Which ewe lambs to keep?

arctictree

Just looking over my ewe lambs today and trying to decide which ones to keep.

I have a few very nice ones around the 50kg mark but they are nearly all singles when I look at the book. Would it be a false economy keeping these? Is prolificacy proven to be inherited?

What factors do you lads choose on?

ihatewinter

Well from my own experience, if they were singles at birth it has no bearing on their proficiency. Well with mine 70% will have twins. I work a hill farm so my proficiency will be lower.

ganmo

arctictree wrote: »

Just looking over my ewe lambs today and trying to decide which ones to keep.

I have a few very nice ones around the 50kg mark but they are nearly all singles when I look at the book. Would it be a false economy keeping these? Is prolificacy proven to be inherited?

What factors do you lads choose on?

yes it is, but only slightly but improvements & dis-improvements in genetics compounds.
how many replacements do you need? I prefer unselecting rather than picking so rule out those you don't like or their mothers

roosky

arctictree wrote:

I have a few very nice ones around the 50kg mark but they are nearly all singles when I look at the book. Would it be a false economy keeping these? Is prolificacy proven to be inherited?

Of course prolificacy is inherited if that wasnt the case the blackface flock would wean 2 lambs per ewe and the belclare would wean 1

Username John

I like ganmo's suggestion of unselecting - find the ones you have reasons not to keep.

As for the fact they're singles - I wouldn't let that stop me. Do you have records for the same ewes last year? If they singles year on year, then I wouldn't keep em, as chances are the lambs might only have singles. But if they had a mix, I'd chance em away...

Green farmer

Username John wrote: »

I like ganmo's suggestion of unselecting - find the ones you have reasons not to keep.

..

+1

Also I like quiet sheep, that are easy to work with.