Sheep Blocks

[neilo]

Didn't reach an artic load but took 12 tons early delivery rebate in August every year. Spent a fortnight laying out dumps on the two mountains. As above half standards (green) and half high (red). Extra high I started using when we started scanning and use it on the twin carriers.
Now with the enviro destocking it is just the twins that get fed and they get high until mid Feb and then extra (with fish oil).

I reckon times must have been good for sheep farmers, once upon a time. We used to have a full lorry load (20t IIRC) of Colborn Dawes blocks delivered each year on early order discounts too. Then we used to feed rolls pre-lambing and finish the hoggets on ad-lib concs.

Those must have been the days....

 

[Bury the Trash]

we hadn't used blocks for yrs but bit short of keep for one reason and another ...hence putting out hay and mvf green blocks and also green buckets (which ive never used b4) ...roughly speaking theyre clearing them at about the same rate (but a about a fiver more for the bucket ) .....
and im reminded yet again that whatever feed you put out for sheep its less wasteful if kept dry

 

[Y Fan Wen]

I reckon times must have been good for sheep farmers, once upon a time. We used to have a full lorry load (20t IIRC) of Colborn Dawes blocks delivered each year on early order discounts too. Then we used to feed rolls pre-lambing and finish the hoggets on ad-lib concs.

Those must have been the days....

Yes, I've never understood it. Spent my whole working life struggling against everything that was thrown at me. Yet, looking back, it all seemed to go like a dream. Most peculiar, but it has taught me to be more philosophical about my difficulties.

 

[Danllan]

i always wondered what 'fish oil' was,... is it to stop them squeaking .......

I have always wondered what the famed delicacy of 'fish-wings' are...

 

[GTB]

I reckon times must have been good for sheep farmers, once upon a time. We used to have a full lorry load (20t IIRC) of Colborn Dawes blocks delivered each year on early order discounts too. Then we used to feed rolls pre-lambing and finish the hoggets on ad-lib concs.

Those must have been the days....

But you were getting £21 IIRC per ewe headage payments then plus variable premium on the lambs you produced. That was a huge incentive to be heavily stocked. Lots of places around here kept thousands of hill ewes and needed to keep them alive in case a head count was required. Plus of course there was a huge demand for light lambs at that time too. Golden age for hill farms without a doubt.

Bring back headage payments I say.

 

[Bury the Trash]

We use high energy buckets, have salmon oil in them really smell strong when you first take the lids off , ewes love them
Sorry WD40 doesn’t contain fish oil it’s an urban myth

I use Duck oil

I have always wondered what the famed delicacy of 'fish-wings' are...

.............they are the wings of the flying fish

 

[neilo]

But you were getting £21 IIRC per ewe headage payments then plus variable premium on the lambs you produced. That was a huge incentive to be heavily stocked. Lots of places around here kept thousands of hill ewes and needed to keep them alive in case a head count was required. Plus of course there was a huge demand for light lambs at that time too. Golden age for hill farms without a doubt.

Bring back headage payments I say.

I don't remember getting anything like that as a headage payment, but then I wasn't in Wales at the time... Admittedly we did target hoggets to hit the highest VP rates in the Spring though, so getting £20 a head on them IIRC.

I wouldn't be averse to accepting £21/hd for sheep now, on top of a basic BPS of course, but I can't see it would do much good for the industry.

 

[GTB]

It might have been 21 euro so £17 per ewe?

Happy days. It felt like there was a purpose to life back then. The harder you worked / more stock you kept, the more money you made. Been the total opposite since SFP/ BPS came in.

 

[Danllan]

I use Duck oil



.............they are the wings of the flying fish

No, they are too meaty...

 

[ploughman61]

Both are blocks, the Tithebarn ones were more than double the price of the Rumevite ones, I don't have the Tithebarn analysis to hand but I am sure they were probably better quality, however they were sore on teeth.

If you cost them out lifeline blocks are 11p/ewe/day lifestart from tithebarn are 6p/ewe/day and slightly better analyst