outwintering sheep on stubble

Feckthis

hi folks a neighbour is telling me to buy some hoggets and outwinter them on the stubble. would they put on any weight? he recons its a good idea..
what are your thoughts?

Feckthis

ok folks I have lots of questions
never had sheepbefore so bare with me!
if I went ahead with this
would I have to feed them meal?
would they need to be dosed or dipped?
would they need to be tested?
would there be health problems?
what breed should I buy?
what weight should I buy?
would two strands of poly wire with plastic stakes keep them in?
would I need to provide shelter?
ram lambs or hoggets?
would I need to castrate if buying ram lambs?
I would be buying in the mart and selling in the mart in say febuary, what should I look out for when buying?
sorry about the questions just like to know what im doing before getting into it! thanks.

ganmo

Feckthis wrote: »

ok folks I have lots of questions
never had sheepbefore so bare with me!
if I went ahead with this
would I have to feed them meal? Maybe, depends on what there is to graze
would they need to be dosed or dipped? Dosed maybe not dipped
would they need to be tested? Nope
would there be health problems? Probably but they usually cure themselves(death)
what breed should I buy? Can of worms...
what weight should I buy? 35-40 range
would two strands of poly wire with plastic stakes keep them in? 3 would be better
would I need to provide shelter? Nope
ram lambs or hoggets? Weather(castrated) lambs or ewe lambs
would I need to castrate if buying ram lambs? Don't buy them buy castraded ones
I would be buying in the mart and selling in the mart in say febuary, what should I look out for when buying? An even batch of lambs none with a split in their wool, no lame lambs(lying down or favouring one foot)
sorry about the questions just like to know what im doing before getting into it! thanks.

The breed em...better if you go in looking for a nice pen of lambs rather a nice pen of x but better if there's a bit of a terminal breed in them.

Feckthis

ganmo wrote: »

The breed em...better if you go in looking for a nice pen of lambs rather a nice pen of x but better if there's a bit of a terminal breed in them.

What would you consider a nice pen of lambs?

ganmo

nothing stands out, the wool is a good guide, colour of it, I like tight wool but some breeds have looser wool. similar height
it might be worth an extra quid or two to buy ones with eid tags, no need to reg then

Feckthis

ganmo wrote: »

nothing stands out, the wool is a good guide, colour of it, I like tight wool but some breeds have looser wool. similar height
it might be worth an extra quid or two to buy ones with eid tags, no need to reg then

Cheers. Would they put on much weight over the winter do yeah know?

razor8

If you have nice grass and stock at 1 or 2 an acre they could potentially put on 20 to 30 kg. they would need a good dose when purchased and may need another depending on whether sheep was on your land recently
Weather will also have a major influence on thrive so it's really hard to say what will exact weight they will put on
How long could you keep them? Demand at end of match us generally very good but doesn't suit many farmers hoping for spring grass for main enterprise

Feckthis

razor8 wrote: »

If you have nice grass and stock at 1 or 2 an acre they could potentially put on 20 to 30 kg. they would need a good dose when purchased and may need another depending on whether sheep was on your land recently
Weather will also have a major influence on thrive so it's really hard to say what will exact weight they will put on
How long could you keep them? Demand at end of match us generally very good but doesn't suit many farmers hoping for spring grass for main enterprise

I could give them a good dose when they arrive. Have never kept sheep so no sheep have been on the land! I suppose I could keep them until February or March. They would have a good bit of stubble to go around and I could move them around every now and again.

I have visions of chasing sheep for the winter :O

razor8

Feckthis wrote: »

I could give them a good dose when they arrive. Have never kept sheep so no sheep have been on the land! I suppose I could keep them until February or March. They would have a good bit of stubble to go around and I could move them around every now and again.

I have visions of chasing sheep for the winter :O

It is fenced at all? Might be worth trying a few for one year and see how it goes, can't really lose, if keeping until march a continental 28-30 kg lamb would be a good bet and try and keep under €55 IMO

paddysdream

Feckthis wrote: »

ok folks I have lots of questions
never had sheepbefore so bare with me!
if I went ahead with this
would I have to feed them meal?
would they need to be dosed or dipped?
would they need to be tested?
would there be health problems?
what breed should I buy?
what weight should I buy?
would two strands of poly wire with plastic stakes keep them in?
would I need to provide shelter?
ram lambs or hoggets?
would I need to castrate if buying ram lambs?
I would be buying in the mart and selling in the mart in say febuary, what should I look out for when buying?
sorry about the questions just like to know what im doing before getting into it! thanks.

Answers in order of your questions
Meal?Yes if you want weight gain.

Tested? No(might want to test yourself before trying it again though!!)

Health problems? They are sheep so, YES.Fluke and worm dose plus footbath should cover the basics plus 8 in 1 maybe.Otherwise like all stock its a gamble.Oops forget to say dip as soon as possible on farm.

Breed? Depends on where you are etc and what you intend to sell as ie for meat or breeding.Lamb themselves more important than getting hung up on specific breed type.

Weight?No more than 35 kgs or so depending on lenght of stay.Any heavier will be 50 kgs plus before Feb.

Fencing with poly wire? Unlikely to work but worth a try with it.

Shelter? good hedge or sheltery corner.No need for housing .

Ram or ewe?Prob. wethers best and cheapest to start with.If rams then only them ie no ewe lambs grazing in group.Ewe lambs always couple of euyro dearer unless extreme meat type breed.

Castrate? 50 50 job.Less thrive,loss plus setback versus easier manage and more saleable.

Mart? Avoid lame ones like the plague.Avoid meal fed lambs as stores(hard to explain but anyone looking at sheep everyday will see them straight away) Avoid hornies for first year due to hard to get some to eat meal plus harder to fence on non sheep farm.
Hard really to tell someone what to look for .Best thing could be to get an agent/buyer to pick up a few pens for you at an average agreed price and weight.Know local marts will do this ie customer rings mart and says "looking for 50 nice ewe lambs 32 to 36 kgs and at agreed price,give or take a euro or two.Mart will buy these through agent and you go and collect them and pay.Might be easiest way for the first go .

Have fun!!!!!!!!!

Feckthis

razor8 wrote: »

It is fenced at all? Might be worth trying a few for one year and see how it goes, can't really lose, if keeping until march a continental 28-30 kg lamb would be a good bet and try and keep under €55 IMO

No not fenced. I would be putting down temporary fencing.

Green farmer

Fencing,fencing,fencing. Even the quietest sheep like to roam if the perimeter isn't fenced properly.

Feckthis

Any other tips folks? When to buy? How much are 30-35kg ewe lambs going for?