Taking off triplets - Why do we bother?

[neilo]

I think hoggs with twins are worse than triplets, about half mine had twins this year and I pulled 1 off them all except the very last one (due to lazyness of not wanting another pet at the end of 2 months of lambing) she reared them OK for 2 months then got mastitis ? sheep punish you at every opportunity

Since I've been using Beltex rams on my hoggs, I find that plenty can rear twins well, with not a lot of difference between the singles and twins (all on no concs or creep). I put it down to the slower growing Beltex lambs not having such a requirement for feed, so not dragging the hoggs down as much. Any time I've tried it with Charollais lambs on the same system, it's been a disaster. Charollais obviously grow a lot faster and make a better lamb, sooner, but that growth has to come from somewhere of course.

 

[Gator]

Weaned our last mob of hoggs today. In with them were some triplets that we'd left on 'cos Mrs Y B had far more cades than was good for her at that time and we'd nothing available to foster on to.

We've always followed the mantra that "If you leave triplets on, you end up with four bad sheep."

However, these few must be the exception that prove the rule....
View attachment 827960
As they were in the hogg mob, they had access to creep for 3 or 4 weeks, but have only been in grass since.
The first and last ewes in the list are EasyCares, one of the others is a mule and the others are Texel crosses.
All their bags are fine View attachment 827963

Makes me wonder why we buy all that expensive lamb milk

always leave mine on , unless I need one. cant tell the difference to be honest against the others

 

[SteveHants]

I never bothered. If the ewe raises them all, you might end up with three stores as opposed to two fat lambs.
Also, we as shepherds seem not to know everything the ewe does - I've taken away what I considered the small, weak lamb in the past only for one of the others to be rejected/die and then you are left with a single bearing ewe.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Not enough difference between what someone will pay for a store, and what we get for a fat during the middle of the supply season to pee about playing mummy to lambs.

Last year the twins went off mum and fetched $150 ish, the triplets went late (I didn't wean, that's the ewe's job) and they went $170+ by then.

Bit of a no-brainer - unless your grass costs a lot of money.

 

[It was already broken.]

I think hoggs with twins are worse than triplets, about half mine had twins this year and I pulled 1 off them all except the very last one (due to lazyness of not wanting another pet at the end of 2 months of lambing) she reared them OK for 2 months then got mastitis ? sheep punish you at every opportunity

+1 on this with @ford4000. Twins on good well grown hoggs that get mastitis is an area that is costing too much here.

 

[@dlm]

Interesting what @ford4000 said about triplets and twins on hoggs. To be honest don't get many triplets on hoggs thankfully but been leaving twins on hoggs for it think 6 years now. First year too many wrong in bag then following year fed oats through 3 in 1 hopper. Big field hopper furthest point from water only cost pittance and few went wrong. Following year no local oats available so weaned lambs as have done since at 7 or 8 weeks. Don't get too much trouble. Lambs not the best but will be mid to late 40s and shearlings have time to recover to make high prices. Sold 85 today that reared twins

 

[Obi Wan]

always leave mine on , unless I need one. cant tell the difference to be honest against the others

Not enough difference between what someone will pay for a store, and what we get for a fat during the middle of the supply season to pee about playing mummy to lambs.

Last year the twins went off mum and fetched $150 ish, the triplets went late (I didn't wean, that's the ewe's job) and they went $170+ by then.

Bit of a no-brainer - unless your grass costs a lot of money.

Ditto to both above. We run 3's in a separate park with best grass for the first 5-6 weeks or longer if possible, few energy blocks and a bit of cover for the lambs and we don't notice much difference when selling. Also we wean them off when the youngest are 8-9 weeks if possible, helps the ewes recover and lamb seem to switch to full grass easier.