Shedders - Be interested in your views

[Bones]

Nah always shedding ewes, just gone back to crossing them with terminal rams, just gives you more options.

Keep top 10% of the flock pure easycare for replacements, one day I hope the live buyer looses the arrogance of dissing shedding sheep. But to be honest crossing the ewes does give some cracking looking lambs which look the business.

What's the best terminal ram to use on them.

 

[sherg]

I know of extra wooly breeders (romney, highlander etc) selling store lambs direct cause of resistance in the store ring.......... moral of the story some store buyers are abit too picky!

I haven't seen that many shedders going through the store ring, the only ones I did see were a big bunch from a college and they hadn't been farmed at all well they looked very small for the time of year they didn't make big money but for what they were they sold well

 

[spin cycle]

What's the best terminal ram to use on them.

any good quality terminal i'dve thought...i use beltex/texel on my wilts

 

[unlacedgecko]

What's the best terminal ram to use on them.

My client who runs commercial shedding hybrids seems to have great success with Texel and NZ Texel.

400 lambs finished on dairy grass only. Killed at end of Jan with average weight of 19.8kg. Weight range 35-55kg. They killed out well, but I don't have grades to hand.

 

[Man_in_black]

Nah always shedding ewes, just gone back to crossing them with terminal rams, just gives you more options.

Keep top 10% of the flock pure easycare for replacements, one day I hope the live buyer looses the arrogance of dissing shedding sheep. But to be honest crossing the ewes does give some cracking looking lambs which look the business.

Out of interest Will, what factors do you use to determine top 10%? Is your easy ewes recorded?

 

[Man_in_black]

commercial shedding hybrids

Fully shedding????

 

[unlacedgecko]

Fully shedding????

Almost totally. A handful of ewes need shearing as some terminal x are retained.

Originally bred up from Lleyns several years ago.

 

[willy]

What's the best terminal ram to use on them.

I would say siftex so far is my favourite, but this year I am trying logie, dunno and meatlinc.

 

[willy]

Out of interest Will, what factors do you use to determine top 10%? Is your easy ewes recorded?

Ok so I take any ewes that we're scannned as pairs the previous year, then I pick the hair ones of these (they are all shredders but I like the ones with hair rather than fleece if that make sense) then any bad feet etc are chucked out. Not scientific but a start.

 

[Tim W]

. If you have shedders what are the good and bad points, what are the lambs like to sell, and the culls? If you have both shedders and woolies how do they compare? Much been made about grass only but are they OK on winter roots? What price are the tups and is there a good supply?!

Plenty of tups about , go to one of the sales and take a punt.
Recorded animals from a few breeders in the borders (maternal sheep group) or Exlana (www.sig.uk.com)
Last year we averaged about £740 for our tups.All BLUP recorded,including FEC , from heavily selected disease screened flocks ....( Less than 2% of our ram lambs born make it through to being offered for sale )

 

[Man_in_black]

I think we need a sticky (?) thread for shedders. It gets a bit tedious after a while and some chose not to believe you anyway.

I think predictive text needs to catch up with the revolution; it thinks I'm starting to farm

Or even

 

[GTB]

I think predictive text needs to catch up with the revolution; it thinks I'm starting to farm View attachment 488716
Or even
View attachment 488720

.??

 

[Man_in_black]

.??

Everytime i put in shedder it changes it to shredder!!

 

[GTB]

Everytime i put in shedder it changes it to shredder!!

Oh right I was starting to think you'd lost the plot!

 

[neilo]

Oh right I was starting to think you'd lost the plot!

Starting?