Anyone in Athenry today?

razor8

Anyone get over today and see the imported sheep from New Zealand, was hoping to get over but didn't work out

rangler1

razor8 wrote: »

Anyone get over today and see the imported sheep from New Zealand, was hoping to get over but didn't work out

Went today, knew that it would be same thing repeated, but a neighbour offered me a lift in his new 5 seater discovery so I went.
They had provisional results of the three stocking rates, 10, 12, 14ewes/ha.
The 14 seemed to be the best, but they did point out it wouldn't suit every farm, their lambs were dirty, but in very good flesh.
They had NZ texel and suffolks there with month old lambs, the suffolks weren't near but they had the texels penned, they just looked like our texel cross lleyns.
Their new shed and handling unit is massive, supposed to have cost a million.....could well believe it

derferjam

Do you happen to have any pictures of the handling facilities

rangler1

derferjam wrote: »

Do you happen to have any pictures of the handling facilities

No

razor8

rangler1 wrote: »

Went today, knew that it would be same thing repeated, but a neighbour offered me a lift in his new 5 seater discovery so I went.
They had provisional results of the three stocking rates, 10, 12, 14ewes/ha.
The 14 seemed to be the best, but they did point out it wouldn't suit every farm, their lambs were dirty, but in very good flesh.
They had NZ texel and suffolks there with month old lambs, the suffolks weren't near but they had the texels penned, they just looked like our texel cross lleyns.
Their new shed and handling unit is massive, supposed to have cost a million.....could well believe it

So they were imported with lambs at foot?

Facilities are ridiculous and totally unrealistic to what you would see on a sheep farm

rangler1

razor8 wrote: »

So they were imported with lambs at foot?

Facilities are ridiculous and totally unrealistic to what you would see on a sheep farm

I think some of them were inlamb when they came
They imported 60ish and there looked to be about 20there with young lambs

Galvium Irredentum

I went yesterday and it felt like a chore - I started attending a sheep discussion group a year before STAP; I found it enthusiastic and interesting. Since STAP however it's all become dull and lifeless e.g. very few asked questions yesterday and one speaker ended with 'no one has any questions… move on!' The NZ sheep were interesting; everything is wedged shaped, narrower and functional - they have the scale and their philosophy (profit not subsidies) is right imho - their sheep flock is contracting quickly though as all the good land is piling into dairying/dairy support; although their meat output isn't falling as quick (they're more productive) Four-quartered gm sheep is the future!

Galvium Irredentum

14 ewes/ha - surely the worm burden will rise no? with scale it's possible to select for worm burden tolerance/resistance - health indices are extremely important for future of sheep ireland system…