Wintering of breeding tup lambs

[beltextexel]

Just wondering what any of the tup breeders on here do with their tup lambs over the winter. Ours are still just on grass but there is no quality left in now. I like them to keep growing over winter to help them turn into strong shearlings.

 

[GTB]

Put them inside on ad-lib ram mix

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Cabbages

 

[Woolless]

Mine get grass/hay/haylage and that's that. But I wouldn't condemn anyone for giving them half a pound of cake. Or Rumenco do a ram care bucket.

 

[beltextexel]

I have no interest in stuffing tups with as much cake as they can eat for 3 reasons.
1.That will cost money
2.I think tups can actually grow out better when the grass comes in the following spring.
3.It is very important that my tups go on and do well once sold.

I have around 90 tup lambs running on at the moment and I'm hoping to sell half as grass fed and half as concentrate fed.

I always get to this time of year and see the tups starting to slow down in growth and wonder if they should get some feed. Also have some stubble turnips available but unsure of how tup hoggs will do on them?

 

[neilo]

Just wondering what any of the tup breeders on here do with their tup lambs over the winter. Ours are still just on grass but there is no quality left in now. I like them to keep growing over winter to help them turn into strong shearlings.

Mine are on old pp grass (plenty of it but no goodness in it now). When that runs out (mid-December?), they'll spend the rest of the winter on stubble turnips. I keep them quite tight on the roots, making them clean up every bit, rather than trying to keep them in finished condition. They grow on slowly over the winter, putting on frame steadily, then take off again when the Spring grass comes.
They'd grow better at a lower stocking rate no doubt, but then costs would go up through higher forage costs/lower stocking rates. Would it pay? Probably.....

 

[beltextexel]

Mine are on old pp grass (plenty of it but no goodness in it now). When that runs out (mid-December?), they'll spend the rest of the winter on stubble turnips. I keep them quite tight on the roots, making them clean up every bit, rather than trying to keep them in finished condition. They grow on slowly over the winter, putting on frame steadily, then take off again when the Spring grass comes.
They'd grow better at a lower stocking rate no doubt, but then costs would go up through higher forage costs/lower stocking rates. Would it pay? Probably.....

Are you happy with how they do on the turnips? Ours are in a similar situation to yours in terms of grass, seem to have quite a bit of scald in them at the moment though.

 

[MJT]

Sell nearly all mine as ram lambs as our ground isn't nearly good enough to grow on a good strong shearling tup without helping them out a fair bit (and so defeating the object of what I'm trying to achieve).

 

[Tim W]

Grass ---they soon catch up in the spring to where they need to be

 

[neilo]

Are you happy with how they do on the turnips? Ours are in a similar situation to yours in terms of grass, seem to have quite a bit of scald in them at the moment though.

Stubble turnips keep them going on steadily. Like fattening lambs, they'd do better with a lower stocking rate and letting them leave some, but depends on how much keep you've got available, not just for Rams, but for everything else on the farm.
I'm told swedes are the best thing for wintering growing Rams, but I suspect only because they'd carry more condition (higher ME) so look better. I suspect feeding beet out on the stubble turnips would achieve the same.
I did try strip grazing them on beet once, but they just didn't thrive at all (as with fattening lambs).

I've always got a few with scald on the long grass at this time of year too. I try to make sure they're clear before they go onto roots, then they seem to stay clear IME. I've got 105 running through at the moment, then I'll have another cull of ones that haven't done as expected in the Spring. I'll be pulling a few out to use on the commercial flock next week, then they'll get lumped back in when done, along with all the other stock Rams.

 

[neilo]

Grass ---they soon catch up in the spring to where they need to be

Where do you find grass in the middle of winter? Unless you carry a lot lower stocking rate all year, or have access to cheap tack/cattle ground after housing?

Not an economical option everywhere.

 

[Tim W]

Where do you find grass in the middle of winter? Unless you carry a lot lower stocking rate all year, or have access to cheap tack/cattle ground after housing?

Not an economical option everywhere.

Usually have enough to see them through----manage what grass I have accordingly and find some dairy ground sometimes
Turnips is not an economical option for everywhere either

Make the best of what you have, as always

 

[beltextexel]

Stubble turnips keep them going on steadily. Like fattening lambs, they'd do better with a lower stocking rate and letting them leave some, but depends on how much keep you've got available, not just for Rams, but for everything else on the farm.
I'm told swedes are the best thing for wintering growing Rams, but I suspect only because they'd carry more condition (higher ME) so look better. I suspect feeding beet out on the stubble turnips would achieve the same.
I did try strip grazing them on beet once, but they just didn't thrive at all (as with fattening lambs).

I've always got a few with scald on the long grass at this time of year too. I try to make sure they're clear before they go onto roots, then they seem to stay clear IME. I've got 105 running through at the moment, then I'll have another cull of ones that haven't done as expected in the Spring. I'll be pulling a few out to use on the commercial flock next week, then they'll get lumped back in when done, along with all the other stock Rams.

How many pure ewes do you run to end up with that many tup hoggs to run on? If you don't mind me asking. I've had two draws of the bottom end of the tups and hope to end up with at least 70. I also keep a few of the bottom end to run on into teasers. How many shearlings do you hope you will end up with to sell?

 

[scottish-lleyn]

I have on a field of enviromental focus area (weeds)atm. They will stay on there until jan then they will go where i have room for them after shearing they will go on to better grass thats around may time. And stay there until they are sold in aug/sep.

 

[andybk]

we are the same as tim , we buy grass keep to run them through (about 80 +) ,always a real mix of good ground and crap dirty stubbles , but you need a plan b if weather gets bad , one thing i would advise is try and get the feet right (maybe footbath / vax) its hard enough getting them through winter without lameness damaging feet and dragging them down .

 

[neilo]

How many pure ewes do you run to end up with that many tup hoggs to run on? If you don't mind me asking. I've had two draws of the bottom end of the tups and hope to end up with at least 70. I also keep a few of the bottom end to run on into teasers. How many shearlings do you hope you will end up with to sell?

I lambed about 220 purebred ewes & ewe lambs (having cut down slightly), and had pretty good results from an October ET program as well. About a dozen or so of those 105 are Beltex X (as a trial), the rest pure. Probably down to 80-85 by sale time, through forced/selective /'unexpected' culling.

 

[Tim W]

we are the same as tim , we buy grass keep to run them through (about 80 +) ,always a real mix of good ground and crap dirty stubbles , but you need a plan b if weather gets bad , one thing i would advise is try and get the feet right (maybe footbath / vax) its hard enough getting them through winter without lameness damaging feet and dragging them down .

Always good to sort out foot problems -- I have a cull pen

 

[reverand]

I bet there is some money to be made fora dairy farm keeping nothing but potential breeding tup lambs in separate packets for biosecurity reasons. Plenty of decent grass, no worry's of a break out with females. I would pay extra

 

[neilo]

I bet there is some money to be made fora dairy farm keeping nothing but potential breeding tup lambs in separate packets for biosecurity reasons. Plenty of decent grass, no worry's of a break out with females. I would pay extra

I believe Innovis still send all theirs off to be reared like that, not on dairy grass, but root crops over winter, then on dedicated rearing units with rotationally grazed chicory/PRG keys over the summer. Unless things have changed recently, and they now have to face a few more challenges?

 

[beltextexel]

I believe Innovis still send all theirs off to be reared like that, not on dairy grass, but root crops over winter, then on dedicated rearing units with rotationally grazed chicory/PRG keys over the summer. Unless things have changed recently, and they now have to face a few more challenges?

That is still the case. There was an article in one of the papers recently about the chap that looks after them. Its a bit of a con really I think. I'm not accusing them of lying but I saw on one of their leaflets that they were "bred at 1000ft' (or something similar). The fact that they then spend 2/3 of their lives on top quality lowland grazing isn't really mentioned. I'm sure that they aren't fed concentrates, but rotationally grazing top quality chicory leys is as good as a bag of feed. They have as much chance of 'melting' as anyone else's tups.