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Best ewe to buy

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  • 09-06-2019 10:13am
    #1
    Murang
    Registered Users Posts: 99 ✭✭


    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


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    #2
    Willfarman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,239 ✭✭✭Willfarman


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


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    #3
    wrangler
    Registered Users Posts: 11,066 ✭✭✭✭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


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    #4
    orm0nd
    Registered Users Posts: 4,178 ✭✭✭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 .


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    #5
    wrangler
    Registered Users Posts: 11,066 ✭✭✭✭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.


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    #6
    eire23
    Registered Users Posts: 655 ✭✭✭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.


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    #7
    Green farmer
    Registered Users Posts: 4,005 ✭✭✭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.


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    #8
    wrangler
    Registered Users Posts: 11,066 ✭✭✭✭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.


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    #9
    Green farmer
    Registered Users Posts: 4,005 ✭✭✭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 ?


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    #10
    wrangler
    Registered Users Posts: 11,066 ✭✭✭✭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''


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    #11
    Green farmer
    Registered Users Posts: 4,005 ✭✭✭Green farmer


    wrangler wrote: »
    Poor milk, mastitis, usual thing but everyone had a ''story''

    Bad form alright.


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    #12
    Ard_MC
    Registered Users Posts: 516 ✭✭✭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.


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    #13
    Willfarman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,239 ✭✭✭Willfarman


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


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    #14
    wrangler
    Registered Users Posts: 11,066 ✭✭✭✭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 :D


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    #15
    Hard Knocks
    Registered Users Posts: 3,944 ✭✭✭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


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    #16
    DJ98
    Registered Users Posts: 1,323 ✭✭✭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?


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    #17
    Hard Knocks
    Registered Users Posts: 3,944 ✭✭✭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


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    #18
    Lambman
    Registered Users Posts: 1,041 ✭✭✭Lambman


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


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    #19
    Lambman
    Registered Users Posts: 1,041 ✭✭✭Lambman


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


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    #20
    gazahayes
    Registered Users Posts: 451 ✭✭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 :D

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


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    #21
    Hard Knocks
    Registered Users Posts: 3,944 ✭✭✭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


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    #22
    Dickie10
    Registered Users Posts: 3,868 ✭✭✭Dickie10


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


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    #23
    Dickie10
    Registered Users Posts: 3,868 ✭✭✭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


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    #24
    razor8
    Registered Users Posts: 2,317 ✭✭✭razor8


    Some good stock lined up for this sale😜😜


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    #25
    razor8
    Registered Users Posts: 2,317 ✭✭✭razor8


    Some good stock lined up for this sale😜😜


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    #26
    razor8
    Registered Users Posts: 2,317 ✭✭✭razor8


    Some good stock lined up for this sale


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    #27
    wrangler
    Registered Users Posts: 11,066 ✭✭✭✭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


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    #28
    Green farmer
    Registered Users Posts: 4,005 ✭✭✭Green farmer


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


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    #29
    Lambman
    Registered Users Posts: 1,041 ✭✭✭Lambman


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


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    #30
    Green farmer
    Registered Users Posts: 4,005 ✭✭✭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.


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    #31
    Dinzee Conlee
    Registered Users Posts: 2,140 ✭✭✭Dinzee Conlee


    Lambman wrote: »
    Green farmer seen the best a hoggets sold for €140.

    Where was that lambman, and what breed of hoggets?


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