Thinking of changing to shedding sheep. Change my mind.

[unlacedgecko]

The mules are gone.
I had considered using an easycare tup over some conventional ewes to see what happened. Neighbour who is older does it so he doesn't have to catch ewes to lamb them and he sells lambs at big weights in the market

You've sold your ewes already?

 

[Kingcustard]

No but they aren't here come clipping time. Sell them when I start selling lambs and hope the price is high, it usually is May June time

 

[unlacedgecko]

No but they aren't here cone clipping time

Be a hellish expensive way to get sheep on farm.

 

[Kingcustard]

The mules are giving me too many problems and I am not going through it again.

If it costs me £50 or £60 a head to replace them then I am happy with that. If the price is good for the cast ewes it may be less.

I used to breed all my replacements but needing a change from the mules.

Have 102 easycare ewe lambs already for next year that I have kept so not needing any more grass taken up with ewe lambs.

 

[CopperBeech]

 

[CopperBeech]

Some of my flock age ewes today. And one tup. You might spot one ewe that shows a bit of something in the breeding if you’re sharp eyed.

 

[exmoor dave]

I reckon I could turn my exlana flock into an indoor lambing, high input flock if I wanted.

My early flock is mainly populated with first and 2nd cross exlana, plus this year the first batch move-for-age of full exlanas moved foward to the early flock for their last lambing.

185% scan ...... plus all the extra triplets and quads not picked up by the scan!

 

[Kingcustard]

How are the first cross exlana lambs looking and what are they out of. Do they lamb effortlessly

 

[Johngee]

Have you lambed them indoors, how do they do, mine are wild. They also don't know what hard feed is, would they do on high energy tubs and silage, that's all they get outside

These are mine indoors, only have about 40 in the shed, most lamb out. These have been put to a NZ Sufftex, all twins and triplets, singles outside. It allows me to cart them out to fields I don’t to lamb on.
They soon work out where their food is, although they have been trained with beet pellets outside (their only inside for lambing). If you bring them in earlier I’m sure they’ll calm. If something doesn’t behave you always have the option of turning her back out.

 

[exmoor dave]

How are the first cross exlana lambs looking and what are they out of. Do they lamb effortlessly

They are 1st cross out of the flock of exmoor mules we had at the time, they are abit more shapely than the pure exlanas we now mostly have.

Lamb fine put to exlana,
Now we don't need them in the breed program they are lambed early to sufftex, indoors, so abit more intervention is needed for much bigger lambs.

 

[JHT]

These are mine indoors, only have about 40 in the shed, most lamb out. These have been put to a NZ Sufftex, all twins and triplets, singles outside. It allows me to cart them out to fields I don’t to lamb on.
They soon work out where their food is, although they have been trained with beet pellets outside (their only inside for lambing). If you bring them in earlier I’m sure they’ll calm. If something doesn’t behave you always have the option of turning her back out. View attachment 1020829

Would really like to see some pictures of the suffolk lambs. Also as they get older or when you sell them. Cheers

 

[neilo]

How are the first cross exlana lambs looking and what are they out of. Do they lamb effortlessly

I can’t see how an Exlana lamb can be anything but easily born tbh, unless you’ve massively buggered up the feeding.
They are very narrow with sharp, pointy shoulders like deer have. The polar opposite of what would be thought of as a ‘good’ shoulder in a carcass in fact.

 

[CopperBeech]

 

[CopperBeech]

Couple more crappy worthless lambs, no shape, no shoulder, no arse..... born unassisted last night at some point up on the chalk downs, out of a horrible little goaty thing with the Maternal abilities of a house brick. Don’t know why I bother

 

[Kingcustard]

Couple more crappy worthless lambs, no shape, no shoulder, no arse..... born unassisted last night at some point up on the chalk downs, out of a horrible little goaty thing with the Maternal abilities of a house brick. Don’t know why I bother

I have a few lambs way shaplier and broader with bonier heads than those. They are dead though because they got stuck lambing, an average live lamb is better than a good dead one as they say.

Are they pure or terminal lambs

 

[Kingcustard]

I have a few lambs way shaplier and broader with bonier heads than those. They are dead though because they got stuck lambing, an average live lamb is better than a good dead one as they say.

Are they pure or terminal lambs

Not that they are average by the way, that's just the saying

 

[CopperBeech]

I have a few lambs way shaplier and broader with bonier heads than those. They are dead though because they got stuck lambing, an average live lamb is better than a good dead one as they say.

Are they pure or terminal lambs

No offence taken mate we don’t start lambing till April 20th so my money is on a exlana rig lamb

 

[Kingcustard]

No offence taken mate we don’t start lambing till April 20th so my money is on a exlana rig lamb

I had 10 that either didn't lamb or lost lambs in the storm we had at the start of May last year. They ran with the tups all year and are lambing now. Survived through every storm so far this year. Hardy buggers for sure. 5 lambed so far, they just appear with lambs out of the bushes.

 

[neilo]

Not that they are average by the way, that's just the saying

Now what exactly is an ‘average’ lamb?

My average lamb is a U2/3L grade (when sold dw), on a low input/forage fed/outdoor lambing system. On that basis, the pure exlanas here are distinctly ‘below average’.
With that U grade only being worth 10p/kg over an R, it is of course questionable whether the better grade is worth the costs of a handful more lambs lost, but they are still ‘below average’ here ime.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Now what exactly is an ‘average’ lamb?

My average lamb is a U2/3L grade (when sold dw), on a low input/forage fed/outdoor lambing system. On that basis, the pure exlanas here are distinctly ‘below average’.
With that U grade only being worth 10p/kg over an R, it is of course questionable whether the better grade is worth the costs of a handful more lambs lost, but they are still ‘below average’ here ime.

You obviously don't use ABP then