Differences between scotch ewes?

DJ98

What are the main differences between the kerry, donegal or mayo scotch? Are their any other breeds of scotches available? Perth lanark are they similar to ones mentioned above?

MayoAreMagic

Generally speaking, the mayos would be considered the toughest and would be the best equipped to survive on poor quality land. They would also have the best longevity, however, they would also be the lightest.
Kerry and Donegal would be similar in my experience. They might not look the same, but going off performance and hardiness etc they would have a lot of similarities. They would be bigger, stronger in the bone, but would need better ground to keep them going.
The Perth and Lanark divide is actually quite similar to the Kerry/Donegal and Mayo divide. One is bigger and softer, while the other is smaller and tougher. They have had far more investment in breed development however, and you can see that in their conformation and indeed their presentation. That doesn't mean they are always better however. The Lanark does poorly on the ground that the mayos can survive on all year round for example. But if you have grass then the Lanark will give you a better lamb than the mayo. But then if you have grass, then you should probably be running a texel really, shouldn't you? That is why, in my opinion, some of the developments in the mountain ewe are actually self-defeating, and so you have to be careful in working out what you are actually looking for and what you have to work with as regards land etc. A group of mayos could suit one guy, while another will be able to run Perths no problem.

Ard_MC

MayoAreMagic wrote: »

Generally speaking, the mayos would be considered the toughest and would be the best equipped to survive on poor quality land. They would also have the best longevity, however, they would also be the lightest.
Kerry and Donegal would be similar in my experience. They might not look the same, but going off performance and hardiness etc they would have a lot of similarities. They would be bigger, stronger in the bone, but would need better ground to keep them going.
The Perth and Lanark divide is actually quite similar to the Kerry/Donegal and Mayo divide. One is bigger and softer, while the other is smaller and tougher. They have had far more investment in breed development however, and you can see that in their conformation and indeed their presentation. That doesn't mean they are always better however. The Lanark does poorly on the ground that the mayos can survive on all year round for example. But if you have grass then the Lanark will give you a better lamb than the mayo. But then if you have grass, then you should probably be running a texel really, shouldn't you? That is why, in my opinion, some of the developments in the mountain ewe are actually self-defeating, and so you have to be careful in working out what you are actually looking for and what you have to work with as regards land etc. A group of mayos could suit one guy, while another will be able to run Perths no problem.

That pretty much sums it up. You any idea where teagasc sourced the Perth type for the current trial? I was surprised to see not much difference between mayos and donegal. I would have thought the donegal should have performed a bit better. Have a mixture of both here, never ran the mayos pure but i could be next yr, looking at those results.

monseiur

Another hardy Scotch breed is the Newton Steward, crossed with Mayo ewes you get quality lambs with that extra bit of growth while not compromising on hardiness etc.
M.

stantheman1979

The best horny sheep is the swaledale. The toughest sheep Ive ever seen its a pity they haven't really taken off as much as the other breeds.

Ard_MC

stantheman1979 wrote: »

The best horny sheep is the swaledale. The toughest sheep Ive ever seen its a pity they haven't really taken off as much as the other breeds.

A neighbour has them and they would live on nothing id say. Do you finish any purebred swaledales? How do you find them?

MayoAreMagic

Ard_MC wrote: »

That pretty much sums it up. You any idea where teagasc sourced the Perth type for the current trial? I was surprised to see not much difference between mayos and donegal. I would have thought the donegal should have performed a bit better. Have a mixture of both here, never ran the mayos pure but i could be next yr, looking at those results.

I don't know where they were sourced from.
Ya there is a lot of potential in the mayo sheep alright. The reality is that money hasn't been spent on improving them like it has for other breeds, so you can get a lot of variation. There are also different types within the breed itself, so people can get different experiences with them. The ones in the pictures in the journal looked to be a decent type of mayo.

Re the swaledale, I wouldn't agree that they are all that hardy to be honest. They were tried in my area too, and in quite similar style to the Lanark, came down off the hill looking for grass as hoggets, and failed away around the 6 year old mark.

Ard_MC

MayoAreMagic wrote: »

I don't know where they were sourced from.
Ya there is a lot of potential in the mayo sheep alright. The reality is that money hasn't been spent on improving them like it has for other breeds, so you can get a lot of variation. There are also different types within the breed itself, so people can get different experiences with them. The ones in the pictures in the journal looked to be a decent type of mayo.

Re the swaledale, I wouldn't agree that they are all that hardy to be honest. They were tried in my area too, and in quite similar style to the Lanark, came down off the hill looking for grass as hoggets, and failed away around the 6 year old mark.

I crossed my mayos with a swale for the first time last yr, and was impressed with the lambs. Only had a few spare ewe lambs made €79.50 and they weren't my best. Ram lambs went as stores they all got upto the same weights as my perths but made on average €10 head less. Hence my interest in finishing them next yr. hopin to be in a better position to finish all the best lambs, rest will go as stores. Time will tell with my trial of swale x mayo ewes I suppose!