Galway ewes

moy83

Well lads what do ye think of them compared to say texel ? A mate of mine was back for a look at the place there and he reckons plenty of my fields will hold them so I'm going to get a few when the silage is cut .
He has plenty of different ewes but he breeds pb galway ewes so likes to promote them , he reckons they are as good as suffolk or texel . What I want is the quietest breed most importanty and to be reasonably hardy .Ill probably only get 5 second crop ewes off him to see how they go and might let them run with the cows .
What would a good ram to give the galway ewe for replacement ewes be ?

eire23

They are nearly non existant around this part of the country as far as i know moy so cant really comment on what their like. Probably be more common in the midlands?
Would you not pick up a ram of him as well and see how it goes for the first year? Ya can use the auld mates rates card on it anyways:D

AnFeirmeoir

Wasn't there a rare breeds grant that they qualified for . I think you need 10 ewes. Is it still alive?

They're bad points are they are huge - like trying to knock a donkey.
They will proba my have only 1 lamb a year ant the lambs are slow growing and won't finsh well.
Good points they are dosile. And it's nice to keep the breed alive.

Suffolk ram probably best cross

razor8

There rare for a reason but should be grand if lots of grass in front of them.

Must be 15/20 years since any were here but remember them as big savages who have one little mouse of a lamb and take forever to get to any decent weight. Wouldn't be suited to a large commercial flock IMO

moy83

Thanks lads , he did that they wouldnt be as prolific as other breeds but he said he was happy all the same with the amount of lambs they were having for him .
He never mentioned small or slow growing lambs - thats something I wouldn't be keen on , even though if small means easy lambed it would be an advantage but is it worth it over slow growth ?
He has them with his commercial flock of around 450 ewes and its a mixed bag but he maintained they are holding there own .
I could get a ram off him but I wouldn't mind getting one of them Hampshire down rams if they would cross well ? Hopefully mates rates will mean I wont be paying for the ewes at all so I dont want to be greedy asking for a ram aswell
I think there was some grant or option for them in REPS alright but that wont be for me anyhow .

Reading yer replies I am not too sold on them apart from the docility . He has texels and lynns aswell but I think he would like to see the galway sheep getting bred a bit more .
Would I be aswell leave them where they are and pick a different breed that migh be a bit better for starting a flock ?

AnFeirmeoir

I wouldn't take them. Fine if your just keeping a few but if your hoping to expand a decent size flock from these, you've got the wrong breed IMO

I'm a fan of belclares. Else try llyen or Suffolk cross. Start with something prolific anyway

moy83

AnFeirmeoir wrote: »

I wouldn't take them. Fine if your just keeping a few but if your hoping to expand a decent size flock from these, you've got the wrong breed IMO

I'm a fan of belclares. Else try llyen or Suffolk cross. Start with something prolific anyway

I think you're right . I honestly dont know where the flock will go , maybe I will love having them and it will grow and replace the sucklers which is what I think would suit our farm better and leave a few more pound (which wouldnt be hard ) or maybe I will not like them at all and they will be out the gate never to return .
Quiet sheep is the most thing I want and the galways seem to have this going for them but if its at the cost of all other traits it wouldnt be a great starting point for a flock .

eire23

Any of the sheep AnFeirmeoir mentioned would be a good starting point, have experience of all three and they would all be fairly quiet although belclare/lleyn will give a higher lambing %.
I suppose its for a reason that galways arent common, things have moved on and the breed hasnt been developed.

Conmaicne Mara

If you're going to get sheep, particularly a big ould lowland bus of a ewe, get something that'll have two lambs on that Golden Vale land of yours (I passed by today so you can't be fibbing ).

Right now I'm dreaming about Charllaois but.......... I wouldn't be 100% convinced yet as to their outdoor lambing hardiness, however there are strains within the breed that have a lot more wool on newborn lambs than others, that'd the be one to look out for.

Other things I'd be looking for would be ease of lambing, maternal ewe, and the term eludes me at the moment, but quick to get up and suck.

Green farmer

Another vote for the belclare here. Any belclare x ewes I've had here ( not enough of them ) have been docile.

ipod

zwartable is the one to start off with.nice looking.i have them easy to lamb.lambs up sucking in no time.

moy83

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

If you're going to get sheep, particularly a big ould lowland bus of a ewe, get something that'll have two lambs on that Golden Vale land of yours (I passed by today so you can't be fibbing ).

Right now I'm dreaming about Charllaois but.......... I wouldn't be 100% convinced yet as to their outdoor lambing hardiness, however there are strains within the breed that have a lot more wool on newborn lambs than others, that'd the be one to look out for.

Other things I'd be looking for would be ease of lambing, maternal ewe, and the term eludes me at the moment, but quick to get up and suck.

Golden vale ??? I wish , in fairness most of our better land is along the road but the next time your passing call in and I'll show you some crap that will have you going home happy to be looking at your own land !

I must put up a pic of some of the walls and let ye tell me are they good enough of will the sheep knock them ?

Conmaicne Mara

Sheep and walls can be a funny thing. Lowland ewes should be less prone to jumping & travelling than blackies. Even my top wall that separates the farm from the hill only has one (very badly done) string of barbed wire on top of it. They can be a bastard for knocking internal walls though, jumping over them as shortcuts and pushing off stones as they go. There's a wood bordering me and it's just a low wall, never fenced it, sheep never crossed it. I think they know which side their bread is buttered on when they look into the wood.

I'll let you know when I'm passing again for the tour, have the tae ready :cool:

Galvium Irredentum

My take on the Galway is as follows (don't have any) - they are also called Irish Longwool; and until 1966 or so the fleece was more valuable than the meat! the best fleece would come from a shearling/yearling, so it made sense to have a slow maturing sheep that gave it's most valuable crop and then could be butchered! Different world nowadays - a heritage breed as the yanks might say...

J.O. Farmer

Wasn't the belclare known as the Galway improver when they started developing the breed. The idea was to improve the traits that people have pointed out are bad with the Galway ewe like low prolificacy and slow growth rates.
I don't know if the Galway is the ewe to start a big flock but for someone who has never had sheep just to get a taste of them surely there as good as any.
If you were only keeping 10 or something they won't make you or break you especially if the ewes are coming on the cheap presumably with your mates guidance and help as you begin your new venture. I wouldn't rule them out totally yet.

Username John

J.O. Farmer wrote: »

Wasn't the belclare known as the Galway improver when they started developing the breed. The idea was to improve the traits that people have pointed out are bad with the Galway ewe like low prolificacy and slow growth rates.
I don't know if the Galway is the ewe to start a big flock but for someone who has never had sheep just to get a taste of them surely there as good as any.
If you were only keeping 10 or something they won't make you or break you especially if the ewes are coming on the cheap presumably with your mates guidance and help as you begin your new venture. I wouldn't rule them out totally yet.

I would defo agree with this.

As you'll be new to it all, having nice quiet sheep will mean the world. Also having a bit if back up from your mate would be very useful, and when he knows the ewes that will be good as well.

I know you might lose a bit on long % and growth rates, but for the first year I wouldn't worry too much. You can buy more if a few breeds next year. And you will prob go through a few breeds before you find one that you like and that works for you.

Put a terminal ram in the Galway ewes and the lambs might be too bad in terms of growth rate.

moy83

Thanks lads , you're right about the quietness being a help . I have no right dog and only a few places fenced properly so that would be important . I might get a couple of galways and a couple of texel . I think he is pretty well up on most breeds so he will be helpful either way .

Green farmer

Thing with sheep , is only takes one to lead them astray, and once they get the notion in their head !!! Your heart could be broken. If it was me, I'd Fence a small paddock first before get any sheep of any breed.theres a reason why alot of farmers don't like sheep. The stories I could tell of places I've seen sheep escaping from, and the amount of ear bashings I've got when they've escaped.

Conmaicne Mara

moy83 wrote: »

only a few places fenced properly

Train them to an electric fence, have enough to do two paddocks at a time minimum.

moy83

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Train them to an electric fence, have enough to do two paddocks at a time minimum.

Thats the plan alright