Primitive Sheep Breeds

[Old Tip]

On behalf of the RBST I ran a project to see how the seven primitive breeds of sheep finished on a commercial farm. As most of these breeds are kept in small numbers and often on little grass I was interested to see how they fared on a rotational grazing system alongside my Cheviot hoggs.
We got two wethers of each breed and ran them for twelve months on a grass diet. Costs were low with just a single quarantine worm dose on arrival and two fluke doses. The rest of the cost was grass keep, being small they didn’t eat a lot so estimated total cost of £15 for twelve months.
I have been surprised with how well they have done with five out of the seven yielding a so called commercial carcass of 16 to 21 kg at R3L. The other two breeds are smaller but yielded an acceptable carcass especially suitable for the high end restaurant trade.
Below is a photo of a Manx Carcass which weighs 21kg

 

[scholland]

All we eat ourselves are shetland 16 month old males.
Never fed just left to it on a common grazing, very low cost to produce, usually mid teens carcase kg.
Imo much tastier than normal lamb and very well received by the folk we supply.
Hogget meat is very under used imo.

 

[Treg]

On behalf of the RBST I ran a project to see how the seven primitive breeds of sheep finished on a commercial farm. As most of these breeds are kept in small numbers and often on little grass I was interested to see how they fared on a rotational grazing system alongside my Cheviot hoggs.
We got two wethers of each breed and ran them for twelve months on a grass diet. Costs were low with just a single quarantine worm dose on arrival and two fluke doses. The rest of the cost was grass keep, being small they didn’t eat a lot so estimated total cost of £15 for twelve months.
I have been surprised with how well they have done with five out of the seven yielding a so called commercial carcass of 16 to 21 kg at R3L. The other two breeds are smaller but yielded an acceptable carcass especially suitable for the high end restaurant trade.
Below is a photo of a Manx Carcass which weighs 21kg

Can you give us the names of all the breeds & how well they did please.

 

[delilah]

Can you give us the names of all the breeds & how well they did please.

also how often each breed got out

 

[neilo]

On behalf of the RBST I ran a project to see how the seven primitive breeds of sheep finished on a commercial farm. As most of these breeds are kept in small numbers and often on little grass I was interested to see how they fared on a rotational grazing system alongside my Cheviot hoggs.
We got two wethers of each breed and ran them for twelve months on a grass diet. Costs were low with just a single quarantine worm dose on arrival and two fluke doses. The rest of the cost was grass keep, being small they didn’t eat a lot so estimated total cost of £15 for twelve months.
I have been surprised with how well they have done with five out of the seven yielding a so called commercial carcass of 16 to 21 kg at R3L. The other two breeds are smaller but yielded an acceptable carcass especially suitable for the high end restaurant trade.
Below is a photo of a Manx Carcass which weighs 21kg

Am I right in thinking that you got these lambs at weaning, then ran them for 12 months, so around 17-18 months at slaughter?

 

[Old Tip]

Am I right in thinking that you got these lambs at weaning, then ran them for 12 months, so around 17-18 months at slaughter?

Yep ??

 

[Old Tip]

also how often each breed got out

The breeds were
Shetland, Manx, Castlemilk, Hebridean, Boraray, Roneldsay and Soay. They were very easy to look after but I do have reasonably good dogs. The Roneldsays were the escape artists though, if they couldn’t go under they went over

 

[Woolless]

What was the average purchase price? Sounds like there is a margin, particularly if selling to the upmarket catering sector. Good eating, as @scholland says. The problem is, they are sold/slaughtered right at peak time for sheep numbers. How would it work out if they were cashed at about two years old, when sheep prices should be at their peak?

 

[SteveHants]

What was the average purchase price? Sounds like there is a margin, particularly if selling to the upmarket catering sector. Good eating, as @scholland says. The problem is, they are sold/slaughtered right at peak time for sheep numbers. How would it work out if they were cashed at about two years old, when sheep prices should be at their peak?

I'm reasonably sure that @Tim W mentioned something to me once about a Shetland x Wilts being used to produce decent lambs off poor grazing (were they put to a Beltex?).....

It could be that I'm remembering wrong though, has been known to happen.

 

[Woolless]

I'm reasonably sure that @Tim W mentioned something to me once about a Shetland x Wilts being used to produce decent lambs off poor grazing (were they put to a Beltex?).....

It could be that I'm remembering wrong though, has been known to happen.

Shetlands have their place in a commercial setting, no doubt. I have considered adding a splash to my flock.

 

[SteveHants]

Shetlands have their place in a commercial setting, no doubt. I have considered adding a splash to my flock.

As I remember it - cross them to a wilt, they all shed and are a bit bigger, tup with something ultra-commercial like a Beltex, might only lamb at 150% but will do off very marginal grazing.

 

[scholland]

What was the average purchase price? Sounds like there is a margin, particularly if selling to the upmarket catering sector. Good eating, as @scholland says. The problem is, they are sold/slaughtered right at peak time for sheep numbers. How would it work out if they were cashed at about two years old, when sheep prices should be at their peak?

Poorer end Shetland Lambs would be under a tenner.
There is still a big tradition of filling your freezer in autumn up here so we take advantage of that and sell whole hoggs for freezer orders.

 

[Woolless]

Poorer end Shetland Lambs would be under a tenner.
There is still a big tradition of filling your freezer in autumn up here so we take advantage of that and sell whole hoggs for freezer orders.

Ideal for that job

 

[Tim W]

I'm reasonably sure that @Tim W mentioned something to me once about a Shetland x Wilts being used to produce decent lambs off poor grazing (were they put to a Beltex?).....

It could be that I'm remembering wrong though, has been known to happen.

Many examples of Shetlands being farmed commercially as a cross , i have seen 1000+ ewe flocks of Tex X Shet producing excellent lamb crops
Wilts x are also good marginal ground grazers giving 140% returns with almost zero inputs

 

[SteveHants]

Many examples of Shetlands being farmed commercially as a cross , i have seen 1000+ ewe flocks of Tex X Shet producing excellent lamb crops
Wilts x are also good marginal ground grazers giving 140% returns with almost zero inputs

I guess they wouldn't shed if put to the Texel? Do they still have horns?

 

[Woolless]

I guess they wouldn't shed if put to the Texel? Do they still have horns?

They would if it was a shedding Texel

 

[Tim W]

I guess they wouldn't shed if put to the Texel? Do they still have horns?

some have horns

 

[Old Tip]

What was the average purchase price? Sounds like there is a margin, particularly if selling to the upmarket catering sector. Good eating, as @scholland says. The problem is, they are sold/slaughtered right at peak time for sheep numbers. How would it work out if they were cashed at about two years old, when sheep prices should be at their peak?

Yeah we sell them from 15 months to two years old, purchase price is around the £25 pound mark. For this project the lambs were donated but I buy some in as well as rear our own Hebridean and Castlemilk.
We sell the first clip wool for about a tenner a fleece and then also get the best skins tanned, so can clear about a hundred quid profit in an average of twelve months keep.
You couldn’t do that with hundreds but even if you just sold them direct you would make a good amount for very little work

 

[Global ovine]

Marketing of something a point of difference is key to successful production systems. This has been shown in NZ with "Silere", 18 month old Merino lambs shorn at about 16 months. Wool income comes in at about $50.00 plus the value of a 18 - 20 kg carcass that commands a premium destined for the restaurant trade, as its appeal is eating experience (flavour and texture). Silere is administered by NZMerino with Alpine Origin Merino the sole shareholder. Meat value for a 20kg lamb is currently in excess of $170.00. This gives an income of $220.00 for bought in store lambs for under $100.00, or in GBP 60.00 for eight months. This is a really good land use option for those farmers with winter safe hill country and usually finished on a crop of white clover/chickory mix. (Merinos don't do well on ryegrass).
A meal of Merino lamb shanks, shoulder of lamb, lamb rump etc. is much more expensive than Scotch fillet of steak.
I cannot see why this system, without the wool income, could not be replicated elsewhere with the appropriate breeds, where lambs are purchased cheaply, fed in a low cost system and marketting their point of difference and with their story.