Stocking sheep

Paro

Member
Hello, I would like to get into sheep farming. Would be looking at starting off with about 20 sheep and wonder what my options are.

Was thinking bout buying ewe lambs and selling as hoggots for breeding. Any advise.
 
Hello, I would like to get into sheep farming. Would be looking at starting off with about 20 sheep and wonder what my options are.

Was thinking bout buying ewe lambs and selling as hoggots for breeding. Any advise.
Buying as ewe lambs and selling as hoggets while being very handy, theirs not much out of it. It's played out now at this stage and there's far to many at it. But if your not bothered about the money aspect its the way to go.
Another way to go would be buy ewes with lambs at foot next year, if ya didn't feel like lambing ewes straight away. get a idea of what's involved and if ya were happy enough run a ram with them next September and if not factory all and go back to the ewe lamb to hogget idea.
 
Thanks for the advise, just want to make a start really so the ewe lambs look less time consuming. When should I be looking at buying stock.
 
Thanks for the advise, just want to make a start really so the ewe lambs look less time consuming. When should I be looking at buying stock.
Ewe lambs are the way to go so. Buy good ones but they won't be cheap this year above all years. don't be tempted to buy small cheaper ones, the small ewe lamb will always be a small hogget.
After that it's the kind ya want but that's personal preference and what ya like looking at. You should be looking at buying as soon as ya can providing you have a flock number? Go to Marts and get a idea of what's on offer or look at them online although it's very hard to judge stock on a screen!
 
Definitely buy sooner rather than later, good choice out there now but they are moving fast, I bought 70 yesterday a mixture of store rams lambs store ewe lambs and a few for replacement in my own flock, nice replacement ewe lambs will cost you 120 euro and u could easily spend more, I picked up stores for 84 avg. I find there’s no easy way to make money from sheep however there’s money to be made. Rather than sell ur hoggets next autumn would u put them in lamb scan them and then sell as scanned in lamb the following February? We used to sell hoggets but I think u will do better factoring the ewe lambs and the rams, sold out worst store lambs last April for 178 euro bought them the previous September for 85 avg.
but always remember the healthiest well fed sheep you have will often die for no reason at all and the skinny dieing looking yoke will keep on going.
 
What some lads this way are doing is buying ewe lambs, running them with a easy lambing breed of ram, then selling as couples in April/may time.
That way the buyer knows they are fertile, and it provides a nice extra margin from the lambs.
 
What some lads this way are doing is buying ewe lambs, running them with a easy lambing breed of ram, then selling as couples in April/may time.
That way the buyer knows they are fertile, and it provides a nice extra margin from the lambs.
Ya would need a bit of experience to go lambing ewe lambs imo. They need better managing than ewes as their growing as well themselves. Under feed then and ya have stunted hoggets with small lambs and no milk and over do it and they will be hard lambed. They need more minding as well after lambing where as a mature ewe will get on with the job with no fuss.... In most cases
 
Thanks all for the advise. Could they be wintered outdoors?
Of course, they are sheep, but depends on ur definition of outdoors (a texel or Suffolk would die 3,000 metres up for the winter) but on sheltered low land with grass or hay they be 100%, depends on what breed you get will do well outside.
 
Last question. I assume lambs wont be tagged? So it just a case of buying tags from department and tagging like cattle.
 
If ur buying lambs in a mart tomorrow they will be tagged with electronic tags in both ears. But u need a flock/herd number to buy them.
 
Last question. I assume lambs wont be tagged? So it just a case of buying tags from department and tagging like cattle.
Don't know how it works over in Ireland. But here you can sell at mart with one tag. (Usually intended for slaughter. )

You can buy them to keep for breeding with one tag, but you have to upgrade them to a double tag (one electronic one not) with your flock number and individual numbers on.

Upgrading is a faff, so for your numbers stick to double tagged lambs.

You'll need some Red replacement tags incase one loses a tag before you sell them on. And here at least just a book to cross reference the changed tags.

To buy the tags phone up any reputable tag firm and they will set you up with everything.

Might be worth asking a friend or neighbour which tags they use, could save having to buy an applicator for the one or two you'll need if you borrow theirs.
 
Don't know how it works over in Ireland. But here you can sell at mart with one tag. (Usually intended for slaughter. )

You can buy them to keep for breeding with one tag, but you have to upgrade them to a double tag (one electronic one not) with your flock number and individual numbers on.

Upgrading is a faff, so for your numbers stick to double tagged lambs.

You'll need some Red replacement tags incase one loses a tag before you sell them on. And here at least just a book to cross reference the changed tags.

To buy the tags phone up any reputable tag firm and they will set you up with everything.

Might be worth asking a friend or neighbour which tags they use, could save having to buy an applicator for the one or two you'll need if you borrow theirs.
any mart or farm to farm sales are double tagged with 1 eid tag in the right ear & 1 conventional tag left ear.

1 tag (eid right ear) is only used on animals under 12 months and going from farm of origin directly to slaughter plant (not through mart sales)

cormac and mullinahone calf tagger will also do their sheep tags although they have new type tags that require different taggers.
 
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