Updating Rams

Green farmer

So have a llyen ram for replacements off my texel x ewes. Looking to bring in a fresh ram for factory / butcher lambs this year. Have a slightly ageing Charley, that will be kept for mopping up, but my aged texels will be retired. Leaning towards Hampshire with Suffolk second choice. What do ye think ?
Anyone else updating their Rams ? And what are ye going to look for ?

charolais0153

Green farmer wrote: »

So have a llyen ram for replacements off my texel x ewes. Looking to bring in a fresh ram for factory / butcher lambs this year. Have a Charley already, that will be kept for mopping up, but my ageing texels will be retired. Leaning towards Hampshire with Suffolk second choice. What do ye think ?
Anyone else updating their Rams ? And what are ye going to look for ?

Got a great Suffolk a few years ago. Auld lad chanced him as a young ram lamb from a lad in a trailer. Only thing wrong with him is he's daft and any time he's in a pen he's liable to go for you. He doesn't have a big lump of a head either. He's a ram that I don't want to have to replace cos I find its hard to find a decent Suffolk.

Wouldn't mind trying a vendeen or Hampshire down but I'd fingd it hard to get the auld lad to agree

Green farmer

that's the second Suffolk I heard would go for you. I always thought they'd be docile. is it common to have a cross or territorial Ram ? The Texals wouldn't do much other then grunt at you.

charolais0153

Green farmer wrote: »

that's the second Suffolk I heard would go for you. I always thought they'd be docile. is it common to have a cross or territorial Ram ? The Texals wouldn't do much other then grunt at you.

This lad was always a bit daft. The day we bought him he broke a sheeted door. He gets worse as around august but isn't too bad during the year but if he's cornered he goes for you

IH784man

Heard someone talking of a Suffolk ram that was reared as a pet that would go for you,can't see that many pets being used as Rams though must be aggressive in general

Username John

We had one ram here a good few years ago, put him into the field outa the trailer one time - and he bate himself out butting the wheels of the tractor... the bounce back from the wheel only driving him worse...

I don't remember him being that bad aside from that one incident... but we were always wary of him...

We had another ram, grand lad. Never went near us. He was with the ewes and they had to be brought in...

I was walking through the pen of ewes, and he went for me when my back was turned (in hindsight I should have moved him out) got me right on the backbone, tore muscles... fcuker...

Both suffolks...

Having said that - we have had plenty quiet ones too...

Green - is another Charolais out, as you want something dark faced to tell em apart from the lleyns?

Green farmer

[quote="Username John
Having said that - we have had plenty quiet ones too...
Green - is another Charolais out, as you want something dark faced to tell em apart from the lleyns?[/quote]



I'd have another Charley alright, but prefer to try something different, that I haven't had around before.

Green farmer

Anyone recommend a breeder for a Hampshire down ? Time coming around to source one .

Inchilad

Green farmer wrote:

Anyone recommend a breeder for a Hampshire down ? Time coming around to source one .

Where in the country are you?theres a premier show and sale in tullow in july.best breeders in the country there.theres a list of breeders on the web site if you dont want to go down that route.i have a few but im down west cork.

charolais0153

Vendeen or Hampshire down . which would ye prefer

Lambman

Texel getting road here aswell covered all his ewes but scanned poorly... would beltex be more prolific? Have a charrlois here for hoggets as it is...

Green farmer

Midwest, but up and down the M7 regularly so open to location.

Inchilad

Green farmer wrote:

Midwest, but up and down the M7 regularly so open to location.

Sent you pm with few details

charolais0153

Lambman wrote: »

Texel getting road here aswell covered all his ewes but scanned poorly... would beltex be more prolific? Have a charrlois here for hoggets as it is...

The ewe determines how many singles/ couples.... If they're all getting covered he should have enough sperm to fertilise the eggs

orm0nd

Green farmer wrote: »

Midwest, but up and down the M7 regularly so open to location.

Gleesons in Birdhill or Powers Askeaton

rangler1

Lambman wrote: »

Texel getting road here aswell covered all his ewes but scanned poorly... would beltex be more prolific? Have a charrlois here for hoggets as it is...

Problem is with your ewes, you'd have a lot of barren ewes if the ram was wrong, the condition of the ewes determine crop size, could be too fat, too thin, or mineral deficiency

sheepfarmer92

We are replacing any rams gone this year with educate rams, have been dabbling with them for past few years and very impressed with their progeny
Have about 100 ewes now that don't require shearing and more that are losing some of their fleece, 60cent a kilo for wool is the icing the cake making me change

ganmo

sheepfarmer92 wrote: »

We are replacing any rams gone this year with educate rams, have been dabbling with them for past few years and very impressed with their progeny
Have about 100 ewes now that don't require shearing and more that are losing some of their fleece, 60cent a kilo for wool is the icing the cake making me change

Do ya mean easycare ram?

sheepfarmer92

ganmo wrote: »

Do ya mean easycare ram?

Yes sorry bloody predictive text, maybe I invented a new breed there! "Educate sheep"?

charolais0153

sheepfarmer92 wrote: »

Yes sorry bloody predictive text, maybe I invented a new breed there! "Educate sheep"?

What happenns the wool?

ganmo

sheepfarmer92 wrote: »

Yes sorry bloody predictive text, maybe I invented a new breed there! "Educate sheep"?

DJ98

When would you be wanting to buy rams for the autumn around now or later in the year?

sheepfarmer92

charolais0153 wrote: »

What happenns the wool?

Yea its a strange one, i go round the fields and theres no big blobs of wool, maybe the birds bring it, we always would have the odd mule ewe losing wool this time of year and you would see her bits around the field but the half easycares never have much anyway but have thick skins and tight coats of hair/wool

razor8

sheepfarmer92 wrote: »

Yea its a strange one, i go round the fields and theres no big blobs of wool, maybe the birds bring it, we always would have the odd mule ewe losing wool this time of year and you would see her bits around the field but the half easycares never have much anyway but have thick skins and tight coats of hair/wool

Where are you sourcing yours. Any I seen where pretty poor

sheepfarmer92

razor8 wrote: »

Where are you sourcing yours. Any I seen where pretty poor

Dessie donoghue in oldcastle, iv heard that theres a big flock up in antrim that are a poorer type reason being they were bred up from blackface ewes? Going to a open day there nxt weekend

Green farmer

Would the half breeds shed their wool fully ?

sheepfarmer92

Green farmer wrote: »

Would the half breeds shed their wool fully ?

A lot of them do but a lot of our ewes are mule and greyface bred from horned ewes and they lose their wool quite easily, i was in scotland last summer and visited a few farms where theyre very happy with them
They reckon it will take another 8 years before all the ewes are shedding

Lambman

rangler1 wrote: »

Lambman wrote: »

Texel getting road here aswell covered all his ewes but scanned poorly... would beltex be more prolific? Have a charrlois here for hoggets as it is...

Problem is with your ewes, you'd havie a lot of barren ewes if the ram was wrong, the condition of the ewes determine crop size, could be too fat, too thin, or mineral deficiency

Don't think it is when this ram scanned 1.4 and the other ram scanned 2.1 and all ewes are bred the same and fed the same just split in half going till rams so it's most definitely the ram...

DJ98

So people prefer to buy rams in the mart or off a private seller ie done deal?

Lambman

DJ98 wrote: »

So people prefer to buy rams in the mart or off a private seller ie done deal?

If you know what breed you want I'd be looking at breeders lambs from now on I like buying early most breeders will have most off there good stock sold at home.