One of them put a texel and the other put a Suffolk x BFL , the Suffolk x lambs are as big as their mothers now.
Nz beltex
- Thread starter hendrebc
- Start date
CopperBeech
Member
- Location
- A Welsh man lost in England
Aye, we've to wean them this week and sell as store I think (whats not yet fat), most lambs are standing taller than their mothers! And probably weigh more already.
Mind you, got some smart pure shetland lambs, which have grown well.
We also lambed ewe lambs, which apparently you're not meant to lol.
Even got a shetland x swale haha.
Rules. . . . what rules?
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
Am I missing something? Surely life's too short to be chasing feral sheep round, especially if you can't even use dogs?
Even if they are the undiscovered wonder sheep, s you guys appear to be suggesting, I'd rather take a bit less than have that sort of stress every time I needed to gather them.
Even if they are the undiscovered wonder sheep, s you guys appear to be suggesting, I'd rather take a bit less than have that sort of stress every time I needed to gather them.
CopperBeech
Member
- Location
- A Welsh man lost in England
Am I missing something? Surely life's too short to be chasing feral sheep round, especially if you can't even use dogs?
Even if they are the undiscovered wonder sheep, s you guys appear to be suggesting, I'd rather take a bit less than have that sort of stress every time I needed to gather them.
They arent a wonder sheep at all.
They are just very well suited to a certain situation - which is running extensively on really crap ground, where you need / want / have to leave them well alone, and get a half decent store or light fat lamb out of then end of it.
Edited to add - I chose to vaccinate the lambs so have had them in. But realistically I could just let them off the lorry, gather to ring / click, gather them to wean / cull ewes, and then sell lambs as store / put them into one of our mobs. So thats two handlings.
NZDan
Member
- Location
- Broomfield, New Zealand
They're nae far from being wonder sheep mind.
This is precisely the reason they are not more common,I know a few folk who have used them as a starter into sheep but after a few years they all seem to move onto other breeds most commonly the Shetland x Cheviot. As a cheap way into sheep they are a no brainer, of these two friends I mentioned earlier one paid £18 average and the other £13 average so you can see the financial attraction.Am I missing something? Surely life's too short to be chasing feral sheep round, especially if you can't even use dogs?
Even if they are the undiscovered wonder sheep, s you guys appear to be suggesting, I'd rather take a bit less than have that sort of stress every time I needed to gather them.
NZDan
Member
- Location
- Broomfield, New Zealand
Most everyone I know who started with Shetlands and then bred across to something else still say they don't know why they didn't stick with Shetlands, "Best/most profitable sheep we've ever had"
CharcoalWally
Member
- Location
- West of Scotland
Just a word of warning , if you use a quad, don't get off it and turn your back , or you'll return to find a wee auld Shetland ewe has used it to escape from you!!! She'll have her 2 lambs in the fish box and will be laughing at you. ..Am I missing something? Surely life's too short to be chasing feral sheep round, especially if you can't even use dogs?
Woolless
Member
- Location
- Berwickshire, Scottish Borders
Must be a few quid to get them off the Island, though?
Keepers
Member
- Location
- South West
Depends how many you buy! Probably costs as much as the ewe!
All this talk on here's probably pushed them up fiver a head to!
The boat journey costs about £2.50 per good store lamb, Shetland ewe may be cheaper. Changed by the metre of pen space.
Truck to the pier will depend on distance etc, the mart is close to the pier.
Collection from Aberdeen harbour and away they go.
These ewes were bought in Thainstone.
Some news on the nz beltex https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/farm...acksides-on-display-at-the-canterbury-ap-show
I find it quite interesting how they say in the article that they will improve them in the same way they have the texel what improvements have they made to the texel and what improvements would they anticipate doing to the Beltex ?
Id say theyve improved the texel by making them easier to look after and forage reared but havent done any favours to the shape or look of them peobably gone backwards or stayed in one place imo. They have imported some uk texels (not sure if embryos or semen or what) recently to try and improve that tough. They will probably do similar to the beltex?
Woolless
Member
- Location
- Berwickshire, Scottish Borders
The NZ Texel is incorporated into a lot of maternal lines over there, I believe. Can't see there being much call for the Beltex to be used in that way. To improve terminal sire conformation, possibly.
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
Will be quite interesting to see what they do.
As for the texels here, they're all around in some shape or form, even my kept ram lambs are half texel half perendale.
Very much easier to finish on grass than the straight texel, and add good traits IMO.
Couldn't get a picture of all 4 together Patsy is always sucking my fingers, the womble gregarious and quiet.
But, narrow at the shoulder and quite happy with the shape.
Never been drenched.
As for the texels here, they're all around in some shape or form, even my kept ram lambs are half texel half perendale.
Very much easier to finish on grass than the straight texel, and add good traits IMO.
Couldn't get a picture of all 4 together Patsy is always sucking my fingers, the womble
gregarious and quiet.But, narrow at the shoulder and quite happy with the shape
. Never been drenched.
Coximus
Member
Same reason I still have 90 hebrideans - despite cutting back direct-to-public sales - They are basically black shetlands - They eat sweet FA, hold condition on crap - and can comfortably wean 2 lambs at 16 weeks weighing 25-30kg each and the ewes weigh 40kg.
I've not found a ewe that comes close in terms of profit/£ per Head ewe per year - down side is £0 Cull value and theyre black which hits the live sale, unless you sell direct - but given that You can hold 2 Heb or shetland ewes to 1 mule in terms of gras (I stock the hebs at 7/acre over the year average on average to poor PP) and the lambs can be finished on grass thanks to the genetics that let these animals live on crap forage - give them anything green and they flesh out - they are still far more profitable without cull value than most other breeds.
Big downside - Rounding them up is always a task - theyre best left to live their life on the same block of land and never moved (Mine live on 18/acres and rotate round it with a hay cut in the middle) - Move them and they will spend a week exploring the local area, tasting the crops and any rams will have a quick whip round every mule flock in the area.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
If I put it right up like that, it puts the kids off climbing up it, and jumping off.That's a hell of a see saw in the garden. Looks like fun.
It's more of a slide/face scraper than a neck breaker that way.
And it's fenced in, or the wind tends to blow it away off down the yard, it's a bugger when the rams end up more obedient than the loading-ramp!
Won't be hard to change their raddles next year anyway, the twerps
..the two with the cleanest bum in 6 months time, gets the fun job of being out with the ewes.. that's why I kept the 4.