The Old Ram-Australia
Herd Master
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Dorpers (and other Hair Breeds) are “smarter than Merinos, but not as smart as Goats”.
The above is the “stand out” lesson after our first year raising, breeding and selling these breeds.
Last Oct 12 months ago we made the decision to sell after almost 20 years of breeding and selection our flock of English Suffolk’s and move to a breeding program involving all the breeds at our disposal to produce an animal which fitted our landscape and environment. The change was “driven “by the fact at 75, shearing the flock was becoming a chore that was getting beyond me and so began another “steep” learning curve, but after 20 years breeding Goats and another 20 breeding a meat based short wool flock surely it could not be “that hard”.
We considered our current fencing would be more that capable of holding the new flock, this was our “first mistake”. We purchased lines wherever possible from both private and auction yard sellers to achieve as large as possible gene pool from which to start. The sheep were introduced to our farm during the longest “dry spell” since the “big dry” of the 2000’s.This extended “dry” tested the strength of the genetics an d resulted in losses of about 20% ,but for the rest I feel we have an excellent base from which to go forward.
During the “learning “ period of the last 12 months several issues have surfaced which I will endeavor to detail and how we overcame the challenges they presented.
Myths and Reality’s: Hair Breeds don’t get worm’s .Yes they do, but their impact is a result of poor management decisions and the overuse and abuse of drenching agents. It’s worth noting that Dorpers “hate” the drench gun and will put up a good fight, so the least often you have to do it the better.
Hair Breeds don’t get “fly strike”. Flystrike control is determined by the “degree” of shedding and the timing. If you are starting from a “wool base” it will be several generations before you have sufficient shedding to minimize the risk because even in some well bred lines if they carry a “woolly top line” hip, shoulder and middle of the back strikes can occur if the weather favors the “flies”.
Foot trimming: My advice is get a “cradle” to make the job easier on both stock and operator. Unless you wish to be a stud (which we have “no desire to do”) introduce “Black Feet genes” from other breds if necessary. Avoid wet /damp country to run them on. Select against it when selecting young ewe lines.
Fencing: I have left the best to last. The best story I have heard so far goes like this.”Build your fence as strong as you can, when it’s finished get a bucket of water and throw it at the fence if the “water” goes through it so will the Dorpers.”……..
When our first Dorpers arrived we had all manner of problems keeping them on our place they are “not jumpers” but will seek out any hollow they can and go under or through the bottom two wires. What I discovered with our lot was they carefully observed where the kangaroos left the paddock and just followed them out .They have tremendous strength in their neck and shoulders to assist them in their escape. The thing is that most of these breeds evolved in harsh, dry and open rangelands where they were looked after by Sheppard’s and usually yarded at night to protect them from predators. My own feeling is that it will take several generations behind “secure wire” to change their inherited behavior.
In the last 12 months we have experimented with lots of variations when it comes to fencing. Generally speaking if you are in Kangaroo/Wombat country you can forget mesh (unless you are using dog exclusion type) because Wombats will dig holes large enough under the fence to allow Kangaroos to enlarge them and the sheep will follow. We now have several variations which the sheep seem to consider “not worth the trouble/effort to try to get through.
The first consideration is “how visible is the fence”? Let’s say you have the old 4 plains and 3 barbs setup, which is common on lots of farms. Generally speaking it will struggle to hold X-breds let alone Hair breeds, so if you opt for
mesh fencing of say 8-90-30 plus 2 barbs on top on the mesh and you run a top, middle and bottom plain wire. That is the equivalent of 13 wires. Here is what we have done, get rid of all the wooden posts which are usually set at 1 chain or every 6th steel post, if you have to replace end sections “do not use wooden ones”. I suggest you use the Waratah strainer steel ones of 2.4 and drive them so the “lugs” are under the ground. You can get cheap stays from steel merchants; just get them to “squash” the end for you. Use a hardwood block set into the ground so the strainer does not move under the strain.
Drive your “star posts” (commonly called” y “posts in some instances) so the first hole is at ground level. The next step is the most “important one, thread the wires “through” the holes tie off at each end of the strain and strain in the middle of the run (now unless you are a fencer for a living)use a gauge to tell you what the strain is on our it measures kilos of tension per meter I like about at least 150 k per m. Now there will be those who will say that this is not correct, but in our situation where a 60/70 kg strikes the fence at speed if the wires are tied of at each star post “guess” what happens the star post either side of the strike absorbs the impact which not only knocks the post out of alignment but “stretchers “the wire as well. In our example all of the impact is transferred along the wire and the impact is absorbed by the strainer posts and stay at the end of the strain.
Currently I use an average of 10 wires starting from the bottom run a wire every hole for the first 6 and then every second hole. In most situations the wildlife will “clear the fence without catching a leg in the top two wires, if you have an animal which manages to “jump over the fence” the next jump should be into the :freezer”. Recently in a boundary situation where we had a 4 plain 3 barb I added 2 barbs to the space between the bottom wires and this seemed to correct the situation. Much of our boundary and internal fences the land is undulating and so it is necessary to “tie down” stars using half a star driven in at an angle and secured with a wire loop.
We have received really good rain through December and with the current "hot spell" we have lots of a very diverse forage on offer for the sheep although in as many paddocks as I can manage I am letting all of the grasses flower and seed to replace a "depleted seed bank".At this stage I am looking at a March joining for an August lambing which should be the "tail-end" of Winter.BTW ,i have decided to keep the top line of Suffolk lambs from last year and will join them to the Van Rooy rams we purchased earlier....T.O.R.
The above is the “stand out” lesson after our first year raising, breeding and selling these breeds.
Last Oct 12 months ago we made the decision to sell after almost 20 years of breeding and selection our flock of English Suffolk’s and move to a breeding program involving all the breeds at our disposal to produce an animal which fitted our landscape and environment. The change was “driven “by the fact at 75, shearing the flock was becoming a chore that was getting beyond me and so began another “steep” learning curve, but after 20 years breeding Goats and another 20 breeding a meat based short wool flock surely it could not be “that hard”.
We considered our current fencing would be more that capable of holding the new flock, this was our “first mistake”. We purchased lines wherever possible from both private and auction yard sellers to achieve as large as possible gene pool from which to start. The sheep were introduced to our farm during the longest “dry spell” since the “big dry” of the 2000’s.This extended “dry” tested the strength of the genetics an d resulted in losses of about 20% ,but for the rest I feel we have an excellent base from which to go forward.
During the “learning “ period of the last 12 months several issues have surfaced which I will endeavor to detail and how we overcame the challenges they presented.
Myths and Reality’s: Hair Breeds don’t get worm’s .Yes they do, but their impact is a result of poor management decisions and the overuse and abuse of drenching agents. It’s worth noting that Dorpers “hate” the drench gun and will put up a good fight, so the least often you have to do it the better.
Hair Breeds don’t get “fly strike”. Flystrike control is determined by the “degree” of shedding and the timing. If you are starting from a “wool base” it will be several generations before you have sufficient shedding to minimize the risk because even in some well bred lines if they carry a “woolly top line” hip, shoulder and middle of the back strikes can occur if the weather favors the “flies”.
Foot trimming: My advice is get a “cradle” to make the job easier on both stock and operator. Unless you wish to be a stud (which we have “no desire to do”) introduce “Black Feet genes” from other breds if necessary. Avoid wet /damp country to run them on. Select against it when selecting young ewe lines.
Fencing: I have left the best to last. The best story I have heard so far goes like this.”Build your fence as strong as you can, when it’s finished get a bucket of water and throw it at the fence if the “water” goes through it so will the Dorpers.”……..
When our first Dorpers arrived we had all manner of problems keeping them on our place they are “not jumpers” but will seek out any hollow they can and go under or through the bottom two wires. What I discovered with our lot was they carefully observed where the kangaroos left the paddock and just followed them out .They have tremendous strength in their neck and shoulders to assist them in their escape. The thing is that most of these breeds evolved in harsh, dry and open rangelands where they were looked after by Sheppard’s and usually yarded at night to protect them from predators. My own feeling is that it will take several generations behind “secure wire” to change their inherited behavior.
In the last 12 months we have experimented with lots of variations when it comes to fencing. Generally speaking if you are in Kangaroo/Wombat country you can forget mesh (unless you are using dog exclusion type) because Wombats will dig holes large enough under the fence to allow Kangaroos to enlarge them and the sheep will follow. We now have several variations which the sheep seem to consider “not worth the trouble/effort to try to get through.
The first consideration is “how visible is the fence”? Let’s say you have the old 4 plains and 3 barbs setup, which is common on lots of farms. Generally speaking it will struggle to hold X-breds let alone Hair breeds, so if you opt for
mesh fencing of say 8-90-30 plus 2 barbs on top on the mesh and you run a top, middle and bottom plain wire. That is the equivalent of 13 wires. Here is what we have done, get rid of all the wooden posts which are usually set at 1 chain or every 6th steel post, if you have to replace end sections “do not use wooden ones”. I suggest you use the Waratah strainer steel ones of 2.4 and drive them so the “lugs” are under the ground. You can get cheap stays from steel merchants; just get them to “squash” the end for you. Use a hardwood block set into the ground so the strainer does not move under the strain.
Drive your “star posts” (commonly called” y “posts in some instances) so the first hole is at ground level. The next step is the most “important one, thread the wires “through” the holes tie off at each end of the strain and strain in the middle of the run (now unless you are a fencer for a living)use a gauge to tell you what the strain is on our it measures kilos of tension per meter I like about at least 150 k per m. Now there will be those who will say that this is not correct, but in our situation where a 60/70 kg strikes the fence at speed if the wires are tied of at each star post “guess” what happens the star post either side of the strike absorbs the impact which not only knocks the post out of alignment but “stretchers “the wire as well. In our example all of the impact is transferred along the wire and the impact is absorbed by the strainer posts and stay at the end of the strain.
Currently I use an average of 10 wires starting from the bottom run a wire every hole for the first 6 and then every second hole. In most situations the wildlife will “clear the fence without catching a leg in the top two wires, if you have an animal which manages to “jump over the fence” the next jump should be into the :freezer”. Recently in a boundary situation where we had a 4 plain 3 barb I added 2 barbs to the space between the bottom wires and this seemed to correct the situation. Much of our boundary and internal fences the land is undulating and so it is necessary to “tie down” stars using half a star driven in at an angle and secured with a wire loop.
We have received really good rain through December and with the current "hot spell" we have lots of a very diverse forage on offer for the sheep although in as many paddocks as I can manage I am letting all of the grasses flower and seed to replace a "depleted seed bank".At this stage I am looking at a March joining for an August lambing which should be the "tail-end" of Winter.BTW ,i have decided to keep the top line of Suffolk lambs from last year and will join them to the Van Rooy rams we purchased earlier....T.O.R.