Actually I was always taught that you shouldn't be catching sheep by their wool .
Thinking of changing to shedding sheep. Change my mind.
- Thread starter hendrebc
- Start date
pgk
Member
- Location
- south warwickshire
Just sheared the texel / chartex and a small number of the tex ec halfbreds, nice to have only 35 to shear out of the 150+ penned. Notable that most of the halfbreds were shed or shedding had to pull a few tufts off back of a few but suspect it would have shed. These are very fit having been on some half decent grass since March 15th.
Chasingmytail
Member
- Location
- Newport, SE Wales
I like our easycares - they are def low maintenance, feet excellent, worm resistance, little fly strike and no shearing. Shame though that the one flock we bought in was carrying border disease which explains the years of having small lambs mixed with some decent lambs which confused the hell out of use for a few years. So bear in mind when buying in the first lot we had from N. Wales and the 2nd batch from South East. Going to cull 50% and blood test the rest. Next purchase we are being very careful. Bear in mind that the seller is also a closed cattle herd. Any BVD to the cattle is a major risk to the sheep too
yep bruises them i were always told
A few years back I dropped a trailer of sheep to the factory one evening.i was struggling to get the sheep out of the trailer so had to climb in to the decks. A dairy farmer who kept a few lambs passed by and offered to help me. Before I could reply he reached in and grabbed a lamb by the fleece, like a fist full and dragged out. The rest then ran out. What could I say. He thought he was helping. The next day I got the skill sheet back and one lamb had 1/4 carcass condemned. The time lag of them being offloaded the previous evening , to when they were killed the following morning, allowed the bruising to come up. Now I offload everything myself and refuse the help of others. Lads laugh at me saying I'm nearly wrapping the sheep in cotton wool, I'm so gentlle taking them out. But to me, their an easily damaged product that I have to mind. Expensive lesson it was
Started this thread on bff on FB. Some really nice looking sheep on it.
That's why I sell at the market, so i can give them a good kicking for any bother they might have given me through the year,?
Well none of you persuaded me shedders were a bad idea. Asked my friend for 7 peeler texel cross or shapey pure exlana ram lambs and to offer me any aged rams he might not have a use for today. We're going for it 
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- Location
- Scottish Borders
Are you going to cross the lot ?
Good man, and good luck !
Good man, and good luck !
As the lads here said before, even if you crossed once to a shedder and decided to go no further, youd still have an offspring that could be sheared with minimal effort.
- Location
- Fife
Are you going to cross the lot ?
Good man, and good luck !
I’ve always thought it pointless to do it by half.
You've seen the light -----Well none of you persuaded me shedders were a bad idea. Asked my friend for 7 peeler texel or shapey exlana ram lambs and to offer me any aged rams he might not have a use for today. We're going for it
Welcome to the dark side !
All the maternal ewes yes. I said from the start of I was going to do it then it would be all or nothing.Are you going to cross the lot ?
Good man, and good luck !
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
With the apparent swing toward goaty sheep on here, will wool become short and the price skyrocket? Will we then see lots of threads asking what’s the best way to breed wool back onto my hair sheep?
@yellowbelly may be ahead of the curve.
@yellowbelly may be ahead of the curve.
- Location
- N.Lincs
If I am, it'll be the first time ever!@yellowbelly may be ahead of the curve.
What would you rather shear -
a sheep with a decent fleece that can be rolled, or
a sheep that has cast about half its fleece, but that has to be sheared to make it look respectable, and which leaves remnants that can't be rolled.