Whats the stabiliser cow of the sheep world?

[Jockers84]

From social media, there's at least 2 farms in NZ developing woolly sheep which shed on the tail, beech and belly. Still have a wool crop with no docking crutching or belly clipping.

Hi - any links to this? Like the idea, are they well shaped things like he Avalon I’ve seen in this thread somewhere?

 

[Jockers84]

Not first cross. Line bred consistent clean belly and beech with worthwhile wool crop.

View attachment 868997

Ultimate | Avalon Genetics

Ultimate Avalon sheep are New Zealand's high performance, low input sheep - the ultimate lifestyle sheep for farmers.

www.avalongenetics.co.nz

Any if these lads in the UK?

 

[unlacedgecko]

Hi - any links to this? Like the idea, are they well shaped things like he Avalon I’ve seen in this thread somewhere?

Ezicare Sheep - Morrison Farming

Morrison Farming’s sheep breeding objective is ‘To have a ewe flock that weans 160% lambs for finishing before Christmas; that are shorn once a year with no dagging and minimal animal health requirements.’ Morrison Farming has developed a composite called Ezicare based on Texel, Wiltshire and...

morrisonfarming.co.nz

 

[unlacedgecko]

Any if these lads in the UK?

not that I’m aware of. UK wool prices don‘t really lend themselves to such an animal. Either have a wool crop worth shearing (Romney or cheviot), or have full shedders.

 

[clod hopper]

not that I’m aware of. UK wool prices don‘t really lend themselves to such an animal. Either have a wool crop worth shearing (Romney or cheviot), or have full shedders.

If you shear your own sheep then maybe your interested otherwise the wool needs to pay for the shearer

 

[unlacedgecko]

If you shear your own sheep then maybe your interested otherwise the wool needs to pay for the shearer

That makes no sense whatsoever.

 

[clod hopper]

That makes no sense whatsoever.

Well if you don't have to shear the belly and dags it's a much easier job and the wool is a extra income regardless of how much it is if you don't pay someone to take it off. Pennys count at the end of the year.

 

[Nithsdale]

If you shear your own sheep then maybe your interested otherwise the wool needs to pay for the shearer

Well if you don't have to shear the belly and dags it's a much easier job and the wool is a extra income regardless of how much it is if you don't pay someone to take it off. Pennys count at the end of the year.

Most farms dagg the ewes before shearing anyway... so there's no money made there, in fact these sheep would save that expense.

The belly wool is f**king worthless and slows the entire job down - for contractors or yourself.

Pennies count, but you're misplacing them

 

[unlacedgecko]

Well if you don't have to shear the belly and dags it's a much easier job and the wool is a extra income regardless of how much it is if you don't pay someone to take it off. Pennys count at the end of the year.

opportunity cost?

 

[clod hopper]

Most farms dagg the ewes before shearing anyway... so there's no money made there, in fact these sheep would save that expense.

The belly wool is f**king worthless and slows the entire job down - for contractors or yourself.

Pennies count, but you're misplacing them

The point I'm trying to make is more people will be more inclined to shear there own sheep. I am not promoting the breed just it would encourage me to do the job myself if my sheep had that trate

 

[Nithsdale]

The point I'm trying to make is more people will be more inclined to shear there own sheep. I am not promoting the breed just it would encourage me to do the job myself if my sheep had that trate

It was the wool needing to pay the shearer part of your comment. The arse and belly rarely contribute to paying for the shearer as it is, was my point.


There's nothing better than getting a run of clear bellies, with broken necks and clean behind... your tally can fairly jump

 

[NZDan]

Well if you don't have to shear the belly and dags it's a much easier job and the wool is a extra income regardless of how much it is if you don't pay someone to take it off. Pennys count at the end of the year.

The strength of the Ultimate is not what you can see but what you can't, high production coupled with out standing worm resistance and almost a complete lack of dags even under high worm challenge, the bits you can see are a bounus. And it wouldn't take long to assemble a flock of bare bellied, short shedding tailed sheep in the UK, they are every where, the hard bit would be combining that with worm and dag resistance.

 

[clod hopper]

It was the wool needing to pay the shearer part of your comment. The arse and belly rarely contribute to paying for the shearer as it is, was my point.


There's nothing better than getting a run of clear bellies, with broken necks and clean behind... your tally can fairly jump

Totally agree! the flip side, most of these type of sheep only have 75% or less fleece at shearing time so it gets less economical to to pay someone to shear them unless you're paying by kg of wool shorn. Maybe shear earlier (might be tougher?)

 

[DanM]

@Global ovine @easyram1 @NZDan Are the Avalon genetics being brought over to the Uk?

 

[NZDan]

@Global ovine @easyram1 @NZDan Are the Avalon genetics being brought over to the Uk?

That has been looked at, but nothing followed through yet. The biggest problem is that in reality only live animals can come over, so it would be tough to establish a decent ewe base. But perhaps a ewe flock based on screened UK genetics with regular importations of Rams?

 

[Tim W]

The strength of the Ultimate is not what you can see but what you can't, high production coupled with out standing worm resistance and almost a complete lack of dags even under high worm challenge, the bits you can see are a bounus. And it wouldn't take long to assemble a flock of bare bellied, short shedding tailed sheep in the UK, they are every where, the hard bit would be combining that with worm and dag resistance.

This is what we do at Exlana ---''Genetics not Cosmetics''
Dags & wool gone
Proven high parasite resistance
Tails getting shorter

Allan Richardson came to see us in '80's (?) on what i think was his Nuffield trip to see our low input/organic system and the way we used Wiltshires
He went home to develop the successful Avalon base ---just surprised it has taken the commercial Kiwi shepherds so long to get interested in woolless systems , proves that they are just as locked in by tradition as we are

 

[Jockers84]

not that I’m aware of. UK wool prices don‘t really lend themselves to such an animal. Either have a wool crop worth shearing (Romney or cheviot), or have full shedders.

Is there a NZ breed called “Ranger” that’s fine micron wool and they’re easy maintenance but carry a more muscular carcass? Could be totally wrong but if so it would maybe lend itself to the europ grid better than the Tefrom type? Bit off current subject of shearing sozzz cognitive power is sort of low at lambing time. I’d prob clip my own if the belly’s and rear ended were less time consuming

 

[NZDan]

Is there a NZ breed called “Ranger” that’s fine micron wool and they’re easy maintenance but carry a more muscular carcass? Could be totally wrong but if so it would maybe lend itself to the europ grid than the Tefrom type? Bit off current subject of shearing sozzz cognitive power is sort of low at lambing time. I’d prob clip my own if the belly’s and rear ended were less time consuming

A Snowliner. The Ranger is a terminal from the same out fit.

 

[Global ovine]

@Global ovine @easyram1 @NZDan Are the Avalon genetics being brought over to the Uk?

They have been considered, but the goals the Avalon Ultimate are bred to achieve do not all mesh with the goals, that in my mind, the majority of the UK market may consider important, so other trait leading NZ developed composites have been exported to the UK. These traits include high unassisted lambing and weaning % under high density stocking, visually meaty carcass, fast growth rate, valued wool income with resistance to worms and foot rot.
The Avalon Ultimate is probably as advanced as any NZ breeding programme has got to breeding a nil management cost sheep that still has wool income by eliminating tail docking, crutching and low value fleece components. The disease resistance goals overlap but are more developed in the Ultimate by selection under a more extreme challenge. Such sheep suit low input hill country. A situation I consider could be catered for by some existing British native breeds, or developed from them.

If the future economics of UK farming only allow for nil or near nil input farming, then the Avalon Ultimate could have a significant place. However it all comes back to the goals the commercial farmer desires. Think traits, not breeds.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

There's truth in that of course, but looking in as a neighbour, I may consider someone to be running a good operation, but actually they're losing money, whilst another may appear a Heath Robinson outfit, but is actually making good money.

Dad often used to say "you can't see into their ledger from over the road fence" when we were out being nosey-parkers.
In general though, if you see someone out doing something, it's a loss-making activity.