- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
They do milk well but i did have some bother 2 weeks ago in the gimmers. I'm throwing about 2lb at them to keep them going though - i think they'd all drop dead if I didn't... there's some pretty thin ewes amongst them.
TexX ewes - which Tup to use?
- Thread starter Nithsdale
- Start date
They do milk well but i did have some bother 2 weeks ago in the gimmers. I'm throwing about 2lb at them to keep them going though - i think they'd all drop dead if I didn't... there's some pretty thin ewes amongst them.
its showing, in two feeds or one?
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
Just once a day. I'm not sure twice would make any difference - but it would mean young lambs are mixed up/away from mother for a longer each day?
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
Not much been happening here, still getting 1 or 2 ewes lambing every day... got all the twins and singles sorted out in the hill ewes - 250 ewes put to the ram, 142 twins running (150 numbered, but 8 have lost 1 and are now singles) - 86 singles and 22 running with nothing.
The 22 with nothing, 15 or 16 will definitely lamb and 2 I know of have loved and lost (one is tagged to cull!). I will fetch them in soon to check the rest and cull anything which will not lamb.
The 142 twins include all ewes which had triplets and 1 was lifted or dead at birth.
Overall I am bloody ecstatic with that in the hill ewes... especially as there's more still to come
In the commercials, I have not counted these yet... still slightly scared to
But tonight I was gifted with the sight of this
This makes it a quad of quads this year
She's doing well for having no grass and only ever getting 1.75-2lb of feed!!
Even more impressive is out of the 4 ewes to have quads - all 4 ewes have survived and are doing well.
1 ewe had no milk, and the milk never came so she is in the cull field. The other 3 are all rearing 2 lambs.
Of the 16 lambs, 13 were born alive. 2 have since died leaving 11, which, as far as I am aware, are all on ewes and doing well (except for the 2 I lifted tonight).
The 22 with nothing, 15 or 16 will definitely lamb and 2 I know of have loved and lost (one is tagged to cull!). I will fetch them in soon to check the rest and cull anything which will not lamb.
The 142 twins include all ewes which had triplets and 1 was lifted or dead at birth.
Overall I am bloody ecstatic with that in the hill ewes... especially as there's more still to come
In the commercials, I have not counted these yet... still slightly scared to
But tonight I was gifted with the sight of this
This makes it a quad of quads this year
She's doing well for having no grass and only ever getting 1.75-2lb of feed!!
Even more impressive is out of the 4 ewes to have quads - all 4 ewes have survived and are doing well.
1 ewe had no milk, and the milk never came so she is in the cull field. The other 3 are all rearing 2 lambs.
Of the 16 lambs, 13 were born alive. 2 have since died leaving 11, which, as far as I am aware, are all on ewes and doing well (except for the 2 I lifted tonight).
@Nithsdale Farmer your shelter belt looks like you've pulled a texel lamb out of it
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
Haha you mean the rubbing on the Rylock? The result of a lice issue I'm afraid
That fence is a sore point with me. Keepers bitched on for years wanting that square to plant gorse in to create a point to flight birds from for the driven shoot. They explained why they wanted it what they planned... the laird badgered us for a few years until we backed down and let them fence it off. 7 years later the barstewards have done nothing with it but let it go rank. A point I have made clear a few times when they come wanting something else
No the big square hole through the trees!Jings. The rain!
2... Or maybe 3 ewes lambed this morning. I don't really know, I'm feeding the ewes as I go first thing now. I noticed new born lambs in amongst the chaos of feeding
These are the commercials, I can't get a feel for if there's many lambs there or not
View attachment 654766 View attachment 654776 View attachment 654778 View attachment 654780
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
Nothing lambed today so far... I think that is a first this year since we got going proper.
Strategically fed the hill twins up into a top grazing field this morning. And I'm not long just in the door from the annual big push - they've been walked over the hill onto the grass parks we take next door. Brother put 1.5cwt/ac of CAN fert on it yesterday
and has done all grazing fields at home too.
I guess this marks the 'official' end to lambing, as the fields the hill ewes lambed in are, for tonight, clear. Silence falls.
I'll fetch the 22 still to lamb back down into one field and keep them close, the hill singles will go back to the hill tomorrow and the commercial ewes will be split roughly in half - with 1 half passing through the shelter belt to where the hill ewes have been. It should hopefully take the pressure off the grass. With the fert spread this past week-10 days and the heat forecast next week, the green stuff should now take a jump
Strategically fed the hill twins up into a top grazing field this morning. And I'm not long just in the door from the annual big push - they've been walked over the hill onto the grass parks we take next door. Brother put 1.5cwt/ac of CAN fert on it yesterday
and has done all grazing fields at home too.
I guess this marks the 'official' end to lambing, as the fields the hill ewes lambed in are, for tonight, clear. Silence falls.
I'll fetch the 22 still to lamb back down into one field and keep them close, the hill singles will go back to the hill tomorrow and the commercial ewes will be split roughly in half - with 1 half passing through the shelter belt to where the hill ewes have been. It should hopefully take the pressure off the grass. With the fert spread this past week-10 days and the heat forecast next week, the green stuff should now take a jump
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
Better the Devil you know?
Yes well every breed or cross involves compromises.
spark_28
Member
- Location
- Western isles
im defientely getting a lleyn ram ths year, used texel on the ewes but the lleyn mothers have again been superb.
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
Hill twins settled on their summer home
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
Bit of a trek but get yourself to Stirling or Carlisle sales or over to Kelso tup sale for a proper tup
spark_28
Member
- Location
- Western isles
got my last LLeyn from striling about 4 years ago, used him for 3 years then my uncle took him off me. got him from balthayock farm.
Texel being retired here as well. Texel lambs aren’t bad over the last two weeks, but the ewes are on the meal abit to long now and the lambs are getting to big and need pulling. Charly are throwing great muscular narrow shouldered lambs, but they were super soft during the bad weather. Overall most pleased with the Lleyn lambs. We’re more hardy at birth, best lambing coat and knew where to hide it the field best to avoid the rain. Mightn’t even run a terminal ram this year. It I do might be something less popular like vendeen or something.
cotswoldcs
Member
- Location
- Bang In the heart of the Cotswolds
We run Vendeen rams and are pleased with them as a terminal sire.
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
I will continue using the Lleyn on the hill group (wait and see how the NCC do before I decide if I continue with the 1off cross),... I MIGHT use Lleyns on my inbye ewes (or maybe Lleyn X Texel tups) but I will still use a Texel on 100 or so... to breed my 100 texX ewes for the Suffolks.
The Charollais are far too soft. There is no chance I will use them here again - regardless how easy lambing they are, or how well they grow.
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway