Seamus Killen farms in the foothills of the Mournes. In the kingdom of Mourne Blackface sheep are part of the landscape but, where Seamus is concerned, tradition is only worthy to be maintained if economically justified.
In today’s farming climate he decided that producing just over one lamb per ewe is not enough.
“I tried everything to improve the lambing percentage, but to no avail, so I felt I had to try a different approach” says Seamus.
He had heard of the good results from the Lleyn and decided to try an experiment.
In the autumn of 2005 he went to the breed Sale in Carlisle and came home with 24 yearling ewes. He bought 2 ram lambs from the flock of Roly and Fiona Cunningham to set the wheels in motion.
The results exceeded his highest expectations. The 24 females produced 46 lambs, all of which survived to maturity.
Not only was productivity dramatically improved, but the ease of management was an added bonus.
Seamus found the ewes easy to lamb, with plenty of milk, and lambs which were lively and on their feet immediately.
With results like these, the case for a complete change-over was clear-cut and in 2006 Seamus went back to Carlisle and demonstrated his confidence by bringing home 175 ewes and 120 ewe lambs; the experiment was over and the Lleyn became the only breed on the farm. His Carlisle purchase included 2 stock rams at a combined price of £1700
The suckler herd had gone and Lleyn became the sole enterprise.
The farm has land ranging from sea level to 700 feet and extends to 74 acres.
Further expansion is planned and the target is to have 400 breeding ewes within the next two years.
Where Seamus is concerned, innovation is the name of the game. He has the advantage of free draining soil and the ewes were wintered on a rape and stubble turnip mix at minimum cost.
In addition to grass, Seamus is growing 10 acres of the stubble turnip/rape hybrid Pasja.
Pasja produces a large leaf with a small bulb. The bulb is well anchored in the soil with a deep root system and a crown which enables the plant to make a quick recovery after grazing. The 10 acres were strip grazed and carried 160 head throughout the summer. Despite the rainfall this year, there was no poaching –a real bonus on this well managed unit.
The ewes lamb from the last week in March to Mid April.
Ewes carrying triplets are housed 6 to 8 weeks before lambing, twins are born outdoors and the singles come inside 4 or 5 days before giving birth.
At a glance it seems strange to bring the ewes carrying singles indoors, but this is to enable triplets to be transferred, and Seamus has this procedure down to a fine art with 100% success-rate.
Of course, the bottom line is the financial return and Seamus estimates that the Lleyn has boosted returns by £30 a ewe with costs only marginally higher than in his Blackface days.
Altogether, the facts speak for themselves and from a cautious beginning Seamus is now convinced that the Lleyn is the way ahead.
By John Johnston