Tupping mule ewe lambs - minimum weight?

[Highland Mule]

Have kept a few cracking mule ewe lambs back this year and thought I’d try the biggest to the tup. Up until now, I’ve first tupped as 19 month old gimmers. Would welcome the collective opinion on what weight/ size I should be selecting on. Have a nice texel tup lamb with fine bones and a bit of a neck I was going to put over them.

45kg? Will be taking in a retained gimmer or two as well and can weigh them for comparison.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

45kg minimum

 

[Highland Mule]

45kg minimum

And preferably a bit more?

 

[MDL POWERUP]

60% of mature weight is mentioned a lot. In my limited experience bigger lambs always seem to tup earlier and don't come come back round as much. Bit of hard feed seems to make them cycle more as well.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

And preferably a bit more?

Depends how big you like your sheep...bigger the better for me...but 45kg plus would be ok

 

[Highland Mule]

60% of mature weight is mentioned a lot. In my limited experience bigger lambs always seem to tup earlier and don't come come back round as much. Bit of hard feed seems to make them cycle more as well.

The 60% wouldn’t be as much as 45, I don’t think, but can check later. Not had any hard feed for them at all, as the grass has been plentiful this year. Crystalix tub out the last fortnight though.

 

[Highland Mule]

Depends how big you like your sheep...bigger the better for me...but 45kg plus would be ok

I want them to produce early 19kg lamb carcasses for my customers - if the ewes can do that and be a bit smaller, that’s a bonus for handling etc. It’s not like a cull mule has much value anyway!

 

[Nithsdale]

The 60% wouldn’t be as much as 45, I don’t think, but can check later. Not had any hard feed for them at all, as the grass has been plentiful this year. Crystalix tub out the last fortnight though.

Depends what weight your Mules are when mature?...
For example if you're only working with 65kg ewes, 39kg is 60% of its mature weight so a 40kg lamb would be deemed fine to tup.

I used to just chuck the tup out with everything and fed the elambs 1/4lb each right through from tupping to pre lambing then stepped them up if they needed it... it worked fairly well

 

[glensman]

Depends what weight your Mules are when mature?...
For example if you're only working with 65kg ewes, 39kg is 60% of its mature weight so a 40kg lamb would be deemed fine to tup.

I used to just chuck the tup out with everything and fed the elambs 1/4lb each right through from tupping to pre lambing then stepped them up if they needed it... it worked fairly well

I wouldn't look at it quite that way. If a flocks mature ewe weight is 65kg then only the very biggest of the ewe lambs will be suitable for tipping, the few that are 45kg. By the 60% logic 50kg mature ewes female offspring would be fit for tupping at 30kg, which of course they wouldn't.

 

[Nithsdale]

I wouldn't look at it quite that way. If a flocks mature ewe weight is 65kg then only the very biggest of the ewe lambs will be suitable for tipping, the few that are 45kg. By the 60% logic 50kg mature ewes female offspring would be fit for tupping at 30kg, which of course they wouldn't.

But they would, because it's all relative.
60% of their adult weight is still 60% of their adult weight regardless of what their adult weight is.


The lambs at 30kg, because as adults they're only 50kg, are every bit as far on for growth and development as a 45kg out of 75kg ewes...


My ewes run typically 65-75kg, like I said I used put the tups in with everything when I lambed hoggs. Easy rule was if they were over 40kg, they held and lambed fine

 

[glensman]

But they would, because it's all relative.
60% of their adult weight is still 60% of their adult weight regardless of what their adult weight is.


The lambs at 30kg, because as adults they're only 50kg, are every bit as far on for growth and development as a 45kg out of 75kg ewes...


My ewes run typically 65-75kg, like I said I used put the tups in with everything when I lambed hoggs. Easy rule was if they were over 40kg, they held and lambed fine

I'll agree to a point, 40kg I would consider minimum for any breed but it depends on frame, size and skins, fleshing ability etc. For mules 40kg would be pushing it imo.

 

[livestock 1]

It can sort itself out. Lighter ewe lambs won’t come a tupping until late November if they are on the small side and many won’t carry a lamb that aren’t capable of giving birth or rearing one.

 

[Highland Mule]

Just weighed a couple of gimmers going to tup for the first time - 59&61. They were small as lambs and hence no put to sale last year, so probably a bit below average for mature weight.

Going to try to tup all the lambs 45 and above. Will be interesting to see what’s what.

 

[glensman]

Just weighed a couple of gimmers going to tup for the first time - 59&61. They were small as lambs and hence no put to sale last year, so probably a bit below average for mature weight.

Going to try to tup all the lambs 45 and above. Will be interesting to see what’s what.

45 will be fine as long as they've a good back on them.

 

[Woolless]

That Texel tup will need to be easy lambing, would be my observation.

 

[Giles1]

Apologies for piggybacking this thread,but thinking of trying this with Easyram tex x blackie ewe lambs. Was going to aim for 40+kg. Had a Hampshire tup suggested,not sure about live marketing them though,not white faced.

 

[Agrivator]

Don't ever tup ewe lambs if you can afford not to.

They are twice the work and can be half as productive as a five crop ewe.

 

[livestock 1]

Don't ever tup ewe lambs if you can afford not to.

They are twice the work and can be half as productive as a five crop ewe.

A shearling that has had a lamb as a Hogg is streets ahead of one that hasn’t.

 

[z.man]

Don't ever tup ewe lambs if you can afford not to.

They are twice the work and can be half as productive as a five crop ewe.

Personally find them easier than maiden shearlings to lamb but maybe just me

 

[Woolless]

Apologies for piggybacking this thread,but thinking of trying this with Easyram tex x blackie ewe lambs. Was going to aim for 40+kg. Had a Hampshire tup suggested,not sure about live marketing them though,not white faced.

A Southdown would be better for hoggs, if you can get one.