What breed for outdoor lambing

[Aspiring Peasants]

I've found that unless you buy sheep from your area (preferably next door) they take at least a year to acclimatise. Must be down to different soil, grass and environment. That is apart from mothering ability which they either have or they haven't

 

[yellowbelly]

Our outdoor lambers come from 170 miles north of here and seem to just carry on regardless.

Mind you it hardly ever snows, rains less than half as much and will be 1000 feet lower, so I expect they think they've died and gone to heaven.

 

[Collie dog Sid]

Our outdoor lambers come from 170 miles north of here and seem to just carry on regardless.

Mind you it hardly ever snows, rains less than half as much and will be 1000 feet lower, so I expect they think they've died and gone to heaven.

I also get mine 170 miles away and don't find any problems at all

 

[Agrivator]

I've found that unless you buy sheep from your area (preferably next door) they take at least a year to acclimatise. Must be down to different soil, grass and environment. That is apart from mothering ability which they either have or they haven't

Sheep seem to have a homing instinct. There are cases of individuals travelling miles to get back to where they belong.

Maybe they are influenced by magnetism or magnetic fields- just like the swallow that can find its way from North Africa to a beam in my workshop. That's if it can dodge the Italian gourmet with a shotgun.

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

I think it depends whether they're moving up hill or down hill

 

[SteveHants]

Re: shedders having mismothering problems. I experienced this a bit, but those ewes soon went. I do wonder if stocking makes a difference here. I very much left them to it at lambing, to the extent that I'd stick to the edges of the field wherever I could, did a lot of lookering through binoculars and on the non replacement breeding flock, unless I absolutely had to (high worm counts, fly treatment (where they were terminal cross) etc), I'd leave them alone until weaning, aside from moving through gates to fresh grazing.
I think I'm quite glad I never tried drift lambing or similar. I can't get a picture of the whole of the space they had to lamb in (this is the commercial flock), but think was about 70 ac, for 300 ewes, first time lambers somewhere low and more paddocky so they could be caught (100 or so) which is where the problems mostly were so ewes could be caught, ID'd and their future destiny decided (GP flock, commercial flock or bin) and the GP flock on some reclaimed common scrub (about 20 ac, 100 ewes) and didn't see any problems with them, generally speaking.

 

[unlacedgecko]

I was always taught to never move sheep North.

 

[CopperBeech]

I was always taught to never move sheep North.

That’s got to make sheep moves a bit difficult. Do you get the tack sheep unloaded at the most northerly point, and just keep them going south on 24 hour moves till it’s hole time ?

 

[unlacedgecko]

That’s got to make sheep moves a bit difficult. Do you get the tack sheep unloaded at the most northerly point, and just keep them going south on 24 hour moves till it’s hole time ?

There's always one smart arse cünt

 

[fluke]

I'm absolutely sick of these Suffolk X mules. We stick a texel over them. All lambs go fat off farm.
If I was to choose a breed to not have to continually bash my head against a wall and put so many dead lambs in the bin and knacker myself trying.
If they don't lick, pee off or lay on them when u eventually catch them when I bring them in, lambs have no get up and go as there not mothered. It's just heartbreaking lambing these things.
There just fat and bloody lazy the ewes.
Ground is very wet on clay, might rule out woolly belly types or leaner mule types possibly.
Where should I start?

I used to keep some Suffolk mules and then after shearing a flock of Lleyns and liking the look of them I bought some and now have a small flock of 50 ewes which we lamb outside that was 15 years ago, they are perfect mothers and will produce a fat lamb but will take a little longer than your suffolk mules, ours are pure bred pedigree, but crosses with terminal sires will produce some very strong lambs. They are prolific and we leave the triplets with their mothers no problem. Just generally an all round good ewe.

 

[Bignor Farmer]

@paul&mandy what replacements did you buy in the end? More Suff Mules

 

[paul&mandy]

@paul&mandy what replacements did you buy in the end? More Suff Mules

We have gone down the arborfield/ highlander route with ewe lambs.
Did buy another 300+ Suffolk X mule shearlings but running an arborfield ram with them with the plan to keep best replacements. Also running most other ewes with the same plan apart from B flock that's got some of our existing texels rams running with them but they won't be kept for breeding.

 

[Bwcho]

This is him the other day
View attachment 952415

What a view!!!

 

[Bignor Farmer]

We have gone down the arborfield/ highlander route with ewe lambs.
Did buy another 300+ Suffolk X mule shearlings but running an arborfield ram with them with the plan to keep best replacements. Also running most other ewes with the same plan apart from B flock that's got some of our existing texels rams running with them but they won't be kept for breeding.

Good luck with it all. Always feels better once you’ve got a plan to work towards.