Suffolk x ewes and .....?

[HBush]

You big sheep people......
I have three quarter texel ewes, the other quarter being Suffolk. They are large ewes. Shearing was done yesterday by contractors on a trailer. Happily no deaths this year but I notice a replacement hogg very lame back leg today. No wonder, with 90kg being dropped off a trailer legs akimbo! Now I know the wool packer (me) prefers the shearing platform, but it costs to cripple a young ewe. And it costs to employ two strong and experienced men to shove the ewes up the ramp. On the level, one body could do it if set up properly.
What purchased or hired alternative shearing set up do think would be acceptable to a contracted shearing team?

 

[sheepwise]

You big sheep people......
I have three quarter texel ewes, the other quarter being Suffolk. They are large ewes. Shearing was done yesterday by contractors on a trailer. Happily no deaths this year but I notice a replacement hogg very lame back leg today. No wonder, with 90kg being dropped off a trailer legs akimbo! Now I know the wool packer (me) prefers the shearing platform, but it costs to cripple a young ewe. And it costs to employ two strong and experienced men to shove the ewes up the ramp. On the level, one body could do it if set up properly.
What purchased or hired alternative shearing set up do think would be acceptable to a contracted shearing team?

Does the trailer not have chutes to put the shorn ewes down?

 

[HBush]

Unfortunately not!

 

[andybk]

Charollais on suffolk crosses tend to get wooly heads for some reason. Their heads go a funny brown colour too they arent pretty. Not that it matters its one if the first thing to get cut off a lamb but i agree with them not being a great match with a suffolk ewe. Not sure why

thats because the society turned a blind eye on people putting suffolk in the breed in the 90s ,(then shaving them , a char with a ginger head whats that all about ? ) much like they are doing now putting the texel in the mix .
proper charollais doesnt have a wooly head , it does however have a burgundy to licorice colour head with white hair on shout and over eyebrows (not soft pink that was the rouge crosses )

i would think 70% of char rams we sell go on suffolk x mules , prob the most popular cross in the south , and they regularly top sedgemore market lamb prices

 

[andybk]

The Cheviot would play a bigger role in that, then the Char IMO keeping the lambs blocky and weighing, whilst also keeping their heads clean of wool/topknots.

Scotland isn't Char country because they aren't good enough. If they were, we would all have them... instead the breed is in real decline up here they do well down south because the climate is much kinder.

...

prob more to with the type bred and bought up there for sales like kelso, great big over fed donkeys in the main , , the best chars for rams for fat lambs are long moderate sized blocks of meat ,prob to small to sell up there , and there are very few flocks i know of north of carlisle , we had a good following in lockerbie (same buyers every year ) for a different type in the early days , when we sold up there,