Thinking of buying Pedigree Sheep!
- Thread starter Texel2704
- Start date
- Location
- Cheshire
Braver soul than me! Good luck. 
- Location
- East Sussex
Depends on how many you can buy for the money, then you have two chances!
serf
Member
- Location
- warwickshire
Nope!
Ime you can spend a lot of money on Texels, and no doubt other breeds, get carried away at sales and end up with a very fine looking animal which produces a single lamb and then goes down with mastitis etc. 3 years ago bought two expensive shearlings from top rated (show) flock's annual sale at Worcester, first gone after one lamb second gave us two singles in succession. None of which coped on our 100% forage based system. Same year bought a dispersal flock on indexes, now down to a third of original ewes after 3 lambings although in fairness they were flock ages. We are only now getting a flock which performs well on grass, much more work to do but will not buy any more ewes in unless we can find grass reared performance recorded and rams also and only to be bought off farm.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
I guess it depends what you want to achieve. If you want a hobby/interesting sideline, and the breeding of sheep is your thing, then go for it. If you are expecting to get rich from it, you might be disappointed.
I have a fairly large flock of pedigree Charollais, built up over almost 30 years now. I lamb around 200 females currently, alongside a commercial flock that will have about 600 lambing this time, and about 100 ac of arable cropping, pretty well on my tod. They sell ok, we have regular customers and have lower labour and feed costs than most. However, every time I do any costings, they don't make any more profit than a reasonably run commercial flock, whether on a 'per acre' or ''per pound invested'. Purely in financial terms, there is more scope to improve returns from the commercial sheep here, than in the pedigree flock. If I was only concerned about the money, I would be better off selling the pedigrees and putting another 500 commercial ewes in their place, reducing labour requirements and risk.
Here, they are a useful sideline for someone with a nerdy interest in sheep breeding, but certainly not a way to fame and fortune.
- Location
- Galloway
Is that per head of total ?
- Location
- Scottsih Borders
If you are a capable shepherd and know about cesareans, vet bills and disappointment, go for it.
If not, do as Neilo says, and stick with commercial sheep. There is more satisfaction in producing top-quality prime or breeding lambs, than in producing run-of-the-mill tups.
- Location
- north Wales
I'd never buy in lamb texels again, the Last 2 I bought, one wasn't right at her due date, took her to vets for cesarean, he said it was too early. Next day she went into labour and had 2 lambs, both of whom died because lungs were full of fluid and couldn't breathe. The ewe then died over the summer. The other had a single (scanned for twins) had mastitis and obviously culled
The previous 2 I'd bought both aborted, one had a lamb the next year but died before having anymore, the other went funny on her front legs
The previous 2 I'd bought both aborted, one had a lamb the next year but died before having anymore, the other went funny on her front legs
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
Personally I’d avoid most in-lamb ewes from production sales like the plague. The ‘best’ are usually as fat as, every bit as much as the roly poly rams at some of the sales. If you feed a ewe too well in early pregnancy, then continue feeding her, then she will look great. However, colostrum & milk production will be suppressed, lamb birth weight reduced, and the ewe can carry so much internal fat that she’ll be harder to lamb. That is the same whether it’s a commercial crossbred or a fancy pedigree.
I have lost count of the number of people I’ve heard bemoaning the performance of expensive ewes they’ve bought in that condition, and it befuddles me that those same people often go back and do it again the next year.
I have lost count of the number of people I’ve heard bemoaning the performance of expensive ewes they’ve bought in that condition, and it befuddles me that those same people often go back and do it again the next year.
- Location
- Scot Borders
The Texel in lamb gimmer sales surely have to the biggest con ever dreamed up. A select number of “top breeders” flog off the gimmers that weren’t good enough to keep for stock. Supposedly tupped with a top tup and tarted up ready for the next poor sod desperate to have a go
Almost as good as collective machinery sales.The Texel in lamb gimmer sales surely have to the biggest con ever dreamed up. A select number of “top breeders” flog off the gimmers that weren’t good enough to keep for stock. Supposedly tupped with a top tup and tarted up ready for the next poor sod desperate to have a go
- Location
- North Antrim
Female sales are where the money is really made in the pedigree game.
hell yes - Brecon 26th November, you’ll get a lot more bang for your buck.
- Location
- central scotland
Dkb
Member
My father got into pedigree sheep in 1987 he bough 5 ewe lambs and 5 shearling ewes with the agreement the 5 shearlings would be put in lamb that year. It meant that he didn’t have to buy a ram his first year and that he’s have 10 the following year to spread the cost of the ram over.
What we have done is gotten fantastic enjoyment over breeding some lovely males and females over the years. Every year there is 1 or 2 rams you see in the field and you say to yourself you’ve made all the wet evenings worth it. It is also a great way of getting children interested as there is all the sales, shows etc I myself am testament to that. My father also made great friends and I then became friends with their sons. Some of his best friends are through pedigree sheep breeding.
What we haven’t done is justified the skill, effort, workload and commitment in any financially measurable way. We’ve cut down in numbers in recent years but we’ll never get out of them. And if we had to do it all over again we definitely would. My advice is do it but only pursue it as a hobby. All in all if you clear £100 a ewe a year your probably doing an ok job.
What we have done is gotten fantastic enjoyment over breeding some lovely males and females over the years. Every year there is 1 or 2 rams you see in the field and you say to yourself you’ve made all the wet evenings worth it. It is also a great way of getting children interested as there is all the sales, shows etc I myself am testament to that. My father also made great friends and I then became friends with their sons. Some of his best friends are through pedigree sheep breeding.
What we haven’t done is justified the skill, effort, workload and commitment in any financially measurable way. We’ve cut down in numbers in recent years but we’ll never get out of them. And if we had to do it all over again we definitely would. My advice is do it but only pursue it as a hobby. All in all if you clear £100 a ewe a year your probably doing an ok job.
Braver soul than me! Good luck.
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