North of england mule or masham

[Northeastfarmer]

Crocs are the in thing... apparently

Let the p!ss drain out?

 

[Nithsdale]

Let the p!ss drain out?

And your soul

 

[andybk]

One of my customers has loads of mashams uses smaller but good shaped charollais on them, all lambing outside has some cracking lambs

 

[Skintagain]

One of my customers has loads of mashams uses smaller but good shaped charollais on them, all lambing outside has some cracking lambs

I always wonder why people use the rangiest rams they can find on mules of any description

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Is there any logic in the buyers penalising fat lambs which are a bit woollier? Sounds like the lambs out of the Masham would be better in every regard other than that.

Personally I think it’s just a con too get the price further back... I know I could sell them deadweight and then the tightness of the skin doesn’t matter. But no, I’m not for doing that.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Even mule fans have to buy with extreme caution these days.

The problem with the mule job is the swaths of people buying the running lambs to sell on are drawn in to the dainty pretty things and then grow them into fat monsters that are still dainty once they reel off and people are peed off with how they perform

I hadn’t really thought about it but I think you are bob on there! Those outfits who buy too run and sell as shearlings don’t actually care a great deal about the overall performance of the sheep as they never lamb them! They just want those pretty faces that look nice on a shearling! It is handy though at times... I can buy big pale faced tupping lambs for the same price as a dark headed runner!

 

[yellowbelly]

Is there any logic in the buyers penalising fat lambs which are a bit woollier?

None whatsoever, it's just an excuse to bid a fiver less.
An R3L is an R3L no matter whether it's wooly or not.

 

[Woolless]

None whatsoever, it's just an excuse to bid a fiver less.
An R3L is an R3L no matter whether it's wooly or not.

Sell live and thrive!!

 

[Nithsdale]

Personally I think it’s just a con too get the price further back... I know I could sell them deadweight and then the tightness of the skin doesn’t matter. But no, I’m not for doing that.

None whatsoever, it's just an excuse to bid a fiver less.
An R3L is an R3L no matter whether it's wooly or not.

Yep! It's those dark faces or heavy coated lambs with top knots which are £10 down on a Texel or Beltex lamb are the ones the dealers actually make their money on.

Daylight robbery. And then they smile at you, and try make you believe their doing you a favour taking them... looking for a luck penny!

 

[Purli R]

Yep! It's those dark faces or heavy coated lambs with top knots which are £10 down on a Texel or Beltex lamb are the ones the dealers actually make their money on.

Daylight robbery. And then they smile at you, and try make you believe their doing you a favour taking them... looking for a luck penny!

Lucky if ya get away with that little luck!

 

[ilyria]

I prefer Mashams, do better on the ground I've got and I get people asking me for them even though I've not bred any for a couple of years. Found them hardier and less hassle, for some spinners that like the wool too

 

[Purli R]

One of my customers has loads of mashams uses smaller but good shaped charollais on them, all lambing outside has some cracking lambs

Tell this to the gimmer lamb buyer,but they do need abit of wool at lambing time?

 

[Ysgythan]

None whatsoever, it's just an excuse to bid a fiver less.
An R3L is an R3L no matter whether it's wooly or not.

rubbish. They don’t make money if they don’t buy to spec, and the tight skinned lambs are more in demand.

 

[Ysgythan]

Welsh Mules are streets ahead of both. I’d go Cheviot or Scotch Mule before NEMSA.

 

[Nithsdale]

rubbish. They don’t make money if they don’t buy to spec, and the tight skinned lambs are more in demand.

Why do you automatically assume it's out of spec? The spec is the carcase - not the face or skin

 

[Ysgythan]

Why do you automatically assume it's out of spec? The spec is the carcase - not the face or skin

because a dealer would go out of business sharpish if he didn’t buy right.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

because a dealer would go out of business sharpish if he didn’t buy right.

Exactly our point. He can buy an R3L texel x mule lamb for £84, if he buys an R3L texel x masham or Suffolk x mule for £79 due too it’s rough wool or wrong colour face and he sends them all too the same abattoir requiring R3L lambs and they come too £87 on the hook then he’s just made £3 margin on the tex mule (barely covers costs) and £8 on the Suffolk or masham bred lambs.

 

[yellowbelly]

They don’t make money if they don’t buy to spec, and the tight skinned lambs are more in demand.

You're missing the point- they are buying in spec (or should be if they're any good at their job) but use a bit of wool to try and justify paying less.
As @Nithsdale Farmer farmer says, the spec is the carcase, not the bit that is the first to come off (skin, head and legs) on the killing line.

 

[Nithsdale]

because a dealer would go out of business sharpish if he didn’t buy right.

You've been conned

 

[Purli R]

What about the dales bred mule, they seem to retain there teeth better then NoE mules and have a little better shape.
IMO the NoE mule has really lost its way, all people breeding when want is dark heads and are putting no effort into longevity, the masham on the other hand is a good sheep and probably still being bred the same as they where 30 years ago. The deprecation on a mashams would be nothing compared to mules.

Yeh,chap bought some dales mules in Bentham cos he wanted a bit more coat on their lambs,as his NoE had not enough wool (according to him) TEETH..................have you seen the state of average swaledale gob? Yip they done a good job breeding what the buyer wants if you want/need dark heads