Sheep breed change for outdoor lambing

[Sheepmansam]

Hi, Currently running around 450 mules and texel/mule ewes which I mostly put to beltex and Charollais/beltex rams in Northern Ireland. All lamb indoors in March. Thinking of trying a different breed to lamb outside in April and was wondering what I should try. Currently thinking of Romney or Highlanders but would be open to other suggestions. Maybe shedders? Would like to run a closed flock eventually and lamb all outside. All opinions welcome, thanks.

 

[Hilly]

Romneys.

 

[JP1]

Popcorn session kindly provided during a pause in the Blenky thread

 

[Sheepmansam]

[

Romneys.

Just worried about wool or is it a benefit? Do you make profit the wool?

 

[Hilly]

[

Just worried about wool or is it a benefit? Do you make profit the wool?

If you don’t want wool get shedders , if you do want wool you want sheep worth shearing, very little wool makes money but I find the Romney s at worst cover all associated costs , and in a good year leave a little .

 

[Big Ambitions]

Lleyn are very efficient little ewes, fairly hardy, can rear two or even three lambs off grass with ease. Lamb on their own with little intervention, lambs are up quick and sooking. Can lamb them as hoggs if you want, and the carcass is a fairly decent quality too

 

[Green farmer]

[

Just worried about wool or is it a benefit? Do you make profit the wool?

And clue the arrival of @Tim W......

 

[Estate fencing.]

I know its not fashionable but why not lamb mules outside. I lamb 300 mule in April outside that scanned at 205%. I can loose a lot of lambs before it get to a Romney scanning (I wouldn’t expect to loose anymore than Romney’s). My dad used to lamb Texel and Suffolk cross outside, they where no problem if you lambed them as ewe lambs.

 

[Jerry]

Lleyns.......

outside lambing now.

Put to a char ram for easy lambing and tight Skins with decent carcass

 

[noagain]

Lleyns.......

outside lambing now.

Put to a char ram for easy lambing and tight Skins with decent carcass

We talk about British Agriculture asthough it is all the same , and these pictures of sheep lambing outside to a charly in Feb is just unthinkable to a good few of us

 

[CopperBeech]

Romney’s or exlana. Everything else is largely a variation on those themes anyway and I don’t see any advantage in any other breed?

 

[Al R]

Lleyns.......

outside lambing now.

Put to a char ram for easy lambing and tight Skins with decent carcass

I’ve got pure BFL that for 3 years over half have been born outside in January. Can’t really compare us to the rest of the country @Jerry

 

[CopperBeech]

Lleyn are very efficient little ewes, fairly hardy, can rear two or even three lambs off grass with ease. Lamb on their own with little intervention, lambs are up quick and sooking. Can lamb them as hoggs if you want, and the carcass is a fairly decent quality too

The biggest issue with lleyns is the variation.

 

[CopperBeech]

I’ve got pure BFL that for 3 years over half have been born outside in January. Can’t really compare us to the rest of the country @Jerry

Ive just Lambed 300 exlana ewes outside over jan and feb. Cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would choose to do it The fact that 2/3 of those photos were taken by torch light says enough for me. Seems little advantage to me for a load of stress.

 

[tr250]

I know its not fashionable but why not lamb mules outside. I lamb 300 mule in April outside that scanned at 205%. I can loose a lot of lambs before it get to a Romney scanning (I wouldn’t expect to loose anymore than Romney’s). My dad used to lamb Texel and Suffolk cross outside, they where no problem if you lambed them as ewe lambs.

My thoughts too mules and texel x are as capable of lambing outside as any other and you get a decent lamb to sell these Romney bred lambs seem to take so much finnishing and stay about so long I question how easy care they really are

 

[Al R]

Ive just Lambed 300 exlana ewes outside over jan and feb. Cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would choose to do it The fact that 2/3 of those photos were taken by torch light says enough for me. Seems little advantage to me for a load of stress.

I need the ram lambs to work in September Their not on a creep system and apart from a handful of oats when some ewes eventually came inside pre lambing they had no feed before hand.

But yes daylight hours is around 2 hours difference between jan and march

 

[CopperBeech]

My thoughts too mules and texel x are as capable of lambing outside as any other and you get a decent lamb to sell these Romney bred lambs seem to take so much finnishing and stay about so long I question how easy care they really are

You’ve farmed and finished many Romney’s ?

I used to lamb a couple thousand Mules outside along with Suffolk and tex Xs-the right ones are grand and you get good lambs etc but you just can’t improve bugger all - you pay your money and take your chances. And your costs can end a lot lot higher.

I keep shedders and will hVe averaged in excess of £100 a lamb over about 1200 ewes lambed, so you can’t really convince me that I need mules to breed decent lambs. And I know for a fact they’ve cost me a lot less to farm and fatten than mules and mule bred lambs.

Most lambs had one drench, some none, nothing’s ever seen any feed, no real other inputs. 1/3 of whether lambs went on the hook over 40kg at weaning. And I sold over 150% off them. Lambing took me and a young lad doing the shed.

I don’t miss the mules

 

[CopperBeech]

I need the ram lambs to work in September Their not on a creep system and apart from a handful of oats when some eventually came inside they had no feed before hand.

But yes daylight hours is around 2 hours difference between jan and march

I was going to say I could only see needing breeding stock at a certain age as a reason

 

[Jerry]

I’ve got pure BFL that for 3 years over half have been born outside in January. Can’t really compare us to the rest of the country @Jerry

True but OP is talking about lambing much later than us I think.

 

[Jerry]

Ive just Lambed 300 exlana ewes outside over jan and feb. Cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would choose to do it The fact that 2/3 of those photos were taken by torch light says enough for me. Seems little advantage to me for a load of stress.

Dark pics taken at first rounds this morning at 7am. Been in bed since 10pm night before.

Those were some of the nights offerings. Only had to help one a little. most of them dry and sucked.