change from mules though. Or what i would do is find the best functional lleyns as a maternal side and breed a mix of pure and nz texel x as replacements... near enough all the breeding decisions are in your own hands. You can breed your own sheep, if anything doesn't make you profit the way you want dont breed from it, just send it dead.

Breeds which were traditionally less assisted like romneys etc have there downside of low lambing %. I presume you'll get this with the dual perpose nz texel, which i'm guessing will do 160/70/80% crossed (does robyn know?) Pointless having an easycare flock but making less money?.. mules at 220% are too much if you want less assistance. Dont know anything about highlanders except they might not sell as well live as dead??

Lleyns had no better reputation than the mule for function 10/15 years ago but a few people have been breeding them into better sheep so i hear (mind you listening to breeders on here their lambs never go lame, kill out amazingly on grass, never eat cake etc bit of a different experience from their customers ) Who was the guy in farmers guardian last month? he changed to lleyns from mules because at any one time 40% of his mules could be lame! The article was full of positive breeding for function, but until you buy them you'll never know.
I personally would aim to have a closed flock and rear your own gimme lambs until the functional side takes off here and you can pick up pure exlanas, high scanning nz texels gimme lambs or the like easily and for an affordable price.

Its still a difficult area to get into a more functional maternal sheep which ticks all the boxes in the uk, since the farmers were expected to be the functional ones not the sheep.

 

[GTB]

The cheapest and best way to change breeds is to grade up from what you have. Just buy good maternal tups and use on your best ewes. Use terminal sires on the rest. Less risk of buying in any disease and also the home bred sheep will be immune to most of the bugs on your farm.

 

[poorsheepfarmer]

Just to horrify Jackson 4 I have tupped some lleyn x texels with a bfl this year to increase size and prolifically.
Also think the resulting " mules" will hold condition better.

 

[Northumberland]

I have 1700 mules lambing outdoors with little bother.
Lambing any (easycare) indoors in March is going to be hard work.

 

[Jackson4]

Just to horrify Jackson 4 I have tupped some lleyn x texels with a bfl this year to increase size and prolifically.
Also think the resulting " mules" will hold condition better.

How big do you want them to go? We could cover a stallion in wool if you like
Out of interest psf what were they scanning at? What problems were you having with the size? lambing probs? growth rates? holding condition etc
Could you not use a larger type texel or lleyn tup for your replacements for the same result... just thinking your wethers might be worth more?? sorry for going of topic, interested

 

[Jackson4]

I have 1700 mules lambing outdoors with little bother.
Lambing any (easycare) indoors in March is going to be hard work.

He's wanting to lamb easycare outdoors. Presumably your idea of little bother and his is different

 

[johnb5555]

[QUOTE if that doesn't work then get your cheque book out and put a deposit down for some Exlana ewe lambs (tups are out and the first deposits for next years crop have been taken)[/QUOTE]
Think i'll try that with my gimmer lamb buyers and see what they say.

 

[Northumberland]

If you stick your mules outdoors in April when there's plenty of grass. They'll at least 3 times less labour and time intensive as indoors.
Esp if there out of the Swale, blackie breed ones are more flighty.
Am not saying mules are a great breed, but the op did only asked about outdoor lambing.
Unless there's more than a thousand to one man they'll be fine