NZDan
Member
- Location
- Broomfield, New Zealand
Is that great big steel thing for crucifying any sheep that are troublesome?
Sheep breed change for outdoor lambing
- Thread starter Sheepmansam
- Start date
- Location
- West Wales
Reel Posts
Tough galvanised steel reel posts to end your electric fence and help keep the wire taut. Designed to work seamlessly with our [Rappa Winders](https://shop.rappa.co.uk/Catalogue/Rappa-Winders-Accessor
www.rappa.co.uk
NZDan
Member
- Location
- Broomfield, New Zealand
Christ is that the end post for a rappa system?Reel Posts
Tough galvanised steel reel posts to end your electric fence and help keep the wire taut. Designed to work seamlessly with our [Rappa Winders](https://shop.rappa.co.uk/Catalogue/Rappa-Winders-Accessor
- Location
- Fife
Corner posts are similar, just without the arms.
Yes----& you need it if you have a 600m run of 3 strands
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
It’s just a length of 40mm angle iron with some pipes welded on. I make my own corner posts from a 4’ length of angle, some bale string and a couple of insulators.
It’s a great system, which I’m surprised the Kiwi’s haven’t embraced. They must have more free time to use hand winders over there?
I have used rappa for 25+ years (mainly sheep)no complaints , but for cattle geared reals and braid seems to be betterIt’s just a length of 40mm angle iron with some pipes welded on. I make my own corner posts from a 4’ length of angle, some bale string and a couple of insulators.
It’s a great system, which I’m surprised the Kiwi’s haven’t embraced. They must have more free time to use hand winders over there?
NZDan
Member
- Location
- Broomfield, New Zealand
I use fiberglass pole with a brace, for long runs and no brace on short runs.
NZDan
Member
- Location
- Broomfield, New Zealand
What spacing do you put your intermediate stakes? 12m or 15m spacing?
Depends on topography & how long the fence will be up
On a the flat field with a fence being up for a few weeks --- 14m (?)
On a stretch with lots of dips & over the entire grazing season etc then 8m in some places?
Kiwitech (powerpack) does look more suffisticated to me. Faster as well, especially with the shorter (up to 400m) fences. Shame they do not have a four strand kit.It’s just a length of 40mm angle iron with some pipes welded on. I make my own corner posts from a 4’ length of angle, some bale string and a couple of insulators.
It’s a great system, which I’m surprised the Kiwi’s haven’t embraced. They must have more free time to use hand winders over there?
How many crosses to get them fully shedding?
- Location
- West Wales
On mine 1/180 hasn’t shed first cross by weaning as a lamb themself
dogandstick
Member
- Location
- on the horizon
I’m not about to criticise any ones system, but there is a lot of generalisation here. Farms vary considerably, and what suits one may not suit another.
Thirty five years ago we rented some extra land restricted to sheep grazing only. It was heavy, and would poach just by looking at it. To make it pay, we had to stock it as heavy as we could. It would grow great grass in summer, but wasn’t suitable for growing roots, or at least grazing them in winter. So we made lots of silage, but the only way to feed it was indoors. So we housed the ewes, lambed from mid March and by the time we turned the whole flock out with lambs, the land would, in most seasons, be dry enough to carry them without too much of an issue. And there would be decent grass cover as well as a result of winter resting.
So housing and indoor lambing allowed us to carry a lot more stock than if we tried to outwinter them. It would have been great to lamb outdoors, but not practical on that farm at that level of stocking.
By the way, we also keep a flock of Lleyns that we lamb outside and indoor. We don’t sell any breeding stock, so no axe to grind, but have found them excellent mothers and not prone to lambing in a group as @neilo says.
We did focus on producing super quality diary cow silage mind, which reduced our concentrate feeding to very little, but not zero. The limiting factor was intakes in the twin bearing ewes as they got close to lambing, as we were running relatively small ewes 55-60 kgs tupped to strong terminal sires to give us 40kg plus lambs.
Horses for courses as they say.
Thirty five years ago we rented some extra land restricted to sheep grazing only. It was heavy, and would poach just by looking at it. To make it pay, we had to stock it as heavy as we could. It would grow great grass in summer, but wasn’t suitable for growing roots, or at least grazing them in winter. So we made lots of silage, but the only way to feed it was indoors. So we housed the ewes, lambed from mid March and by the time we turned the whole flock out with lambs, the land would, in most seasons, be dry enough to carry them without too much of an issue. And there would be decent grass cover as well as a result of winter resting.
So housing and indoor lambing allowed us to carry a lot more stock than if we tried to outwinter them. It would have been great to lamb outdoors, but not practical on that farm at that level of stocking.
By the way, we also keep a flock of Lleyns that we lamb outside and indoor. We don’t sell any breeding stock, so no axe to grind, but have found them excellent mothers and not prone to lambing in a group as @neilo says.
We did focus on producing super quality diary cow silage mind, which reduced our concentrate feeding to very little, but not zero. The limiting factor was intakes in the twin bearing ewes as they got close to lambing, as we were running relatively small ewes 55-60 kgs tupped to strong terminal sires to give us 40kg plus lambs.
Horses for courses as they say.
Last edited:
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
My comment on the Lleyns grouping together like mules can was based on what several big (indoor) breeders told me. It put me off ever running more than ten pure ewes, which have been more than enough experience of them for me. At the time I had been thinking of buying a whole flock of 250 that were dispersing (to concentrate on his Texel X ewes as it happens), and glad I didn't.
Very happy with my halfbred Lleyns though, as an infusion of outside blood.
I outwinter everything on roots here, on ground that is marginal as to whether it's suitable for that. It is undoubtedly a cheap way to feed sheep, but animal performance is compromised in a wet winter like last year, and it obviously has a substantial growing cost. If I had the buildings I would certainly consider housing some/all of the flock on silage instead, but would still turn out for lambing.
There are many ways to crack an egg.
dogandstick
Member
- Location
- on the horizon
My comment on the Lleyns grouping together like mules can was based on what several big (indoor) breeders told me. It put me off ever running more than ten pure ewes, which have been more than enough experience of them for me. At the time I had been thinking of buying a whole flock of 250 that were dispersing (to concentrate on his Texel X ewes as it happens), and glad I didn't.
Very happy with my halfbred Lleyns though, as an infusion of outside blood.
I outwinter everything on roots here, on ground that is marginal as to whether it's suitable for that. It is undoubtedly a cheap way to feed sheep, but animal performance is compromised in a wet winter like last year, and it obviously has a substantial growing cost. If I had the buildings I would certainly consider housing some/all of the flock on silage instead, but would still turn out for lambing.
There are many ways to crack an egg.
dogandstick
Member
- Location
- on the horizon
My comment on the Lleyns grouping together like mules can was based on what several big (indoor) breeders told me. It put me off ever running more than ten pure ewes, which have been more than enough experience of them for me. At the time I had been thinking of buying a whole flock of 250 that were dispersing (to concentrate on his Texel X ewes as it happens), and glad I didn't.
Very happy with my halfbred Lleyns though, as an infusion of outside blood.
I outwinter everything on roots here, on ground that is marginal as to whether it's suitable for that. It is undoubtedly a cheap way to feed sheep, but animal performance is compromised in a wet winter like last year, and it obviously has a substantial growing cost. If I had the buildings I would certainly consider housing some/all of the flock on silage instead, but would still turn out for lambing.
There are many ways to crack an egg.
Indoor lambing isn’t a natural environment for sheep to lamb in, and they do well to keep their distance when stocked at 1 per 12ft squared.
Granted that the Lleyn has a significant variation, especially since the northern boys got into them and bred them to compete with North Country mules. Ours are more traditional in size. They breed tremendous Charollais cross lambs from long bodied, well muscled, tight skinned, fine headed tups. No work lambing any of those
