Sheep breed change for outdoor lambing

[Tim W]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Exlanas described as being ‘typey’.

You're just so far behind @neilo ---you need to join the SSSS FB group to get all the gossip
( Shedding Sheep Show Society)

 

[puppet]

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.

We lamb Mule/ texel and Lleyn/ texel mostly outside except for triplets and a few single hoggs inside. Done it from 1st March but mostly around 23rd onwards. Plenty farms round here do the same as Mules are probably commonest ewe.
Be prepared to bring some in if lambs are not up properly or a really wet night but when things are going reasonably a lot less work than inside and losses not much different averaged across a few years if you get a watery mouth outbreak.
I'm just getting old to tackle a ewe off a quad bike.

 

[M-J-G]

Lleyns.......

outside lambing now.

View attachment 943084View attachment 943085View attachment 943086

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

Good on you for playing to your farm's strengths, but you're in a very different world to me.

 

[muleman]

Leicester

 

[CopperBeech]

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.

Id argue that it would be fairly hard for the breeders of most of the exlana sheep for sale to have ruined them

 

[CopperBeech]

@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!

Also you’re probably thinking if that idiot over there can make the pay .... we’re going to be rich

 

[CopperBeech]

Anybody crossing exlana on to something with a bit more carcass or does that defeat the purpose of easy lambing?

I have a lot of ‘pure bred’ exlana ewes but also have a chunk of ewes that have other stuff in their background - predominantly nz suftex. Lamb prices were crap one year so I kept back I think 100 smart suftex x exlana ewes lambs and out them back to the exlana etc. There’s also a bunch with Charmoise blood, again from keeping back terminal x ewe lambs. The ones still here shed and their daughters (and sons) to exlana rams always shed. Some very smart sheep running about the place with their blood.

 

[CopperBeech]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Exlanas described as being ‘typey’.

I may have agreed 5 years ago but being honest now mine are very similar sheep - similar size, conformation, obviously same colour etc and now same head shapes and stuff like that. Ewe lamb crops are getting more and more typey each year.

 

[HarryB97]

Id argue that it would be fairly hard for the breeders of most of the exlana sheep for sale to have ruined them

Very true but going forwards lots of people will be breeding them with none of the indepth recording of people like Tim

 

[CopperBeech]

Very true but going forwards lots of people will be breeding them with none of the indepth recording of people like Tim

110%

I get asked a fair bit. Say the same to anyone who asks - if you want to buy exlana sheep go speak to the guys at SIG. You might end up buying my sheep to be fair but you’re always better buying through them. That’s ewes. As for rams, you’d need your head read buying exlana stud rams off anyone else.

 

[SteveHants]

Anybody crossing exlana on to something with a bit more carcass or does that defeat the purpose of easy lambing?

Yes - I used to put first time lambers to a Char and anything else in my commercial flock to SufTex - the latter works well, maximise heterosis and can be sold through the live markets as they look like (and seem to kill like) a mule x terminal

 

[SteveHants]

I have a lot of ‘pure bred’ exlana ewes but also have a chunk of ewes that have other stuff in their background - predominantly nz suftex. Lamb prices were crap one year so I kept back I think 100 smart suftex x exlana ewes lambs and out them back to the exlana etc. There’s also a bunch with Charmoise blood, again from keeping back terminal x ewe lambs. The ones still here shed and their daughters (and sons) to exlana rams always shed. Some very smart sheep running about the place with their blood.

Which reminds me @Tim W , what became of those SufTex x Exlana you had?

 

[Woolless]

Anybody crossing exlana on to something with a bit more carcass or does that defeat the purpose of easy lambing?

I have used a fair bit of shedding Texel blood on my Signet recorded Easycares. Thickens them up a bit, adding Myomax genes and hybrid vigour while minimising the amount of wool you end up with. They still lamb outside. Probably 1/4 to 3/8 Texel is ideal for the job.

 

[M-J-G]

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.

Best ewes I've lambed outdoors have been ShetlandXCheviots (not your horrid Wicklow cheviot) cheap to keep, great mothers and live amazing well on a very poor winter run on a Scottish upland farm where they produced a dandy bunch of lambs for such modest looking ewes.
They don't fit in with the super trendy composite mindset but those ewes were faultless from what I could see.

 

[SteveHants]

Best ewes I've lambed outdoors have been ShetlandXCheviots (not your horrid Wicklow cheviot) cheap to keep, great mothers and live amazing well on a very poor winter run on a Scottish upland farm where they produced a dandy bunch of lambs for such modest looking ewes.
They don't fit in with the super trendy composite mindset but those ewes were faultless from what I could see.

What did you put them to?
Were they all first cross or did you keep back any lambs?

 

[Jerry]

Good on you for playing to your farm's strengths, but you're in a very different world to me.

Indeed. I have to lamb now, or earlier, to be honest as I can burn to a crisp come May....

 

[DanM]

Also you’re probably thinking if that idiot over there can make the pay .... we’re going to be rich

Does that also explain why you now own a Romney

 

[Sheepmansam]

Very interesting stuff so far, just wondering what the exlana tup lambs like for growth? Has anybody got any avg dlwg figures? Are they easy to fatten?

 

[CopperBeech]

Does that also explain why you now own a Romney

Aye one and she’s going to market on Monday ...... 2 hours away from anywhere where anyone knows me

 

[M-J-G]

Indeed. I have to lamb now, or earlier, to be honest as I can burn to a crisp come May....

We can be minus temps until the end of April and still burn to a crisp in May