Best ewe to buy

Murang

I am thinking of buying about 20 hoggets to lamb early next year .l had sheep before around 15 years ago and would like to have a few again for my son for a intrest .what would be the best ewe for early lambing I like the mule ewes just wondering how good are they for early lambing

Willfarman

Give the early lambing a miss and lamb them mid March in the daylight.

wrangler

Murang wrote: »

I am thinking of buying about 20 hoggets to lamb early next year .l had sheep before around 15 years ago and would like to have a few again for my son for a intrest .what would be the best ewe for early lambing I like the mule ewes just wondering how good are they for early lambing

I tell you the lleyn society would want to get their act in order. I bought 13 hoggets last year and have at least eight culled, there's only two that have performed properly, I bought them thinking that the seller bred them but bred only about half them, he wins a lot of prizes so thought he was alright.
To really sicken me a good few were wool shedders...like wtf
They have seriously disimproved since they were first imported

orm0nd

wrangler wrote: »

I tell you the lleyn society would want to get their act in order. I bought 13 hoggets last year and have at least eight culled, there's only two that have performed properly, I bought them thinking that the seller bred them but bred only about half them, he wins a lot of prizes so thought he was alright.
To really sicken me a good few were wool shedders...like wtf
They have seriously disimproved since they were first imported

I think you bought a ram at their sale in Roscrea a good few years back , I bought a good few hoggetts and some ewe lambs at greatly inflated prices (yes I know nobody was bending arm)

All bar 6 from 1 breeder were an utter disaster , maybe it was just a run of bad luck .

wrangler

orm0nd wrote: »

I think you bought a ram at their sale in Roscrea a good few years back , I bought a good few hoggetts and some ewe lambs at greatly inflated prices (yes I know nobody was bending arm)

All bar 6 from 1 breeder were an utter disaster , maybe it was just a run of bad luck .

The first lleyns we bred here wer great sheep from Lleyns we bought in the north around 2000, that ram from roscrea did good too then it, but those hoggets, they look desperate now, they were well fed at the sale, sellers ram was champion in tullamore show last year and I bought him, double 5 star supposedly, was threatening to slaughter him today, when OH (who's big into recording) told me the two ewes that did well were half sisters so he got a reprieve.

eire23

Breed lleyns here, run a closed flock, they are good sheep I find but like ye say their are some sh1te ones about. Original ewes came from the North and they were great sheep. To many hobby flocks imo and people keeping all ewe lambs from any ewe and selling as hoggets at silly prices.

Green farmer

I’ve been saying it here for ages that there’s a huge variation in the breed. I suspect some have cheviot blood in them, whilst others have texel. The breed might have just expanded too quickly. Still good sheep, if you can find a strain that suits your set up.

wrangler

Green farmer wrote: »

I’ve been saying it here for ages that there’s a huge variation in the breed. I suspect some have cheviot blood in them, whilst others have texel. The breed might have just expanded too quickly. Still good sheep, if you can find a strain that suits your set up.

Yea , I got fooled by show feeding.

Green farmer

wrangler wrote: »

Yea , I got fooled by show feeding.

Ah, I hate that kind of messing. Live and learn. I was caught myself a few years back by a similar but competing society to the lleyns. It’s one clear way of making sure they don’t get any repeat business. Was it just the shedding, or were the hoggets lacking other abilities ?

wrangler

Green farmer wrote: »

Ah, I hate that kind of messing. Live and learn. I was caught myself a few years back by a similar but competing society to the lleyns. It’s one clear way of making sure they don’t get any repeat business. Was it just the shedding, or were the hoggets lacking other abilities ?

Poor milk, mastitis, usual thing but everyone had a ''story''

Green farmer

wrangler wrote: »

Poor milk, mastitis, usual thing but everyone had a ''story''

Bad form alright.

Ard_MC

wrangler wrote: »

Yea , I got fooled by show feeding.

Been there before..not with llyens. Check out the working genes sale in Scotland. Looks to have good llyens and texels. And figures to back it up.

Willfarman

A big strong Suffolk ewe with a feminine sharp head would be what I came back to after trying different fads.

wrangler

Green farmer wrote: »

Bad form alright.

The sheep the seller bought as lambs and fed on and we bought are all culled
He asked the OH to speak at their open day......... I think he got an earful

Hard Knocks

Willfarman wrote: »

A big strong Suffolk ewe with a feminine sharp head would be what I came back to after trying different fads.

Like the Suffolk ewe myself, the Suffolk x Belcare is a lovely ewe

DJ98

Hard Knocks wrote: »

Willfarman wrote: »

A big strong Suffolk ewe with a feminine sharp head would be what I came back to after trying different fads.

Like the Suffolk ewe myself, the Suffolk x Belcare is a lovely ewe

Tried breeding Suffolk X belclare ewe lambs this year, all the ewe lambs came with pure black heads, should there not be white through there face as well much like the Suffolk X cheviot ewe?

Hard Knocks

DJ98 wrote: »

Tried breeding Suffolk X belclare ewe lambs this year, all the ewe lambs came with pure black heads, should there not be white through there face as well much like the Suffolk X cheviot ewe?

Mine has a charcoal colored head
I’ve Suffolk x Texel with black head

Lambman

Anybody try crossing horned ewes with a charrlois are that any easier finished than a texel?

Lambman

Anybody try crossing horned ewes with a charrlois are that any easier finished than a texel?

gazahayes

wrangler wrote: »

The sheep the seller bought as lambs and fed on and we bought are all culled
He asked the OH to speak at their open day......... I think he got an earful

Low on ewe lambs this year and was planning to buy a few at the lleyn sale getting second thoughts now though.

Hard Knocks

Lambman wrote: »

Anybody try crossing horned ewes with a charrlois are that any easier finished than a texel?

Neighbour had them, think the rams did well but he kept the ewe lambs who made great mothers

Dickie10

my neighbour who has 1100 ewes has a suffolk belclare criss coss for the last 25 years as his base of ewes.

Dickie10

finding some of my llynn ewes becoming light boned, how would putting the lightest ones back to a texel and keeping there daughters work? i really would be dodge about lambing texel cross ewes but there serious long lasting and leave great lambs. maybe with a good quater llyn might widen the pelvis. i know my texel cross cheviot experiment with twin ewe lambs is a roaring success brilliant ewes now going on 5 year old , neither ever had a single lamb and one had 4 live lambs one year, very little trouble lambing

razor8

Some good stock lined up for this sale😜😜

razor8

Some good stock lined up for this sale😜😜

razor8

Some good stock lined up for this sale

wrangler

gazahayes wrote: »

Low on ewe lambs this year and was planning to buy a few at the lleyn sale getting second thoughts now though.

They've way disimproved since first imported here, they were making between €200 and €300 years ago and I suppose everything was considered breeding quality.
I bought the pens that were considered best in sale pfft

Green farmer

What are breeding hoggets expected to make this year ? Even in ordinary marts? Anyone sell some yet ?

Lambman

Green farmer seen the best a hoggets sold for €140.

Green farmer

Lambman wrote: »

Green farmer seen the best a hoggets sold for €140.

Sounds like it’s well back in previous years. I’ve a few plain hoggets and some nicer ones to move on. Sounds like not a great year to do so.

Dinzee Conlee

Lambman wrote: »

Green farmer seen the best a hoggets sold for €140.

Where was that lambman, and what breed of hoggets?

Willfarman

If you have flesh aged ewes this is the week to move them and trade to younger models. 128€ for 25 heavy cast ewes in mart this week.

Box09

coolshannagh28 wrote:

Larry processes 700 000 , theres no guarantee everyone makes €200 , a shrewd man might but the run of it is much less.

Tullow mart on facebook said hoggets were 10-15 back on last yr. A lot of hoggets sold from 165 to 180 in the show and sale.

orm0nd

Green farmer wrote: »

What are breeding hoggets expected to make this year ? Even in ordinary marts? Anyone sell some yet ?

Small show sale in Ennis today, hoggetts were good quality and generally sold from 165 to 180. If anything a lot of of the sheep on offer were carrying a little too much flesh imo no doubt others would think different.

Saw some hoggetts on DoneDeal which I thought were value over the last couple of weeks.

kk.man

Lambman wrote: »

Green farmer seen the best a hoggets sold for €140.

The worst of hoggets made 155 in Tullow. I was there, don't know what mart you were at.

Cran

wrangler wrote: »

They've way disimproved since first imported here, they were making between €200 and €300 years ago and I suppose everything was considered breeding quality.
I bought the pens that were considered best in sale pfft

Moving away from them here, to inconsistent when move away from a couple of breeders and flock to closely related to them at the moment. Might go back at some stage to those breeders after couple of generations but not sure as find lleyns work best pure for replacements

Green farmer

Cran wrote: »

Moving away from them here, to inconsistent when move away from a couple of breeders and flock to closely related to them at the moment. Might go back at some stage to those breeders after couple of generations but not sure as find lleyns work best pure for replacements

What road are you going to go down instead cran ?

Lambman

Was in raphoe in donegal seen good framed Suffolk x brownish faced ones 72kg sold for €142 because I bought them for a neighbour. Lots off nice lots sold around same money.

Cran

Green farmer wrote: »

What road are you going to go down instead cran ?

Finding ewes from Logie on the Mules’s working really well, have enough young Mules to continue for couple of years & might put proven Lleyns to them as well. After that will have to decide buy more Mules or continued down closed route

kk.man

Lambman wrote: »

Was in raphoe in donegal seen good framed Suffolk x brownish faced ones 72kg sold for €142 because I bought them for a neighbour. Lots off nice lots sold around same money.

Tullow averages were 160 - 180and only one lot made over 200e when I was there.

Lambman

Raphoe goes like that I mind even last year i took the neighbor up and another local farmer and the 2 a them couldn't believe how cheap they were so they went back till next Mart and couldn't buy a thing.

Lambman

Raphoe goes like that I mind even last year i took the neighbor up and another local farmer and the 2 a them couldn't believe how cheap they were so they went back till next Mart and couldn't buy a thing.

davidk1394

Green farmer wrote: »

What are breeding hoggets expected to make this year ? Even in ordinary marts? Anyone sell some yet ?

I put up 30 easy care hoggets on DD for €160. Two fellas came to look at them. They said they were too good for what they wanted. I’ve heard a lot of lines but “too good” was a new one to me.

Young95

Any one here ever breed Belclare and mayo mountain before and bred off der ewe lambs? How did they preform

Willfarman

kk.man wrote: »

Tullow averages were 160 - 180and only one lot made over 200e when I was there.

The buyers didn’t agree with the judge. Although he won it in real terms would of been nice for the man to have been given the correct rosette.

kk.man

Willfarman wrote: »

The buyers didn’t agree with the judge. Although he won it in real terms would of been nice for the man to have been given the correct rosette.

I've disagreed with the judges there before.

Green farmer

davidk1394 wrote: »

I put up 30 easy care hoggets on DD for €160. Two fellas came to look at them. They said they were too good for what they wanted. I’ve heard a lot of lines but “too good” was a new one to me.

If I get top dollar for my hoggets, I’ll give you a buzz. Going to run either a easycare ram or buy in some easycare ewe lambs this year.

Dinzee Conlee

Green farmer wrote: »

If I get top dollar for my hoggets, I’ll give you a buzz. Going to run either a easycare ram or buy in some easycare ewe lambs this year.

What’s top dollar though?

Lambman

Look at dowry mart on Facebook hoggets seem well back there as well.

Bleating Lamb

Lambman wrote: »

Look at dowry mart on Facebook hoggets seem well back there as well.

If its Dowra Mart you meant they def weren't back in price there this week.I was there and anything of any quality was making plenty.

farawaygrass

Hard Knocks wrote: »

Mine has a charcoal colored head
I’ve Suffolk x Texel with black head

Something that I always wonder and kind of going off topic, but when you say Suffolk x texel does it mean Suffolk ram or ewe? Is it always a given that the first breed is the ewe or the ram? I assume ram but you all know what assume did 😄