New breed society focus in uk

razor8

We could do with more focus on this too

http://www.farminguk.com/News/Sheep-breed-societies-focus-on-meeting-market-demand_30010.html#.U3HQjYboH8g.twitter

Cran

razor8 wrote: »

We could do with more focus on this too

http://www.farminguk.com/News/Sheep-breed-societies-focus-on-meeting-market-demand_30010.html#.U3HQjYboH8g.twitter

Do we not have this with Sheep Ireland and STAP, even more so than UK as its better supported fiancially? With the use of rams in CPT & MALP flocks, the increase of breeders signing up and then once accurancies increase is it not the information thats needed?

I know rams have to past inspection for society sales, and no insult to any breed societies but think I'd prefer to use such figures and my own visual judgement rather than society telling me muzzle not right colour etc.

rangler1

Cran wrote: »

Do we not have this with Sheep Ireland and STAP, even more so than UK as its better supported fiancially? With the use of rams in CPT & MALP flocks, the increase of breeders signing up and then once accurancies increase is it not the information thats needed?

I know rams have to past inspection for society sales, and no insult to any breed societies but think I'd prefer to use such figures and my own visual judgement rather than society telling me muzzle not right colour etc.

I've rejected sheep in sales with muzzles not the right colour and subsequent DNA tests have proved me right. Star rating means nothing if the sire is not as registered as his past performance is taken into account

Cran

rangler1 wrote: »

I've rejected sheep in sales with muzzles not the right colour and subsequent DNA tests have proved me right. Star rating means nothing if the sire is not as registered as his past performance is taken into account

Fair point and probably a wrong example, what I'm saying is something like Sheep Ireland not as good if not better indicator for commercial farmers? TBH its good to see some societies looking at the commercial man rather than the show ring for a change;)

rangler1

Cran wrote: »

Fair point and probably a wrong example, what I'm saying is something like Sheep Ireland not as good if not better indicator for commercial farmers? TBH its good to see some societies looking at the commercial man rather than the show ring for a change;)

Northern breeder bought my best lamb last week, but wanted all the figures before he came down, sent them up when I had the scan done, so he had it down to two lambs before he came at all

razor8

I put it up more tongue in cheek than anything.

I still think the farmers have to do alot of research before he purchases, you really need to know what feeding levels breeders are using which can be impossible to know at a sale. Also flock size is a big one for me, a little hobbie farmer with 20 peds and no other stock is a guy I want to keep away from and a guy with 100 running with commercials is where I would like to purchase knowing these lambs would have faced worm & disease challenges. Would be good if this was available at sales.

I'm big into recording myself and seeing benefits but societies still need more focus on the commercial farmer rather than breeding sheep with excessive bone, nice heads & ears which is a huge part of some breeds

Cran

razor8 wrote: »

I put it up more tongue in cheek than anything.

I still think the farmers have to do alot of research before he purchases, you really need to know what feeding levels breeders are using which can be impossible to know at a sale. Also flock size is a big one for me, a little hobbie farmer with 20 peds and no other stock is a guy I want to keep away from and a guy with 100 running with commercials is where I would like to purchase knowing these lambs would have faced worm & disease challenges. Would be good if this was available at sales.

I'm big into recording myself and seeing benefits but societies still need more focus on the commercial farmer rather than breeding sheep with excessive bone, nice heads & ears which is a huge part of some breeds

Agree 100% have bought ewes and once here caught everything as never exposed to anything... Took months for them to adjust and recover, couple of cases a year written off

ganmo

razor8 wrote: »

I put it up more tongue in cheek than anything.

I still think the farmers have to do alot of research before he purchases, you really need to know what feeding levels breeders are using which can be impossible to know at a sale. Also flock size is a big one for me, a little hobbie farmer with 20 peds and no other stock is a guy I want to keep away from and a guy with 100 running with commercials is where I would like to purchase knowing these lambs would have faced worm & disease challenges. Would be good if this was available at sales.

I'm big into recording myself and seeing benefits but societies still need more focus on the commercial farmer rather than breeding sheep with excessive bone, nice heads & ears which is a huge part of some breeds

quite easy to estimate the size of flock by the tag numbers, I'm still surprised when i see 5 figure tag numbers.

as far as sheep ireland figures go even sheep ireland say to use them along side your own judge of the animal. personally i'd pick animals(5 or so, and rank them) then look at the figures to go from there

razor8

ganmo wrote: »

quite easy to estimate the size of flock by the tag numbers, I'm still surprised when i see 5 figure tag numbers.

as far as sheep ireland figures go even sheep ireland say to use them along side your own judge of the animal. personally i'd pick animals(5 or so, and rank them) then look at the figures to go from there

True to certain extent but could happen that a larger breeder sells his rejects to a smaller breeder his then sells on

Cran

ganmo wrote: »

quite easy to estimate the size of flock by the tag numbers, I'm still surprised when i see 5 figure tag numbers.

as far as sheep ireland figures go even sheep ireland say to use them along side your own judge of the animal. personally i'd pick animals(5 or so, and rank them) then look at the figures to go from there

True and I'm always as surprised how many only have 3 digits and are long established flocks. My Flock number is only in existence 5 years ish and over 2k on the numbers already. If I had transferred the old mans number would be well over the 4 digits by now, guess it shows how many breeders only have few ewes...

jt65

I usually source rams on the farm & tbh don't pay much heed to stars etc,

just to mention of the few pedigree sales i have attended of one particular breed society I am amazed at the Sh!t that's allowed enter the ring

on a side note (as already mentioned) most of the rams are also too pumped with meal & would literally melt when let off with a flock

rangler1

jt65 wrote: »

I usually source rams on the farm & tbh don't pay much heed to stars etc,

just to mention of the few pedigree sales i have attended of one particular breed society I am amazed at the Sh!t that's allowed enter the ring

on a side note (as already mentioned) most of the rams are also too pumped with meal & would literally melt when let off with a flock

We get on better here selling fed rams, but would always drop the level of feeding in their last month here, all farmers say they prefer them not fed but the demand at the sales does not reflect that

MayoAreMagic

Agreed rangler1. The lad with the bit of feeding behind him always attracts the interest. Only last year I had a smallish hogget knocking around the place, he hadn't had much softness and had been a late lamb. A friend of mine passed comment on him one day, basically dismissing him as any good. I let him out with a few ewes, took him in and gave him a bit over the winter. Nothing extreme, just a bit of kindness to give him a chance to develop. Anyway, I had all the rams in the yard around march time and by chance, in comes the same fella again. He fell in love with one of them, and put in an offer to buy him on the spot. Take a guess which one!

Didn't know it was the same one either! Now say what you want about this guy's abilities with sheep, really and truly it is beside the point. These are the guys bidding outside the ring at the end of the day, and that bit of meal was the difference between the guy writing him off as no good and making an offer that frankly was more than he was worth.

rangler1

MayoAreMagic wrote: »

Agreed rangler1. The lad with the bit of feeding behind him always attracts the interest. Only last year I had a smallish hogget knocking around the place, he hadn't had much softness and had been a late lamb. A friend of mine passed comment on him one day, basically dismissing him as any good. I let him out with a few ewes, took him in and gave him a bit over the winter. Nothing extreme, just a bit of kindness to give him a chance to develop. Anyway, I had all the rams in the yard around march time and by chance, in comes the same fella again. He fell in love with one of them, and put in an offer to buy him on the spot. Take a guess which one!

Didn't know it was the same one either! Now say what you want about this guy's abilities with sheep, really and truly it is beside the point. These are the guys bidding outside the ring at the end of the day, and that bit of meal was the difference between the guy writing him off as no good and making an offer that frankly was more than he was worth.

They have to have it in them to develop, you won't get rubbish sheep to develop right......without gimmicks anyway