The Beltex is supreme.

[Anymulewilldo]

Maybe we'll get some sub if folk are going hungry.

Nothing focuses the mind like an empty gut…

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Inherited wealth and a sub cheque enabling one to sell produce at below cost of production. As well as flashy stock that require tonnes of cake to finish, to guarantee you get your name in the market report.

Woah woah woah…. My blackies go straight off turnips…

 

[Anymulewilldo]

No, Kelso has always been for the ones not good enough for the fancy ‘breeders’ sales.

You can even find pig jawed and one bollocked examples if that floats your boat.

I’ve got plenty of one stoned tups… 1/2 the balls 1/2 price. Always worth the semen test though… in 30 years we’ve only had 1 duffer!

 

[Moors Lad]

Guaranteed easy calving??

Nah, entertainment value watching `im try to reach `er...

 

[ISCO]

Guaranteed easy calving??

Help with the new height restriction on transport as well. What's not to like.

 

[Fourofakind]

It is in the charollais world , 130-150kg shearlings not unusual these days, 100kg is norm for ram lambs at worcester if you want to compete .

Easier to reach for when most ram lambs in that sale are born December and fed inside until early spring. Makes a shearling Charollais quite old the following October/November when us commercial lot are putting them in with the ewes

 

[Agrivator]

No, Kelso has always been for the ones not good enough for the fancy ‘breeders’ sales.

You can even find pig jawed and one bollocked examples if that floats your boat.

I think all the rams are inspected before sale, and any not up to standard are rejected.

There is an exceptionally good choice of rams at Kelso, some of which are breeders' rams.

The Charollais tups this year are, I believe, going to be sold from a horse box behind ring 16. Some of the customers will probably be bearded gentlemen who own kebab shops.

 

[neilo]

I think all the rams are inspected before sale, and any not up to standard are rejected.

There is an exceptionally good choice of rams at Kelso, some of which are breeders' rams.

The Charollais tups this year are, I believe, going to be sold from a horse box behind ring 16.

You’ll be telling us next that Kelso Texels are better because they’ve been trimmed…

But yes, something for everyone’s pocket there, including breeders.

 

[unlacedgecko]

Nothing focuses the mind like an empty gut…

Full balls are a close second

 

[unlacedgecko]

Woah woah woah…. My blackies go straight off turnips…

Blackies not exactly what I'd call "flashy" stock.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Blackies not exactly what I'd call "flashy" stock.

I’m deeply offended by that statement! They look mint in spring once you’ve taken the bad uns out…

 

[Agrivator]

At the Carlisle Beltex sale, of the 160 or so vendors, only two (I think) displayed EBV figures.

The numbers of vendors at Kelso who display figures has gone down and down over that last 20 years, and it will be interesting to see how many display them this year.

Why is that.? One reason possibly is that while we all want lambs to be healthy, to thrive and to have tight skins and good conformation, many of us aren't too bothered about growth rate. That's because we don't necessarily want lambs to reach slaughter weight during the glut. And how many of us find that the most profitable lambs are those not fit to sell until February or later.

Most profitable or blinded by higher gross prices? (And I sell plenty of later hogs)

Not blinded by higher gross prices at all. It's just a boost to find that lambs which aren't saleable early on often come to good money from about February onward.

 

[Longlowdog]

I think if I had an upland farm, fenced but no fell I'd try a bunch of multi crop Shetlands or something not much bigger and put the Beltex to them and sell stores. How many Shetlands can you keep to the acre compared to whopping great flashy terminal cross ewes if you are not carrying lambs over winter?
Less winter feed and ewes that know how to scavenge for every bit of nutrition.
Lamb later when there is a chance of some grass.
Stores away whilst there was a chance of building up a bit of grass to carry in to winter.
Lambs sold to someone with winter grass or a big shed.
I can't say I even vaguely know how those stack up in a practical or financial way but I've often thought low input, low cost, hardy ewes and no lambs to look after during a hard winter would make for an easier life.

 

[JSmith]

@unlacedgecko

 

[Estate fencing.]

I think if I had an upland farm, fenced but no fell I'd try a bunch of multi crop Shetlands or something not much bigger and put the Beltex to them and sell stores. How many Shetlands can you keep to the acre compared to whopping great flashy terminal cross ewes if you are not carrying lambs over winter?
Less winter feed and ewes that know how to scavenge for every bit of nutrition.
Lamb later when there is a chance of some grass.
Stores away whilst there was a chance of building up a bit of grass to carry in to winter.
Lambs sold to someone with winter grass or a big shed.
I can't say I even vaguely know how those stack up in a practical or financial way but I've often thought low input, low cost, hardy ewes and no lambs to look after during a hard winter would make for an easier life.

I have a rough pp farm and do just this. Small ewes that lamb late and get rid of the lambs early straight off the ewes. Lambs get vaccinated, wormed once and clik all
on shearing day. Wean day of sale and in late August wean the ewe lambs that go away on keep until April. Bloody simple system and I can look after the ewes better on the home holding for very little cost.

 

[unlacedgecko]

@unlacedgecko

Hello?

 

[JSmith]

Hello?

Regarding Shetland ewes on low cost system, isn’t this what you do! Was just giving an example, thought you’d be along to sing there praises

 

[Hilly]

Less winter feed and ewes that know how to scavenge for every bit of nutrition.
Lamb later when there is a chance of some grass.
Stores away whilst there was a chance of building up a bit of grass to carry in to winter.
Lambs sold to someone with winter grass or a big shed.
I can't say I even vaguely know how those stack up in a practical or financial way but I've often thought low input, low cost, hardy ewes and no lambs to look after during a hard winter would make for an easier life.

Fenced well for Shetland’s !! Wild little barstewards , worthless as drafts that’s the problem with that plan .

 

[JSmith]

Fenced well for Shetland’s !! Wild little barstewards , worthless as drafts that’s the problem with that plan .

Is there anything with wool on that’s worthless at the minute!! I’ve seen lambs that are dead on there feet making £40 in recent weeks ! I’ve got some shetlands and some Hebridean that run some rough ground, hardly ever touch them, found that a llyne ram on them suits us, no horns and most lambs come white, most have two lambs and I’m about to kill most lambs next week for £80 plus, they’re so long lived if you had a pound apiece for them as culls they’d still of earn’t there keep!! Simples

 

[Hilly]

Is there anything with wool on that’s worthless at the minute!! I’ve seen lambs that are dead on there feet making £40 in recent weeks ! I’ve got some shetlands and some Hebridean that run some rough ground, hardly ever touch them, found that a llyne ram on them suits us, no horns and most lambs come white, most have two lambs and I’m about to kill most lambs next week for £80 plus, they’re so long lived if you had a pound apiece for them as culls they’d still of earn’t there keep!! Simples

I had 400 once, never again they are little barstewards.