Regarding fly strike. I lived down under for 10 years and fly strike is a massive problem on Marinos in particular. They carry out a procedure called mulesing which is a very contentious issue. Don’t know the answer but it has to be better than being eaten alive I suppose 🤷♂️.
Wool is also naturally fire resistant. There’s a video knocking about on TH-cam where a fireman sets light to a wool blanket, nothing happens. He then sets light to a man made fabric blanket and the thing goes up in seconds. Pretty eye opening.
My sheep are all hair sheep, Damara crossed to White Dorper for a Meatmaster type (in Australia). Both White Dorper and Damara sheep breeds are in the UK now, no need for white sheep when there is no wool. And you only need a ram over your existing ewes of either or both breeds. All the best for your wedding day, so good that you have each other.
Congratulations on your wedding both beautiful humans inside and out and Zoe is amazing. Also… Your editing on videos Chris is exceptional to say the leasts. I know nothing about farming but wish you all the best in your future with the costs and decisions you have to make. Can’t be an easy job atm.
I have more to say - what about this year at tupping time get a flock of 50 ewes of 5 different sheep breeds you have in your flocks - scotch black, millennium bleu ewes etc and put them to the hair ram you have - it will give you an idea of what each cross will turn out - it would be a quick way to see which one you like
My first sheep were Wiltipers, easy to care for when at school, and later went over to Dorpers in the mid 70's. I would breed the best ewes pure for replacements, and cross the rest to a terminal ram, selling the lambs at weaning due to awn grass being a problem with any amount of wool, but a good sized lamb for sale. Have you looked into using a Wilshire Horn ram for the first cross over wooled ewes?
Kris look up the Australian White - a purpose breed hair sheep for the meat trade - they have crossed several breeds to come up with this great looking breed - here in NZ we are starting to have this breed as well - I was watching Cami's Fed by Farmers podcast and he worked out to do a sheep for fly strike is around 1 pound 75 pence - so more expensive to spray for fly strike than to do the shearing
😂😂 omg, that tripod made me laugh out loud. You are not just the breaker of things… You are the mangler of things! What in gods name did you do that thing?!
It's totally crazy that wool is treated like a waste when it can be used for so much - from paths across bogs to insulation to water resistant clothing - and yet people waste money on other things that aren't so good. But hey, with you all the way, if folks don't want it, then there's no point producing it :( Have an awesome stag do and wedding :)
I hope you both have a lovely wedding. My favourites have been in decorated farm barns with minimum expense involved. You could offer your heap of worthlessness to allotment holders, they like to put it round their crops to give the slugs a hard time.I find it stupid that we don’t appreciate wool. There are many applications wool of various grades can be put to. Yes, also biodegradable.
I have Some Barbados blackbelly sheep. They’re a hairsheep too and they lamb super easily and are mega easy keepers. I have not had to trim a hoof or worm them in years. They have a mineral lick and other than that they are 100% grass fed and hay in winter. Would be worth Perhaps to get 5 Barbados Blackbelly wees and put them with your easycare ram and see how you like the cross. I also have dorper x BB and they’re quite Nice too
I started with Easycare and I don't like them all year until summer. My best lambs are Easycare ewe cross Berrichon bred back to a Hampshire down. The crossbred ewes mostly shed a few need tidying up. Also breed Shetland's to Easycare and they shed after 2 generations.
Wishing you both a lovely wedding. Tough decision on keeping easycare sheep or not, can see your point ,I much prefer looking at your millennium blue type lambs ,they’re quality through and through
Congratulations Kris and Zoe on pending nuptials! I hope you have a lovely wedding and a long and happy family life ❤️ I don't know much about sheep but have a gut feeling that all the genetic manipulation will bite us in the butt someday. I wish farming was easier and more respected since you're literally feeding the world!
I work for a local farmer. This last few weeks have been spent dagging and spraying ewes and lambs. One of the cades that I got from him is a ewe lamb from a suffork tup on an exlana ewe. I want to keep her to breed and see what she turns out like.
Hi mate, I'm a new subscriber, loving the videos. I do feel for you on the cost of wool. An idea have you thought of making compost from it and selling bags of peat free wool compost. You can add manure to it, keep turning it, boom.
Polypay sheep are good meat sheep, great moms, twins and triplets, and a fairly fine grade wool, next to skin soft. I love spinning it. I have a friend who raises meat sheep and she crosses her Polypay ewes (because she says they’re better moms) with a Suffolk ram. The Suffolk is a great meat sheep and has a medium wool, not as soft as the Polypay, but most of your sheep (ewes) would have a nice fleece to sell and the lambs would just be sold at the market. You could keep a couple of Polypay rams to breed back to the ewes for female lambs for your flock. Just thinking out loud.
What gets me is a few years ago I was looking for some good wool socks and I could not find any. If wool is worthless, you'd think I could find a set of rather cheap wool socks, and anyone into textiles and clothing could make some good money by turning worthless wool into all manner of things. It would make the price go up a bit maybe, but that would mean farmers and textile industries are doing better selling wool and wool products.
Just in from evening rounds, snow on the hill today and a fly struck ewe from the top of the back down both shoulders. Was pondering the idea of shedding sheep and your all over it in todays video - love watching your blogs, do you get blackenings before getting married down with you ?? All the best to you and Zoe, hope you have a great day 🎉
Congrats on standing up and making Zoe an honest woman. I'm sure becoming a family man is going to be just as rewarding and challenging as farming sheep has ever been. But to have Zoe, and family, to come home to every night is going to be more rewarding than you can ever imagine. Congratulations on finding a partner that you can live with in contentment, cheers.
Hair sheep and shedding sheep are the future of meat sheep. It is SO much cheaper and easier. I love my Katahdins. They keep me shepherding when my health would have stopped me otherwise. Other benefits... they tend to have better feet, more parasite resistance and I feel that since they don't put the calories and energy into producing a wool coat each year that they do BETTER on less feed than a woolly sheep does.
Katahdins take a month longer to finish in a feedlot and always get less money $10.00 to $30.00 less per CWT at the market, so will never be the future of meat sheep in my area.
Full agree used to say I’d never own EC then bought some and ran as separate flock 5 years ago and now have all EC ,do what they say on the tin.Good and bad in all breeds to be fair but won’t be changing here EV and nothing else
I am the same as u dont like the look of easy care And to be honest around here in south west of Ireland with rough land and mountains it about getting i good feeling from looking at u stock as much as the money , we would have stopped farming by now if it was only the money Nice lambs like the smart looking texels In joy the stag and wedding
We keep Easycare ewes, the associated costs involved in keeping wool sheep, crutching,dagging,shearing, fly prevention or dealing with fly strike, concentrate costs. All of the above do not apply to Easycares. I would say the largest cost of wool sheep is the labour element, how do you value every hour spent doing the above. Also more Easycare ewes per hectare, will nullify any loss in lamb value...
Good video your sheep look well hope you enjoy the stag party as for easy care sheep they definitely not for me but I know what you mean about the wool
I'm looking at the easy care road now. Iv just spent 5 years going dwn the market lambs strong texel coz lambs are nice to look at But we sell dead. Pull out soon strong texel ewes that slip there wool and x to the easy care. Before spending big money on easy care ewes.
I have hair sheep (American Blackbelly (barbados) - no shearing, no wormer or anything else. Mine rub the wool off on fence panels, trees or something. Good feet, no vaccinations, no wormers, nothing. They are pest resistant which makes my life much easier.
So you have dorpers? Great carcass. Very meaty. Better then the kathaten. Populare here in the US. Much less labor. Lamb easy most the time. Rate of gain. Mild meat due to no or less lanolin.
With their coarse hair coat, Australian White sheep don't need shearing, crutching, dagging, or flystrike prevention - which currently costs around $6000 a year, Jackson says.2 Apr 2023
you are making fun of the tail of your millennium bleu, but i think that is your thirst way to less flystrike. And no docking needed. Hair sheep is the better way for your ewes and a good texel ram for karkas.
Double click the thumbs down... Ser you are a foot, a leg end *waits ,in Welsh, for a channel playlist for news to be able to binge watch from the start*
Kris and Zoe, Congratulations on your wedding! Wonderful!
Such a shame about the wool prices, especially when my wool pillows & duvet costed me an absolute fortune!
Regarding fly strike. I lived down under for 10 years and fly strike is a massive problem on Marinos in particular. They carry out a procedure called mulesing which is a very contentious issue. Don’t know the answer but it has to be better than being eaten alive I suppose 🤷♂️.
Wool is also naturally fire resistant. There’s a video knocking about on TH-cam where a fireman sets light to a wool blanket, nothing happens. He then sets light to a man made fabric blanket and the thing goes up in seconds. Pretty eye opening.
have an epic stag do - id offer to farm sit but well i cant be arsed...and ive got my sheep to shear.
garlic licks and you will notice a huge difference in flys. we use them here in south of france and its made a huge difference.
My sheep are all hair sheep, Damara crossed to White Dorper for a Meatmaster type (in Australia). Both White Dorper and Damara sheep breeds are in the UK now, no need for white sheep when there is no wool. And you only need a ram over your existing ewes of either or both breeds. All the best for your wedding day, so good that you have each other.
Congratulations on your wedding both beautiful humans inside and out and Zoe is amazing. Also… Your editing on videos Chris is exceptional to say the leasts. I know nothing about farming but wish you all the best in your future with the costs and decisions you have to make. Can’t be an easy job atm.
I have more to say - what about this year at tupping time get a flock of 50 ewes of 5 different sheep breeds you have in your flocks - scotch black, millennium bleu ewes etc and put them to the hair ram you have - it will give you an idea of what each cross will turn out - it would be a quick way to see which one you like
My first sheep were Wiltipers, easy to care for when at school, and later went over to Dorpers in the mid 70's. I would breed the best ewes pure for replacements, and cross the rest to a terminal ram, selling the lambs at weaning due to awn grass being a problem with any amount of wool, but a good sized lamb for sale. Have you looked into using a Wilshire Horn ram for the first cross over wooled ewes?
Kris look up the Australian White - a purpose breed hair sheep for the meat trade - they have crossed several breeds to come up with this great looking breed - here in NZ we are starting to have this breed as well - I was watching Cami's Fed by Farmers podcast and he worked out to do a sheep for fly strike is around 1 pound 75 pence - so more expensive to spray for fly strike than to do the shearing
Aussie whites tend to have poor feet in NZ conditions from what I have read. Would be the same over in the UK
😂😂 omg, that tripod made me laugh out loud. You are not just the breaker of things… You are the mangler of things! What in gods name did you do that thing?!
Thanks!
It's totally crazy that wool is treated like a waste when it can be used for so much - from paths across bogs to insulation to water resistant clothing - and yet people waste money on other things that aren't so good.
But hey, with you all the way, if folks don't want it, then there's no point producing it :(
Have an awesome stag do and wedding :)
I hope you both have a lovely wedding. My favourites have been in decorated farm barns with minimum expense involved.
You could offer your heap of worthlessness to allotment holders, they like to put it round their crops to give the slugs a hard time.I find it stupid that we don’t appreciate wool. There are many applications wool of various grades can be put to. Yes, also biodegradable.
I agree with you on the wool side. I knit, and I can't even find wool knitting yarn. It's all acrylic.
Amazon sells it
I have Some Barbados blackbelly sheep. They’re a hairsheep too and they lamb super easily and are mega easy keepers. I have not had to trim a hoof or worm them in years. They have a mineral lick and other than that they are 100% grass fed and hay in winter. Would be worth Perhaps to get 5 Barbados Blackbelly wees and put them with your easycare ram and see how you like the cross. I also have dorper x BB and they’re quite Nice too
I started with Easycare and I don't like them all year until summer. My best lambs are Easycare ewe cross Berrichon bred back to a Hampshire down. The crossbred ewes mostly shed a few need tidying up. Also breed Shetland's to Easycare and they shed after 2 generations.
Wishing you both a lovely wedding.
Tough decision on keeping easycare sheep or not, can see your point ,I much prefer looking at your millennium blue type lambs ,they’re quality through and through
Congratulations Kris and Zoe on pending nuptials! I hope you have a lovely wedding and a long and happy family life ❤️
I don't know much about sheep but have a gut feeling that all the genetic manipulation will bite us in the butt someday. I wish farming was easier and more respected since you're literally feeding the world!
I work for a local farmer. This last few weeks have been spent dagging and spraying ewes and lambs. One of the cades that I got from him is a ewe lamb from a suffork tup on an exlana ewe. I want to keep her to breed and see what she turns out like.
Just came across your channel man. What a legend mate, informative funny and hard at work.
Hi mate, I'm a new subscriber, loving the videos. I do feel for you on the cost of wool. An idea have you thought of making compost from it and selling bags of peat free wool compost. You can add manure to it, keep turning it, boom.
Wool is a good, slow release nitrogen fertiliser used on rhubarb and grapes. Probably a good mulch on apricots.
Always happy to see the ducks. Lovely looking calves.
Congrats to you and Zoe on your upcoming wedding. Sending the best of wishes to you both for a marvellous day and future ahead of you. ❤❤
Have a brilliant time at your stag do Chris. Congratulations on your forthcoming wedding.
Polypay sheep are good meat sheep, great moms, twins and triplets, and a fairly fine grade wool, next to skin soft. I love spinning it. I have a friend who raises meat sheep and she crosses her Polypay ewes (because she says they’re better moms) with a Suffolk ram. The Suffolk is a great meat sheep and has a medium wool, not as soft as the Polypay, but most of your sheep (ewes) would have a nice fleece to sell and the lambs would just be sold at the market. You could keep a couple of Polypay rams to breed back to the ewes for female lambs for your flock. Just thinking out loud.
Congratulations on your forthcoming wedding. Wishing you & Zoe the best that life can offer you 🍾🎊👰💐💑💒🥂
What gets me is a few years ago I was looking for some good wool socks and I could not find any. If wool is worthless, you'd think I could find a set of rather cheap wool socks, and anyone into textiles and clothing could make some good money by turning worthless wool into all manner of things. It would make the price go up a bit maybe, but that would mean farmers and textile industries are doing better selling wool and wool products.
Just in from evening rounds, snow on the hill today and a fly struck ewe from the top of the back down both shoulders. Was pondering the idea of shedding sheep and your all over it in todays video - love watching your blogs, do you get blackenings before getting married down with you ?? All the best to you and Zoe, hope you have a great day 🎉
Congrats on standing up and making Zoe an honest woman.
I'm sure becoming a family man is going to be just as rewarding and challenging as farming sheep has ever been.
But to have Zoe, and family, to come home to every night is going to be more rewarding than you can ever imagine.
Congratulations on finding a partner that you can live with in contentment, cheers.
Hair sheep and shedding sheep are the future of meat sheep. It is SO much cheaper and easier. I love my Katahdins. They keep me shepherding when my health would have stopped me otherwise. Other benefits... they tend to have better feet, more parasite resistance and I feel that since they don't put the calories and energy into producing a wool coat each year that they do BETTER on less feed than a woolly sheep does.
If you don't post between now and then, have the most wonderful day. Very many congratulations to you both
Katahdins take a month longer to finish in a feedlot and always get less money $10.00 to $30.00 less per CWT at the market, so will never be the future of meat sheep in my area.
Full agree used to say I’d never own EC then bought some and ran as separate flock 5 years ago and now have all EC ,do what they say on the tin.Good and bad in all breeds to be fair but won’t be changing here EV and nothing else
Great video kris as always enjoy your stag 🍻👌
I am the same as u dont like the look of easy care
And to be honest around here in south west of Ireland with rough land and mountains it about getting i good feeling from looking at u stock as much as the money , we would have stopped farming by now if it was only the money
Nice lambs like the smart looking texels
In joy the stag and wedding
Where I live in the uk the man who shears the sheep this year is looking £2.50 / ewe.
£10 for blue spray.
Hopingyour stag do and wedding go well and wishing you everything good in your marriage and upcoming family.
We keep Easycare ewes, the associated costs involved in keeping wool sheep, crutching,dagging,shearing, fly prevention or dealing with fly strike, concentrate costs. All of the above do not apply to Easycares. I would say the largest cost of wool sheep is the labour element, how do you value every hour spent doing the above. Also more Easycare ewes per hectare, will nullify any loss in lamb value...
The lambs have done well.
Hope you have lively weather for your wedding ❤️❤️
Congratulations on your wedding and new baby breaker of things 🎉❤
Good video your sheep look well hope you enjoy the stag party as for easy care sheep they definitely not for me but I know what you mean about the wool
Congratulations Kris and Zoe!
Congrats sir!
Cheers
I'm looking at the easy care road now. Iv just spent 5 years going dwn the market lambs strong texel coz lambs are nice to look at But we sell dead. Pull out soon strong texel ewes that slip there wool and x to the easy care. Before spending big money on easy care ewes.
Why can't we use it for installation
I have hair sheep (American Blackbelly (barbados) - no shearing, no wormer or anything else. Mine rub the wool off on fence panels, trees or something. Good feet, no vaccinations, no wormers, nothing. They are pest resistant which makes my life much easier.
Congratulations 🎉🎉🎉.
Great video, good luck with the stag and wedding
Good luck with the Stag night and the wedding ❤😊.
Best of luck to u both on ur nuptials 🎉🥂🍾
Fingers crossed that all goes well for the wedding and all that!
If you can’t stand looking at Easycare sheep, would Wiltshire Horned sheep be easier on the eye for you?
Wool is the best fabric material. Superior to every other fabric. It's very sad. One day it will make a comeback.
So you have dorpers? Great carcass. Very meaty. Better then the kathaten. Populare here in the US. Much less labor. Lamb easy most the time. Rate of gain. Mild meat due to no or less lanolin.
Black eye and a mullet….roflllll
With their coarse hair coat, Australian White sheep don't need shearing, crutching, dagging, or flystrike prevention - which currently costs around $6000 a year, Jackson says.2 Apr 2023
Got a few Wiltshire they're a dream so much less work breed them with a Suffolk ram get some big lambs
Need to hire one of the King's Riflemen..... just for candid photos at your shotgun wedding.
Where's the stag do invite?
Aussie white or dorper is the way forward. That easy care isn’t much of a ram to judge shedding sheep on
It amazes me how calm they get, once you get them upside down between your knees. Don’t chickens do that too, when placed upside down?
#thewelshwoolshop we aren't the only ones that are helping farmers with their wool.
Get N easy care x texel ram then the lambs will look good aswell as the no wool
you are making fun of the tail of your millennium bleu, but i think that is your thirst way to less flystrike. And no docking needed. Hair sheep is the better way for your ewes and a good texel
ram for karkas.
Nice unipod.
Migration will keep sheep and goat prices high. Wishing you & Zoe the best wedding ever!!❤️
Nice Millenium bleu tup.
Black eye, mullet and a missing tooth to complete the tooth… 😂 Wishing you AAALLLLL the best.
YourBBxjersey would make good suckler cows with Lim bull on them ? Think about it
Stay as you are don't get married as the divorce costs a fortune
Shedding sheep. This is the way.
I"m allergic to wool. Wherever it touches me I break out in hives.
Typically people are allergic to Lanolin the natural wax in wool. Try a hair sheep! They don't produce lanolin!
That’s not a tripod! It’s a unipod! 😂😂😂
Maybe a easycare ewe and a Terminal ram and
AUSTRALIAN WHITE sheep - that`s your answer to no wool - big meaty carcass - but still expensive to start up....
Would they be ok in the British weather?
Double click the thumbs down...
Ser you are a foot, a leg end
*waits ,in Welsh, for a channel playlist for news to be able to binge watch from the start*
for a farm you dont have many or any tractors ect
What would they use them for with sheep?
And showing assets on TH-cam isn't clever, too many thieves around.