What ram for hoggs

[Frank-the-Wool]

howbout get a tough little South Down

If you want an easy life then use a modern Southdown. Great survival rates, very easy lambing and the rams will last for years.
Always a problem for the breeders as they don't get replaced very often.

 

[ford4000]

Chamoise is in vogue at the moment.
I've used primera and a couple of texel ram lambs the last few years, think I'll stick with texel when the primera goes.

Wlth the way shearling ewe prices are there will be a lot more home bred ewe lambs here next spring, so with everyone praising these little chamoise for Hoggs I've bought a couple to try

 

[DanM]

Wlth the way shearling ewe prices are there will be a lot more home bred ewe lambs here next spring, so with everyone praising these little chamoise for Hoggs I've bought a couple to try

@CopperBeech has a good selection of charmoise for sale currently.

 

[Ysgythan]

I’ve got Suffolk x texel and Suffolk x Dorset hoggs and am asking what ram you would put on these. Was wondering about a Beltex. Have used Lleyn in the past but weren’t impressed with the lamb.

What are your thoughts.

Thanks.

The right Texel. Scan and only feed the twins. Keep the singles tight and compensate after lambing.

 

[Ysgythan]

I could start on Charlies but professional courtesy and lack of personal knowledge of all systems/climate/geography/geology/intensity of management/supplementary feeding forbids.

ShedSheep you mean?

 

[Ysgythan]

ShedSheep you mean?

As opposed to PollytunnelSheep (Beltex)

 

[neilo]

Why do I see lots of pictures of newborn Texel lambs on Facebook in the Spring, all sheltering under their own heat lamps? I even saw a photo of a big patio heater in one lambing shed a couple of years ago.

They’re all at it, regardless of breed.

 

[M-J-G]

Why do I see lots of pictures of newborn Texel lambs on Facebook in the Spring, all sheltering under their own heat lamps? I even saw a photo of a big patio heater in one lambing shed a couple of years ago.

They’re all at it, regardless of breed.

Heat lamps are generally used when people don't have much of a clue what they are doing.
Apart from a very weak triplet or something ill, they're just a waste of electricity.

 

[Ysgythan]

Why do I see lots of pictures of newborn Texel lambs on Facebook in the Spring, all sheltering under their own heat lamps? I even saw a photo of a big patio heater in one lambing shed a couple of years ago.

They’re all at it, regardless of breed.

I think the point is with Texels there’s a choice…

 

[pine_guy]

Heat lamps are generally used when people don't have much of a clue what they are doing.
Apart from a very weak triplet or something ill, they're just a waste of electricity.

As long as they have a full belly, they bounce, if they don’t, there is more at play than the temp/weather

 

[andybk]

Why do I see lots of pictures of newborn Texel lambs on Facebook in the Spring, all sheltering under their own heat lamps? I even saw a photo of a big patio heater in one lambing shed a couple of years ago.

They’re all at it, regardless of breed.

absolutely , many of the breeders of all the popular terminals will be expecting around 4 figures for offspring , how many of you outdoor commercial men would take a chance lambing outside if your end product was worth that sort of money , every breed is at it especially the glossy sale type ram breeders ,embrio transplants would be a red flag to me knowing what costs are involved in producing them . I know of one suffolk breeder that tubes every lamb born he is well aware they are dopy at birth (always have been) yet commercial men fall over themselves every autumn to buy them . Whole different world producing rams ,rather than commercial sheep , those that try and do it as near to commercially as they can(like you all want) get hammered at the sales for their trouble

 

[DanM]

As long as they have a full belly, they bounce, if they don’t, there is more at play than the temp/weather
View attachment 985593

Look good Which cheviot type are those?

 

[Ysgythan]

absolutely , many of the breeders of all the popular terminals will be expecting around 4 figures for offspring , how many of you outdoor commercial men would take a chance lambing outside if your end product was worth that sort of money , every breed is at it especially the glossy sale type ram breeders ,embrio transplants would be a red flag to me knowing what costs are involved in producing them . I know of one suffolk breeder that tubes every lamb born he is well aware they are dopy at birth (always have been) yet commercial men fall over themselves every autumn to buy them . Whole different world producing rams ,rather than commercial sheep , those that try and do it as near to commercially as they can(like you all want) get hammered at the sales for their trouble

Except Innovis rely heavily on ET

 

[neilo]

Except Innovis rely heavily on ET

I didn’t think they did any more, only when they were establishing the nucleus & multiplier flocks?

There is no doubt that’s a useful tool to multiply superior family lines, so I guess it depends how you value those lambs I guess? The males produced are just an extra afaic.

If I get a dozen embryos from a flush, I reckon they cost me about £60/lamb born, after a few conception rate losses, etc. I can live with that, for lambs from the best breeding lines.
If you only get one or two, then not so good obviously, but that’s the gamble.

 

[Agrivator]

Why do I see lots of pictures of newborn Texel lambs on Facebook in the Spring, all sheltering under their own heat lamps? I even saw a photo of a big patio heater in one lambing shed a couple of years ago.

They’re all at it, regardless of breed.

Maybe a lot of Texel lambs are either born at a very young age by Caesarian section,

or they've been born from a texel ewe that's been on survival rations,

or they've been from by an old Mule ewe with no milk used as a suggrogate mother.

 

[pine_guy]

Look good Which cheviot type are those?

Thanks, no idea to be honest, picked 100 old ewes up end of October last year, they were dealer sheep out of Dingwall. Bit of a mix and not convinced all of them where pure. Have 35 mule hoggs out of them to tip this time, which is why I’m looking on this thread, was thinking belted, but like the idea of a beltex x Charolais cross.

 

[Nithsdale]

Heat lamps are generally used when people don't have much of a clue what they are doing.
Apart from a very weak triplet or something ill, they're just a waste of electricity.

Since social media took over the world and folks post anything and everything... I've learned there are a hell of a lot of sheep 'farmers' have no concept of how hardy/resilient most newborn lambs are (breed dependant) and they go well and truly over the top mollycoddling ewes and lambs at birth which just need left the f**k alone to get on with it

 

[SteveHants]

.........I even saw a photo of a big patio heater in one lambing shed a couple of years ago.

They’re all at it, regardless of breed.

Why? To keep the night lamber cosy?

 

[Ysgythan]

Why? To keep the night lamber cosy?

I’m up for that…

 

[Joe]

absolutely , many of the breeders of all the popular terminals will be expecting around 4 figures for offspring , how many of you outdoor commercial men would take a chance lambing outside if your end product was worth that sort of money , every breed is at it especially the glossy sale type ram breeders ,embrio transplants would be a red flag to me knowing what costs are involved in producing them . I know of one suffolk breeder that tubes every lamb born he is well aware they are dopy at birth (always have been) yet commercial men fall over themselves every autumn to buy them . Whole different world producing rams ,rather than commercial sheep , those that try and do it as near to commercially as they can(like you all want) get hammered at the sales for their trouble

Fella in our sheep discussion group recently announced he tubes every lamb born, runs about 600 commercials and would be high scan mule/lleyn type sheep. My face must have been priceless as he asked me did I not do the pedigree, I was eh no only when required lambs needing tubing wouldnt be much use to me fathering lambs outside in the commercial flock. Same fella dragged me around a ewe lamb sale recently to help him pick some replacements