General sheep thread

Farmer_3650 · 01-09-2020 09:52PM

Our ewes are split into groups of 80 and we run 2 rams with them with no problems. However, I think if the rams are the same age then they might fight.

farawaygrass · 01-09-2020 10:07PM

Farmer_3650 wrote: »

Our ewes are split into groups of 80 and we run 2 rams with them with no problems. However, I think if the rams are the same age then they might fight.

Whst would you suggest-an older and younger one are better together?

foxirl · 01-09-2020 10:20PM

Green farmer wrote: »

I've only sourced from one small breeder so far, so might have to look elsewhere just to get non related sheep, but your right, hard to get a choice of what you like. Having said that If the wool trade stays like this, the breed will continue to grow.your ram sounds like a beast of a sheep. I'm guessing my fellow might only be half that.

It's only a matter of time id say. They seem to be popular enough in the UK so hopefully will take off over here.

Farmer_3650 · 02-09-2020 12:00AM

farawaygrass wrote: »

Whst would you suggest-an older and younger one are better together?

Ya thats what we do, I don't know if its true that 2 rams the same age will fight, but I wouldnt chance it anyways.

roosky · 02-09-2020 12:33AM

Have a batch of bought in ewe lambs that keep getting head stuck in sheep wire, I took out 6 today alone ! And a few have pulled out tags so it’s very annoying.

They were dosed and mineral drenched last week..

Any tips to avoid this

orm0nd · 02-09-2020 06:37AM

farawaygrass wrote: »

Whst would you suggest-an older and younger one are better together?

We're running 2 groups of 3 at present. All aged rams. Old theory was that 3 work better than 2 but don't know if there is any truth in it.

We have last years suckled hoggetts to mate yet. Will pull 2 rams from the first group for them and leave 1 to mop up any stragglers.

stantheman1979 · 04-09-2020 06:53AM

wrangler wrote: »

There's no problem running two or three rams together at mating. always did it here,

Always run 3 mature rams and a ram lamb with 200 ewes here. Never a bother.

Farmer_3650 · 04-09-2020 06:51PM

Anyone here use electric fencing instead of sheep wire? I fenced a few hundred metres along a river with 4 rows of electric wire, and no sheep has gone through it yet. Mabye when grass becomes scarce in early spring they might start jumping through it?
It seems a good job though as well as being a lot cheaper and easier to set up. Only problem I have with it is the bottom row is wrapped in grass and is killing the fence but that'll be easily solved if I raise it slightly.

kk.man · 04-09-2020 07:29PM

Farmer_3650 wrote: »

Anyone here use electric fencing instead of sheep wire? I fenced a few hundred metres along a river with 4 rows of electric wire, and no sheep has gone through it yet. Mabye when grass becomes scarce in early spring they might start jumping through it?
It seems a good job though as well as being a lot cheaper and easier to set up. Only problem I have with it is the bottom row is wrapped in grass and is killing the fence but that'll be easily solved if I raise it slightly.

I spray roundup where bottom strand is and keep an eye on it for a top up.
No reason why they should break lowland ones here and no issues.

Birdnuts · 04-09-2020 09:50PM

kk.man wrote: »

I spray roundup where bottom strand is and keep an eye on it for a top up.
No reason why they should break lowland ones here and no issues.

I'd avoid spraying next to water courses - the EPA are testing more and more for it and the CC can put restrictions on landowners where it starts turning up in samples.

kk.man · 04-09-2020 10:25PM

Birdnuts wrote: »

I'd avoid spraying next to water courses - the EPA are testing more and more for it and the CC can put restrictions on landowners where it starts turning up in samples.

You are correct sorry misread it. Mine not near a water course.

Tileman · 05-09-2020 09:46AM

kk.man wrote: »

You are correct sorry misread it. Mine not near a water course.

Is baktinglass mart on line does anybody know

kk.man · 05-09-2020 10:05AM

Tileman wrote: »

Is baktinglass mart on line does anybody know

I don't think it is... I stand corrected

Farmer_3650 · 05-09-2020 11:04AM

kk.man wrote: »

I spray roundup where bottom strand is and keep an eye on it for a top up.
No reason why they should break lowland ones here and no issues.

I'm thinking of splitting up larger fields with electric fences and I'd use roundup under them fences, but I wont use it along the river. Once I have it all split up, it should be easier to manage grass and hopefully they'll keep underneath the fences well grazed.

Tileman · 05-09-2020 03:11PM

Farmer_3650 wrote: »

I'm thinking of splitting up larger fields with electric fences and I'd use roundup under them fences, but I wont use it along the river. Once I have it all split up, it should be easier to manage grass and hopefully they'll keep underneath the fences well grazed.

I use the white temp fence for strip grazing. Almost all ewes will filly respect it even if it was turned off. The lambs can be a bit hit and miss with it though.

Dinzee Conlee · 05-09-2020 04:47PM

Tileman wrote: »

I use the white temp fence for strip grazing. Almost all ewes will filly respect it even if it was turned off. The lambs can be a bit hit and miss with it though.

Use poly wire here for dividing fields as well - have 3 strands in one place and 2 in the other... The 2 strands works as well I think - the 3rd strand is nearly too close to the ground and is always earthing so I disconnect most of the time... I only have store lambs though, don’t have small lambs...

Green farmer · 05-09-2020 05:09PM

Lads , for culling ewes, once they've any lumps or any description in their udders , is it culling time?

wrangler · 05-09-2020 06:49PM

Green farmer wrote: »

Lads , for culling ewes, once they've any lumps or any description in their udders , is it culling time?

It can be very disappointing some years when you're culling, you think that you've so many culls and then when you start examining them you canget a good few more with lumps on the bad years, and this is a bad year to be replacing more than usual

Farmer_3650 · 05-09-2020 07:02PM

Tileman wrote: »

I use the white temp fence for strip grazing. Almost all ewes will filly respect it even if it was turned off. The lambs can be a bit hit and miss with it though.

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

Use poly wire here for dividing fields as well - have 3 strands in one place and 2 in the other... The 2 strands works as well I think - the 3rd strand is nearly too close to the ground and is always earthing so I disconnect most of the time... I only have store lambs though, don’t have small lambs...

I used it a few years ago but after 2 weeks, there was 8 or 9 ewes that were getting through it everyday. It'd be sound for strip grazing alright but I want permanent job as I don't really have the time to be moving fences daily. Ideally I'd like to be moving sheep every 4 or 5 days.

Green farmer · 05-09-2020 07:16PM

wrangler wrote: »

It can be very disappointing some years when you're culling, you think that you've so many culls and then when you start examining them you canget a good few more with lumps on the bad years, and this is a bad year to be replacing more than usual

She got the cull tag anyway. Hated doing it as she was a youngish ewe that brought me twins. But shir, what can you do !!!

arctictree · 05-09-2020 08:35PM

Green farmer wrote: »

She got the cull tag anyway. Hated doing it as she was a youngish ewe that brought me twins. But shir, what can you do !!!

I culled very hard this year. Weaned the lambs and then brought all the ewes in next day. If they weren't milking well both sides, they got the red mark. Same for any prolapse, lambing problems etc...

Green farmer · 05-09-2020 08:57PM

arctictree wrote: »

I culled very hard this year. Weaned the lambs and then brought all the ewes in next day. If they weren't milking well both sides, they got the red mark. Same for any prolapse, lambing problems etc...

Its the only way to make the flock self sufficient

Farmer_3650 · 05-09-2020 09:06PM

Green farmer wrote: »

Lads , for culling ewes, once they've any lumps or any description in their udders , is it culling time?

Any lump and they are gone. I culled more ewes than usual here this year, many of them because of a lump on the bag. One 2019 lamb that I reared as a pet and lambed as a ewe lamb had a lump on the bag after weaning, wish I could have gotten a few more years out of her but no point in having her taking up space when I can have a good ewe in her place.

Dinzee Conlee · 05-09-2020 11:17PM

Farmer_3650 wrote: »

I used it a few years ago but after 2 weeks, there was 8 or 9 ewes that were getting through it everyday. It'd be sound for strip grazing alright but I want permanent job as I don't really have the time to be moving fences daily. Ideally I'd like to be moving sheep every 4 or 5 days.

Have a field divided in 4 with electric. 3 strands mild steel wire down the centre - both sides then divided again with poly wire... sheep moved every 4-5 days...

Bought store lambs 2 weeks ago, first night they went through all the wire...
Put em back into the paddock the next day...
I don’t think they have broken through since, and they have been moved 3 times since...

I think the key is to keep them moving - i don’t know if you could keep them in with electric if you wanted to bare down a paddock.

Also have the fencer as strong as I can - 10k if possible... as said before, tis easy to earth and reduce the current when the wire is low...

wrangler · 05-09-2020 11:23PM

Great Lleyn sale in roscommon today, up to 2000 for rams, 275 for hoggets I think.
Here's hoping the confidence is justified

Young95 · 06-09-2020 08:05AM

wrangler wrote: »

Great Lleyn sale in roscommon today, up to 2000 for rams, 275 for hoggets I think.
Here's hoping the confidence is justified

All pumped with meal I’m guessing?!! Pity the breed is being destroyed by some !

farawaygrass · 06-09-2020 11:50AM

Farmer_3650 wrote: »

Any lump and they are gone. I culled more ewes than usual here this year, many of them because of a lump on the bag. One 2019 lamb that I reared as a pet and lambed as a ewe lamb had a lump on the bag after weaning, wish I could have gotten a few more years out of her but no point in having her taking up space when I can have a good ewe in her place.

A lump wouldn’t necessarily mean a cull here, unless I had more then enough replacements coming through. Depends on the lump, if it feels like a marble that moves around inside the bag isn’t at the top of the teat, she might get another chance. Saying that, obviously you’d prefer if no lump was there

wrangler · 06-09-2020 12:04PM

farawaygrass wrote: »

A lump wouldn’t necessarily mean a cull here, unless I had more then enough replacements coming through. Depends on the lump, if it feels like a marble that moves around inside the bag isn’t at the top of the teat, she might get another chance. Saying that, obviously you’d prefer if no lump was there

Some will milk but won't rear two lambs and some will be dry

gazahayes · 06-09-2020 12:07PM

wrangler wrote: »

Great Lleyn sale in roscommon today, up to 2000 for rams, 275 for hoggets I think.
Here's hoping the confidence is justified

Was at it pen of 10 hoggets made 300 and ewe lambs upto 195 they were nice but prices very strong. Middling hoggets made 200 to online bidders. Bought a few handy sized ewe lambs for 125 will hopefully make good hoggets next year

wrangler · 06-09-2020 12:16PM

gazahayes wrote: »

Was at it pen of 10 hoggets made 300 and ewe lambs upto 195 they were nice but prices very strong. Middling hoggets made 200 to online bidders. Bought a few handy sized ewe lambs for 125 will hopefully make good hoggets next year

They've had bad years too, I was in Blessington two years ago and lads were buying ewe lambs for stores at €60.
The same in Tullamore that year, I gave €200 and €160 for hoggets that performed appaling

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