The Beltex is supreme.

[neilo]

Last year l bought 4 at lanark and there all died, lmbs are wee but sell well for me as stores but now l just except they will all die before the spring.

That surely isn’t acceptable, for any breed, on a financial or a welfare basis?

It would be interesting to know how many lambs each one sired (lambing %age x no of ewes covered), from which you can work out your ram cost/lamb, and whether your premium covers it (without getting into giving growth away).

 

[neilo]

Probably not but if you get 2 or 3 years out of them it’s worth it

Dearer ones don’t last any longer if they’ve all been managed in the same way.

 

[Greythundercloudys]

2 season would be a bonus for me.

 

[Cowmansam]

Dearer ones don’t last any longer if they’ve all been managed in the same way.

Is it the management I thought it was hereditary like in the texal

 

[neilo]

Is it the management I thought it was hereditary like in the texal

That depends what killed them. Stuffing them full of high protein feed like a bodybuilder’s diet isn’t conducive to a long life in a grazing field.

 

[Cowmansam]

Ones we had here that died had that awful panting choking type thing going on managed to have two die in a week only had 10 ewes each useless bloody animals

 

[Estate fencing.]

Weve got a 6 shear

Why did you shear him 3 times a year.

 

[M-J-G]

That depends what killed them. Stuffing them full of high protein feed like a bodybuilder’s diet isn’t conducive to a long life in a grazing field.

I'm not convinced it makes a much difference.
All our rams (not Beltex) have been sale fed and they don't do any differently to out home bred grass reared ones.

 

[jendan]

Dearer ones don’t last any longer if they’ve all been managed in the same way.

If any tups that i buy dont live very long,i never buy from that farm ever again. Kelso seem to be the worst. Local marts as good as any.

 

[neilo]

I'm not convinced it makes a much difference.
All our rams (not Beltex) have been sale fed and they don't do any differently to out home bred grass reared ones.

There are different degrees of ‘sale feeding’ though. No doubt a small amount won’t affect longevity, but just make them look better than they actually are.
When you get producers building shearlings up to 14lb a day, that leads to fatty livers, fat round the internal organs and testicles, and a poorly developed rumen.

 

[Cowmansam]

There are different degrees of ‘sale feeding’ though. No doubt a small amount won’t affect longevity, but just make them look better than they actually are.
When you get producers building shearlings up to 14lb a day, that leads to fatty livers, fat round the internal organs and testicles, and a poorly developed rumen.

Christ I wouldn’t feed that to a cow

 

[M-J-G]

There are different degrees of ‘sale feeding’ though. No doubt a small amount won’t affect longevity, but just make them look better than they actually are.
When you get producers building shearlings up to 14lb a day, that leads to fatty livers, fat round the internal organs and testicles, and a poorly developed rumen.

I'm aware of the potential down sides and I've seen it plenty in bulls, I've just yet to see the difference in sheep.

I "inherited" a ram that was fed for shows, he was pretty much ad-lib fed for about 3 or maybe even 4 years, he was even fed on his own when out with the ewes
Since I've had him that idiocy stopped he's not had anything apart from what is on the field or laneway he happens to be grazing and he's about 8yo and still a fit healthy sheep.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

There are different degrees of ‘sale feeding’ though. No doubt a small amount won’t affect longevity, but just make them look better than they actually are.
When you get producers building shearlings up to 14lb a day, that leads to fatty livers, fat round the internal organs and testicles, and a poorly developed rumen.

Bloody hell would a sheep even manage to eat 14lb of meal a day that’s half of what a finishing bullock eats a day

 

[steveR]

Last year I bought 5 tups and I’ve only 1 alive today

FFS!! That is dire!

Herself is still well hacked off at the premature demise of Trefor the Tup early in the Summer from texel throat. However, he only cost 120 quid or so out of the killers, as he had not made the grade for the tup sales I reckoned...

Threw absolutely superb lambs. But to die at 18months?

 

[steveR]

Bentham tup sale today, l, ll watch at dinner time.

Lots at my sort of price.... sub 300 quid

 

[Yale]

The day i buy a Beltex is the day you will know I’ve definitely lost the plot.

 

[ISCO]

We stopped going to Kelso as couldn't get them to last 2 seasons.
We try to buy forage reared now mostly off TFF members which we find live much better.

I do think forage reared do live better as in the past we have bought off both Easyrams and Innovis. When tups arrive I always check them with a bag and none have known what cake is. We have never lost one of these tups before old age apart from one with pizzel rot.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

FFS!! That is dire!

Herself is still well hacked off at the premature demise of Trefor the Tup early in the Summer from texel throat. However, he only cost 120 quid or so out of the killers, as he had not made the grade for the tup sales I reckoned...

Threw absolutely superb lambs. But to die at 18months?

Perhaps he was in the killers as he showed signs of it as a lamb/shearling?

 

[Hilly]

Weve got a 6 shear

Get it cloned

 

[steveR]

Perhaps he was in the killers as he showed signs of it as a lamb/shearling?

Ver Possible, however he had 7 months here and looked and sounded great.

I did wonder if losing weight would be beneficial, but our one Vet who "knows" sheep said, "not a chance... Inherited trait, cull at first cough!"