that’s pretty much true of any breed though.
I raise my own replacements to get what I want.
Sheep breed change for outdoor lambing
- Thread starter Sheepmansam
- Start date
that’s pretty much true of any breed though.
I raise my own replacements to get what I want.
CopperBeech
Member
- Location
- A Welsh man lost in England
I agree with that to a point. But if someone is told to go buy ‘lleyns’ the variation in size, shape, type and everything is huge. Some are basically a welsh ewe and some a tex x. Every time I’ve ever seen a thread about lleyns on here I see a lot of folk saying they’ve bought ewes and ended up with some real dross. You go buy a mob of Romney or exlana ewes and id think they’d be a lot more typey, both down to less folk keeping them maybe and also the fact that most folk that do run very very similar systems. Plenty folk lambing lleyn inside, caking them and having big numbers of lambs etc. I don’t dislike them, just saying what I’ve seen.
I’ve never lambed one.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
Was based on over the hedge farming but it does seem a trend. Although one that’s paid off very well this year with the price as your obviously aware, but could of been a lot different with no deal.
you probably took my post a bit the wrong way what I meant was in reply to the op just because he’s thinking of lambing outside doesn’t mean he has to change breeds a mule is perfectly capable and doesn’t need to be fed.
wool shedders I can see are a different beast as we all know wool is work. But a Romney seems to have more wool some even shear twice a year and have less lambs that don’t sell so well in general
Yea true.
I think part of the issue is their rapid ruse in popularity a little while ago and people playing with type to get something not often fit for purpose.
I only buy rams from one trusted source and try to find ewe lambs from sand breeding if I need any. This year I don’t and will be selling shearling breeders for first time.
I don’t feed any cake and scan about 165 to 175, suits me fine outside.
The char then does the flesh building.
CopperBeech
Member
- Location
- A Welsh man lost in England
Aye I get what you’re saying. But I think there’s a bit of a misconception with regards to some of these easy care breeds. If you farm them well, especially with a terminal over them, you get some pretty good results. Tex and Char go over a Romney well, same with shedders. Lambs grow and grade real wrll but the ewes have a bit less cost to keep. I do like a good mule and the op could do well to stick with what he’s got and breed up from there to where he wants to be - first year or two might be a bit tough but you’ll end up a better place than just buying in.
CopperBeech
Member
- Location
- A Welsh man lost in England
The lambs are a credit to you mate. I just know what it’s like trying to buy in a couple hundred or so decent and typey lleyns. Not easy!
Thanks for highlighting this .... I'm sure I wouldn't have seen it otherwiseAnd clue the arrival of @Tim W......
Wool is at an all-time low but hasn't really paid it's way for decades...if you want to get paid for wool you have to breed for it (&that means quality as well as yield)
Even the Kiwis are starting to get the idea...recent stock sales of shedding females are fetching 1.8 times the equivalent of woolly things
Exlana are bred for purpose, low input , decent output, known health status etc
Mine have just scanned at 190% ,eat grass all year and need an absolute minimum of care at lambing
I'm sure others will tell you how they find them
I like lleyns as well, but that sums up my experience with them. Reason I'm trying something else now.
Brilliant lambs. However any lleyns in my area are very intensive, being fed and lambing indoors producing lots of lambs, it would be hard to find the right type of lleyn for outdoor lambing I would've thought.
- Location
- West Wales
I’ve never seen a lleyn in the flesh or handled one but I’d say Chuck a lean texel on a Welsh and voila
One of my best friends lambs 1200 mules outside in April and has done for decades with no issues. I would avoid the highlanders, lots of people locally are crossing them with other breeds as they easily scan at over 230% they are also very stubbon. I run Exlanas and some lambings are brilliant and some very hard work mainly depends on the year and how big the lambs are as all our leys are temporary leys so the ewes are always fat. Near enough no lame, less than 1% stuck on their backs or get maggots, no clik, shearing or crutching. Normally they scan at around 180% but this year did 209%... I'm a big fan of them but like all breeds don't buy from any one as most 'breeders' are no good and ruin breeds.
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- Location
- West Country
@Sheepmansam we run 2000 Romney’s and 300 Exlanas all outdoors, grass/green crop fed, never see a shed as we don’t have any! If we were to start with a clean slate and the wool market hadn’t improved, it would be with Exlanas. There is so much more to them than just shedding - they’ve been selected (hard) for low FEC, better carcass, good feet, twinning etc. Romney’s are a close second, but with current wool market, are adding labour requirement due to wool related tasks that you don’t get paid for!
Do you sell deadweight? If so is there any difference in weights and grade etc?
- Location
- West Country
We take all lambs to finish. All sold deadweight. No difference on grades between the two breeds. Mainly R with some O and U. Exlana tend to kill out better in my experience this year.
Greythundercloudys
Member
Those pics are from a different planet compared to where l am, Maybe in 2 months time. Just shows the difference from one end of the country to the next. Rice would suit my fields today.
Anybody crossing exlana on to something with a bit more carcass or does that defeat the purpose of easy lambing?
- Location
- West Wales
My base breed for my exlana’s is glamorgan Welsh (like a welsh x Cheviot - 70kg) I get about 20% U’s,75% R’s and 5% O’s but that could be more down to the mother being a thinner type
- Location
- West Wales
My exlanaX’s are a lot nicer to look at than an easycare, I’ve seen some than represent a Holstein but you get that in all breeds. Shame your in the north, I’m not far from the south
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
If you're in NI then go see Campbell Tweed ---he keeps shedders and records them on a large scale
Cross a shedder onto your mules and keep the hoggs that shed best
Cross these with another shedder and you will have a base maternal flock to put a terminal sire onto
Shedding is just another trait ---don't get hung up on breeds.....mix 'n' match until you get what you want
We will be sending Exlana tups over to NI this summer if it interests you
Cross a shedder onto your mules and keep the hoggs that shed best
Cross these with another shedder and you will have a base maternal flock to put a terminal sire onto
Shedding is just another trait ---don't get hung up on breeds.....mix 'n' match until you get what you want
We will be sending Exlana tups over to NI this summer if it interests you