Sheepwheat some more mate

[malleefarmer]

[malleefarmer]

[malleefarmer]

[malleefarmer]

Pic 5 is about 400 ewes and lambs lined up eating trailed barley they get around 1 kg of barley every third day.

And yep ps they are rocks.

And some photos didnt really capture scene.

cheers all send rain sick of feeding sheep dog likes a ride though

[malleefarmer]

Wool prices

[Sheepwheat]

Well, I sure like seeing what it is like there. How many acres are the 400 ewes and lambs on? Do you find the feeding every few days works well? What do you use for fences? Do you have predators at all to worry about? Those wool prices are crazy.

Our grass hides the lambs and half the ewes right now. I missed getting them out there early enough, but our limiting factor is as a growing operation, fences. I have started the first cut of hay, hope to get it baled up rain free. Forecast iffy for that. I will have to try and get some pics for you on here.

Our lambs are about 4 to 6 weeks and we have them on a commercial creep right now. Sure seems to help them along. We have coyotes, and so we build fairly tight fences and it is kind of costly. Especially as revenue from that side of the operation has been low as we are just building our flock, trying to do it without borrowed money. Canada imports 55 or so % of our lamb consumption. It is nice to be on the right side of demand for once as farmers... no trouble selling, always buyers, and no railway issues, much less weather stress, etc. For us, it will be a good thing in our minds. We just need a couple more years to get to a more viable size. At 100 ewes right now, started with 7 ewes 5 years ago. Hoping to keep back 50 or so this year. We are finally at the explosive growth stage. First few years, we had trouble getting ewe lambs. Last couple years we have had more.

Really enjoy the pics, thanks.

[woodland]

Mallee are those wool prices per tonne?
When feeding on the ground do you feel they waste much? The cows definitely make feed boxes worthwhile when feeding grain due to the waste.

Sheepwheat how many ewes can you run in place of a cow and how many lambs per ewe do you average? Kids are getting to the age of helping/wanting some of their own animals and just looking at options. Neighbors ran dogs with their ewes with 4 foot paige wire and had good luck dealing with the coyotes.



Here is picture from two weeks ago of releasing 95 pairs after hauling them to pasture and letting them match up first. The grass is ok but headed out quick due to the heat and dryness. Possibly rain this weekend which is definitely required soon

[Sheepwheat]

Mallee are those wool prices per tonne?
When feeding on the ground do you feel they waste much? The cows definitely make feed boxes worthwhile when feeding grain due to the waste.

Sheepwheat how many ewes can you run in place of a cow and how many lambs per ewe do you average? Kids are getting to the age of helping/wanting some of their own animals and just looking at options. Neighbors ran dogs with their ewes with 4 foot paige wire and had good luck dealing with the coyotes.



Here is picture from two weeks ago of releasing 95 pairs after hauling them to pasture and letting them match up first. The grass is ok but headed out quick due to the heat and dryness. Possibly rain this weekend which is definitely required soon

5 to 7 sheep per cow. We average about 175% lamb crop. Adding in ewe lambs though, the average is more like 145%. Rate will get better as we keep fewer back proportionately. Our kids love the sheep. Being able to just grab an animal and treat it on the spot is nice, and especially nice for kids!

We use 48 inch and 54 inch page wire with a single barb on top, and have two guardian dogs so far. Have not lost a lamb since we got the dogs a few years ago. I also snare a bunch of yotes in the winter which temporarily thins them out. They can and will scale this fence, but it has to be a certain coyote who has figured it out. My goal is to keep them thinned to reduce the odds...

[blackpowder]

Which power plant is that woodland?

[malleefarmer]

wool is 2400 cents per kg

predators just occassional fox

feed is usually done on hard stony ground they eat most of it and go back and pick at the feed trail for days afterwards.

Those 400 ewes are currently on 320 acres may get shifted this morrning

[woodland]

Which power plant is that woodland?

That’s Keephills which is just over the hill from us. 6 miles north of us is Sundance and 10 miles east of us is Genesse. Between them, the North Saskatchewan, and the coal mines we’re almost surrounded.😉

[woodland]

Sheepwheat would making the top barb wire hot help with keeping the coyotes from climbing it?

Mallee that’s a crazy good price for wool.
Do the foxes only cause a problem at lambing? Our foxes would only maybe be a problem at that time.

Nice to see how others overcome problems from far and wide.

[farmaholic]

Since we're on the topic of sheep and "Predators".....

The only wolves you have to worry about here are the ones in sheep's clothing....

Geez, I wish I had something of value to add, oh well, it's Friday.

[GDR]

Sheepwheat would making the top barb wire hot help with keeping the coyotes from climbing it?
.

You'd have to make the second wire a ground and hope they touched both at once.

Coyotes can and will climb but thats not their instinct. They go under first. For sheep I've built 5 strand barb wire fence with bottom wire 2 inches off the ground, then put a hot wire between bottom and second wire at about 6 or 7 inches, both coyotes and sheep when wanting to go through will try right where the hot wire is, works good and trains them both fast. If you can either run a weed wiper under the fence a couple times a year or roundup to help keep power from shorting out. Page wire is a pain in the but to stretch and fix and coyotes will dig under.

You also need high power fencer than for cattle.

[malleefarmer]

Got some grass fed merino lambs to go will get some pics Monday at shearing hopefully straight of the board.

$6.70 per kg dressed apparently