Sheep Scanning

[unlacedgecko]

Last year I left my 5+ year old triplet texelx ewes out in the field and 30 reared 89 (7 got hit by nemitadirus) so they finished/reared 82 on grass only. I had planned on culling them all but no doubt a lot are still with me as they got mixed with 30 twin ewes after 8 weeks. sacrifice older ewes and the fattest if your doing it, I tried a mule a few years ago and she died after 5 weeks leaving me 3 smaller lambs and I’d finished lambing so they grew on grass only which was still cheaper than powder (you could bury ewes then to)

if you don’t give ewes the opportunity to rear triplets you’ll never be able to identify the ewes which can rear triplets.

 

[neilo]

if you don’t give ewes the opportunity to rear triplets you’ll never be able to identify the ewes which can rear triplets.

True of course, but you also won’t identify those that send themselves to the kennels/cull line prematurely, those that end up losing a lamb having compromised the other two, or those that drag three runts up.

Experience has taught me that I’d rather let them rear two with next to know intervention, and make a small amount on an artificially reared one.
I’ve never understood the idea of ‘offering’ triplets a bottle in the field, or feeding & creeping a separate batch that you otherwise wouldn’t have, then persuading yourself that it’s no extra bother. I’ll stick with rearing cades properly, and letting the ewes get on with rearing twins properly, in a big mob on grass.

 

[Al R]

True of course, but you also won’t identify those that send themselves to the kennels/cull line prematurely, those that end up losing a lamb having compromised the other two, or those that drag three runts up.

Experience has taught me that I’d rather let them rear two with next to know intervention, and make a small amount on an artificially reared one.
I’ve never understood the idea of ‘offering’ triplets a bottle in the field, or feeding & creeping a separate batch that you otherwise wouldn’t have, then persuading yourself that it’s no extra bother. I’ll stick with rearing cades properly, and letting the ewes get on with rearing twins properly, in a big mob on grass.

I could’ve just been lucky last year
As always ever farm/ewe/lamb/season is different to another

 

[bread bin]

This years scan 164 was dad beltexs and ET ewes, 163 was gimmers, 190 was mixed age ewes 186 was Highlanders and Shetland Cheviots

 

[Spartacus]

Scanned on Friday, 89 NofE mules no empty, 15 singles, 14 triplets rest twins, 199%. 380 swales, 9 empty (one had been in lamb but had a dead one in her). 18 triplets, 80 singles, 1 quad and the rest twins, 176%. Mules have been higher in the past but that's the best the swales have ever done.

 

[spark_28]

What’s a gimmer?

here it would be:
2019 born: Ewe lamb,
2018 born: Yearling,
2017 and older: Ewe.

shearlings etc confuse me as mine are shorn as ewe lambs, “ 2 shears” to me is a yearling as they’ve been shorn twice but more importantly also lambed twice.

I like the empty name of Kebabs

my ewe lambs were slightly disappointing but most will/would be lambing before 12 months old plus mothers were all hill ewes which are slower growing/ less fertile, most were raddled and big ewe lambs which was the disappointing part, fat price couldn’t be better for sealing their fate mind!

About to have it's first lamb

 

[Al R]

About to have it's first lamb

Is it 12 month or 24 month old though

 

[Woolless]

Is it 12 month or 24 month old though

Rising two years.

 

[A.sci]

April lambing
8% empty
14%single
72% twins
6%trips
Too many empty by far. Least not got many trips to deal with.
175%

 

[Heatgereater]

At very least culls are a good trade and good twinning percentage
Would have a closer look into empties mind if a lowland flock always reckoned 8% being ok for hill flock mind

 

[Ysgythan]

Geld, Barren, Eild, Yeld, Empty, Ann Widecomme,

Any more regional terms?

Hesb

 

[beardface]

Scanned today

Ewe lambs 70 (70%)

25 empty (35%)
41 single (58%)
4 twin (5%)

Ewes 308 (189%)

5 empty (1.6%)
71 single (23 %)
185 twin (60 %)
47 triplets (15%)

Few too many threes but happy with that

 

[Farmer_Joe]

similar to mine (both numbers and rates) scanned gimmers with ewes and got 185% tups were only in 4 weeks and only 8 empty.

 

[Bob the beef]

Northie Cheviots. 147%
Aberfield ewes 188%
Aberfield glimmers 154%
Highlander ewe hoggs. 138%

Yeld. 2.8%

Happy With that for a mid April outdoor lambing. Glimmers a bit too singly but they were in too big a fettle all last year. Couldn't get them to shed any condition so went to the tup too fat.
Only 35 triplets in the whole lot

 

[Nithsdale]

Helped a friend scan on Friday - higher, upland farm but similar to mine. Blackies and Scotch Mules.

I forget the individual numbers but

150 Blackies @ 162%
450 Mules @ 207%.

20 empty - 12 of those were in the Blackies.
Over 100 triplets in total. Biggest scan in the Mules he has ever had (168% is the Blackie record) and its the most triplets ever, too

 

[unlacedgecko]

Helped a friend scan on Friday - higher, upland farm but similar to mine. Blackies and Scotch Mules.

I forget the individual numbers but

150 Blackies @ 162%
450 Mules @ 207%.

20 empty - 12 of those were in the Blackies.
Over 100 triplets in total. Biggest scan in the Mules he has ever had (168% is the Blackie record) and its the most triplets ever, too

Haven't seen if you've posted earlier, but how does that compare to your Lleyns?

 

[Nithsdale]

Haven't seen if you've posted earlier, but how does that compare to your Lleyns?

My 588 scanned have leveled at 176% consisting of;
12 empty, 158 singles, 380 twins, 37 triplets and 1 quad.
But I don't flush/push for a big scanning - 180% is ideal, IMO. I did multivitamin 1 group as they were pretty down on condition and no surprise they scanned the biggest.

I don't want 200%.
My friend gets a lamber in and has half the ewes inside... I meant similar farms but not similar systems.

 

[unlacedgecko]

My 588 scanned have leveled at 176% consisting of;
12 empty, 158 singles, 380 twins, 37 triplets and 1 quad.
But I don't flush/push for a big scanning - 180% is ideal, IMO. I did multivitamin 1 group as they were pretty down on condition and no surprise they scanned the biggest.

I don't want 200%.
My friend gets a lamber in and has half the ewes inside... I meant similar farms but not similar systems.

You don't regret your move from blackies then?

 

[Nithsdale]

You don't regret your move from blackies then?

F**k no!

Glad those days are long gone

 

[AftonShepherd]

F**k no!

Glad those days are long gone

Screenshot for Lockerbie next year ?