Farm Features
Farm Features
Maximising Efficiency Using Grass-fed Native Breeds
In an era when livestock farmers are struggling with spiralling feed, fertiliser and fuel costs threatening their livelihoods, the Griffin family have a thriving sheep and cattle business on their tenanted farm in the Tamar Valley. Their profitable enterprise is based on South Devon cattle and Lleyn sheep, both of which flourish on grass, on a ruthless focus on minimising costs and on the health and fertility of their stock
The Move to MVA Makes Business Sense for the Davidsons
Pam summarises that she feels some breeds are seeing high levels of assisted lambings which is filtering down into the commercial flocks. Pam believes that the Lleyn is able to avoid this with higher survival rates and increased lambing percentages. The Lleyn ewe has also proved to have a great mothering ability able to thrive at Skaill Farm.
The Lleyn Ewe - A SUITABLY Sustainable Sheep
The Lleyn is a prime example of how a breed of sheep is suitably sustainable in producing products whilst ensuring minimal emissions are released. Capturing carbon within its wool, sheep provide both a high fibre product and a high protein food source which can have an extremely low carbon footprint.
A Next Generation View on Environment, Sustainability, Efficiency
Genetics are key to making improvements, they require no extra inputs, are permanent and can be improved each year, but it is a long term solution. The first step is to set breeding goals, these could be different for each flock, but the overall aim is to breed a robust Lleyn ewe, that can produce as much lamb as possible from the minimum amount of feed, land and labour.
Beltex brings the shape and the Lleyn bringsthe growth and milk
Keeping things simple Mr Rattray buys in replacements as shearling ewes rather than breeding his own Lleyn, with the aim being to buy strong, lengthy shearlings with the potential to produce fast growing, quality lambs. Putting the Beltex on the Lleyn is the ideal combination
Producing Crossbred Lambs for the Commercial Market
The farms Lleyn flock scan around 220% with a few multiples but these are successfully adopted onto other ewes. The farm produces prime lambs which are sold at 42-45kg from seventy percent of the flock with the Texel and Texel x Beltex rams used as a terminal sire.
Yellow Tractors, Organics, Herbal Leys and
Maternal Lleyn Ewes
The Lleyn fits the organic system, enabling lambs to be finished off a forage fed diet of clover rich leys, forage rape and kale crops. The flock is run closed hence no females are brought in and only occasional rams to encourage new bloodlines within the nucleus flock. “I look for growth rates and maternal traits with increasing interest in selecting for worm resistance" Matt Haydon Read More>>
Lleyn Sheep Proving a Success on Marginal Farm
John comments on the Lleyn lamb having a better growth rate and has the ability to reach higher weights at time of sale Lleyn ewes produce a higher weaning weight of lamb per ewe place he puts it down to the natural ability of the ewe to produce milk. Read More>>
Archive Features - You can read more features highlighting the Lleyn over the years