Sheep Photo Thread

Cran

Few more non prize winners, first two pics of ewe lambs made €142 and hoggets in ring made €183

Willfarman

would there be an element of i buy youR lambs if you buy my hoggets there? Fierce prices considering there the best of wexford suffolk hoggets bringing tops of 180.

Cran

Willfarman wrote: »

would there be an element of i buy youR lambs if you buy my hoggets there? Fierce prices considering there the best of wexford suffolk hoggets bringing tops of 180.

No most of the hoggets would leave the area to east and north I believe. Dont think sale was fierce prices compared to similar sales, prices would be in line with say Tullow Sheep breeders for hoggets maybe even slightly less.

Green farmer

If you go to england, the vast majority of commercial sheep farms run mules. I think the x llyens are also growing in popularity. Very few run x from any terminal breeds. It's sort of the opposite of that's done here. Is this because of the scale of the average flock number here compared to there , I don't know. Anyway if I had the few bob extra to spend I wouldn't mind chancing the mules. Not sure I'd have pockets deep enough to pay €140 on ewe lambs though.

Willfarman

Tullow sheep breeders is just that though. A sale for the breeders to the breeders and a few inflated prices for the paper. An ordinary sale in tullow. Same Hoggets, same breeding. Farmer buyers and 180 is buying the best of hoggets. Midling one good enough to do job 165. Job is generally sluggish this year considering the strong cull price.

No lamb bringing any more than 130 tops. Top class suffolk chev lambs @ 115.

jd06

Cran wrote: »

More pictures from Friday, this was our 10th year heading over and they run a good set-up.
Big difference in prices from 10 years ago, we nearly paid double what we paid for some hoggets compared to 2005. Back then the discussion in the yard was about survival of the sale and sheep enterprises, while buyers might complain about the prices Friday the position in 2005 was no good to anyone either.

Mules arent for everyone, they suit our set-up at the moment really well along with some Lleyns. Had few lads picking up rams on Saturday morning and the ewes were still in the yard, they spent over an hour looking at them and discussing them between them....

Starting to realise my only days out these days are to sheep sales, bit different to 2005 as well

What are the pros and cons if mule sheep???

Cran

Fair comment Will, just to clarify majority of hoggets went between 170 and 185, and most lambs between 115 and 130. This sale is their top stock, tbh wasnt a bad pen in the entire sale. How do you find the Suffolk cross and Tullow ewes, would lambing % not be bit low with them?

Willfarman

The cheapest way to get a suffolk ewe lamb is to buy them! But they are getting scarcer every year, I cross back to a belclare and keep some all my own replacements. But wouldn't like to go too far down that road.

But never again will I cross a belclare to a half belclare. And running suffolk Rams causes too many lambing problems. So I have to buy a few big black Suffolk type lambs every year. Big strong ewe winters well in heavy lowland. And culls bring more than the lamb costs to replace her.

Bullocks

Green farmer wrote: »

If you go to england, the vast majority of commercial sheep farms run mules. I think the x llyens are also growing in popularity. Very few run x from any terminal breeds. It's sort of the opposite of that's done here. Is this because of the scale of the average flock number here compared to there , I don't know. Anyway if I had the few bob extra to spend I wouldn't mind chancing the mules. Not sure I'd have pockets deep enough to pay €140 on ewe lambs though.

I was in Wales at wedding on an estate at the wknd and went for a stroll during photo time and came across 300 smashing mules , they were long tall and very deep bodied IYKWIM, they looked smashing sheep , grey face mules yer man said they were , what kinda breeding is in them do ye know ? And are they much less docile than your normal Suffolk or the the like ?

Green farmer

Bullocks wrote: »

And are they much less docile than your normal Suffolk or the the like ?

To the best of my knowledge the hill farmer takes his swaledale ewe and crosses it to a blue faced Leicester ram. The resulting offspring is the mule ewe. That mule is then bought by the commercial lowland farmer who puts it to a terminal ram to produce the perfect butchers / factory lamb. Most lowland farmers won't retain the terminal x lamb for breeding purposes.
Personally I've never had a mule ewe, only Texal and Suffolk x bred sheep up to now. However I've started breeding my own replacement from a llyen ram, which will bring maternal traits into my flock.

ganmo

i think the greyface have the border leicester ram rather than the blue faced

Sheep breeder

the mule ewe has chqnged a lot in the last 10/15 year, orginally the blue leicester ram was a blue faced sheep with a bit of a curl in the wool that produced a big strong boned grey faced ewe, now a days a blue ram is a speckled sheep to mark the off spring with a dark speckled colour just for show and this dosent seem to have added any thing else to the mule only head colour.
we were in england many years ago and the grey mule was the only ewe then that was in demand and now it is all about colour of the head and like a lot of breeds which have being changed by a few of what is discribed as the top breeders. look at the suffolk all head and bone, the charollais all size and lacking muscle,

Cran

Sheep breeder wrote: »

the mule ewe has chqnged a lot in the last 10/15 year, orginally the blue leicester ram was a blue faced sheep with a bit of a curl in the wool that produced a big strong boned grey faced ewe, now a days a blue ram is a speckled sheep to mark the off spring with a dark speckled colour just for show and this dosent seem to have added any thing else to the mule only head colour.
we were in england many years ago and the grey mule was the only ewe then that was in demand and now it is all about colour of the head and like a lot of breeds which have being changed by a few of what is discribed as the top breeders. look at the suffolk all head and bone, the charollais all size and lacking muscle,

I'd agree with all of this, nice boney head for Mules starting to creep into Ireland more in past 2 years which is a worry.

sako 85

In Wicklow the best Suffolk cross Cheviot Hoggets are currently making up to €200. Seen a pen of good to average hoggets sell in baltinglass on Saturday for €175. We sold our worst 10 Suffolk cross Cheviot ewe lambs (37kg) for €111 on Saturday in Baltinglass, nicely marked lambs but too light.

AntrimGlens

Cran wrote: »

More pictures from Friday, this was our 10th year heading over and they run a good set-up.
Big difference in prices from 10 years ago, we nearly paid double what we paid for some hoggets compared to 2005. Back then the discussion in the yard was about survival of the sale and sheep enterprises, while buyers might complain about the prices Friday the position in 2005 was no good to anyone either.

Mules arent for everyone, they suit our set-up at the moment really well along with some Lleyns. Had few lads picking up rams on Saturday morning and the ewes were still in the yard, they spent over an hour looking at them and discussing them between them....

Starting to realise my only days out these days are to sheep sales, bit different to 2005 as well

Cran, Is that Hugh Henry judging the ewe lambs?

Cran

AntrimGlens wrote: »

Cran, Is that Hugh Henry judging the ewe lambs?

Not sure tbh, but did hear him being called Hugh. He had a hard time picking between 1st and 2nd in the Mule lambs

ganmo

A bit of hedge trimming

rangler1

big push on lamb at the moment

https://www.facebook.com/BordBia/photos/a.113625218833.119002.82897438833/10153605109773834/?type=1&theater

Green farmer

A fine healthy looking field of sheep.

jd06

ganmo wrote: »

A bit of hedge trimming

Lovely stock, are they all cheviots
Going with the ram in a month?or more. ?

ganmo

jd06 wrote: »

Lovely stock, are they all cheviots
Going with the ram in a month?or more. ?

Some will be sold soon as breeding stock, the culls went last week(75 + 1 crock for 65)
They'll see the ram near the end of oct

jd06

ganmo wrote: »

Some will be sold soon as breeding stock, the culls went last week(75 + 1 crock for 65)
They'll see the ram near the end of oct

Cheviots are hard to come across and are making big money again. Where do you buyand sell yours.
In the market for hoggets myself

ganmo

jd06 wrote: »

Cheviots are hard to come across and are making big money again. Where do you buyand sell yours.
In the market for hoggets myself

closed flock here, sell in blessington
http://www.blessingtonmart.ie/SalesCalendar.aspx

westman1

jd06 wrote: »

Cheviots are hard to come across and are making big money again. Where do you buyand sell yours.
In the market for hoggets myself

might have 40 wicklow/scottish lambs for sale 35-40 kilos...... my best 2nd choice for years

Username John

jd06 wrote: »

Cheviots are hard to come across and are making big money again. Where do you buyand sell yours.
In the market for hoggets myself

Bought a handful of cheviot ewe lambs myself last week. Avg 43kg. Some lighter some heavier. Mix of pure cheviot and Suffolk cheviot cross, nice enough looking sheep... First time getting em, so we'll see how we get on...

rangler1

Green farmer wrote: »

A fine healthy looking field of sheep.

Wouldn't you think they'd use a picture of the lambs....not :rolleyes:

rangler1

Photographer from Bord Bia captured this moment with my dogs as well
https://websta.me/p/1066133557872022437_1650266395

Willfarman

Great snap rangler. What do you suppose one dog is saying to the other?

rangler1

Willfarman wrote: »

Great snap rangler. What do you suppose one dog is saying to the other?

You'd imagine the one on the left is looking for direction

serfspup

he is saying " with this miserable wet summer those lambs must be really succulent" (according to bord bias theory:mad:)