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For the first time in a decade I have all lambs weaned off their mothers well in advance of the breeding sales. More than that, I have also checked every ewe, and they are now divided into groups according to body condition, age, and whether I consider them fit to rear lambs next year.
This is all very positive, and of course there must be a downside too: the follow-up to a higher than average mortality in 2019 is a rise in the potential numbers to be culled, which translates into a hefty requirement for replacement breeders.
After increasing sheep numbers a few years ago, those extra ewe lambs and hoggets have now fed themselves through the system and are displaying the usual signs of broken mouths and/or poor body condition.
I must admit to having a somewhat flexible arrangement when it comes to the final decision, and I see no reason to sell a sheep without teeth if she has successfully reared lambs and maintained body condition.
Thin and toothless is a different matter altogether and doesn’t even get offered a shot at redemption – it’s straight to the cull batch, along with anything that had mastitis, or even the slightest prolapse before lambing.
Middle ground
There are also quite a few ewes that occupy the middle ground. This is a grey area that comes about due to my flexi-system. These sheep may have the beginnings of broken mouths and be a bit on the lean side.
If, however, they quickly fatten up after a spell on good grass, then my original decision can be reversed. But this in turn is dependent on the overall numbers of old-timers in the flock. I don’t want rid of anything that has one wobbly tooth (or my replacement rate would be too high) and nor do I want 60 elderly ladies filling up the geriatric ward come lambing time.
The main flock (in my opinion) has too many lean ewes that will need two months to recuperate sufficiently before going to the rams. This is slightly disappointing after such an easy grazing season, but at least time is on my side.
More worryingly, I have convinced myself that the Mule ewes in this flock aren’t lasting as long as I’d like.
Mules form about 50% of the flock, and provide me with Texel x Mules, which are retained and make up the other half. In addition, any surplus ewe lambs are snapped up by a couple of neighbours, and this arrangement seems to work well for all concerned.
Results
For some reason I decided to check a random selection of cull ewe tags (I’ve had my suspicions for years) and the results weren’t what I was looking for.
Those good-looking, expensive Mule hoggets appear to be lasting at least one year less than the Texel x Mules, and often didn’t breed as ewe lambs either (all my ewe lambs are put to the ram in year one).
They not only cost more to buy than their white-headed offspring but make substantially less money in the cull ring.
No matter how you look at this equation, the obvious conclusion is Mule ewes do not offer value for money. And despite it being an unsavoury topic of discussion, questions must be asked regarding direction of breeding, especially on the maternal side.
For decades we have assumed that the Blue Leicester part of the Mule added prolificy and milking ability to the female progeny, but longevity was not a strong point.
By contrast, the Scottish Blackface (or one of its many derivatives) was supposed to contribute to a long and healthy life, as well as offering tremendous mothering instincts.
However, when I talk to keen ‘Blackie’ breeders, the buzz words are “nostrils”, “wool”, “leg colour”. I do not recall any mention of heading away to Scotland to pick up breeding sheep that will last for eight or nine years.
Once again, I can’t help but wonder if the introduction of big money into any breed has a detrimental effect on the commercial side of sheep production.
Over the coming weeks, I’ll be off to the breeding sales to buy replacement sheep. And despite any misgivings I may have concerning these Mule ewes, I’ll most probably stand on and go for more of the same; at the end of the day, I’m a bit soft in the head when it comes to Mule ewes.
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