- Location
- North Antrim
I bought a rouge tup for the first time last year and overall I am impressed with the growth and quality of the lambs. I am thinking of changing to lleyn ewes and was wondering if anyone had used rouge on lleyn ewes.
Did you get as far as keeping and breeding the rouge/lleyn females.yep and had some good lambs.and lots of them.
I only started my flock of lleyns this year but my aim is to breed replacement's of a lleyn×rouge, ya know the next big thing...
Yes in the past and a few are still around today shearer friend call them those rubber faces ones.They by enlarge were good sheep although take into account the lleyns i started with were good mind.fissled out here because diificulty getting enough choice of rams.Had pedigree rouges before that and yes low milk yield and udder problems owing to lambs working to hard at the teats and damaging them.Did you get as far as keeping and breeding the rouge/lleyn females.
Almost every breed seems to have improved over the last five years and the rouge is no different, they are better both in bone and fleece, just as the charollais has been bred up to become a far superior sheep to ten years ago or so.They were the 'next big thing' 25 years ago and we fell for it then. Sh*te as terminals so we kept their crosses as ewe lambs for a year or two, after hearing that they were more of a maternal line in France. They tended to suffer from lack of lactation persistency like a Charollais does, which won't have improved with the injection of that blood a lot of Rouges have had since. Some folk think Charollais are soft, but they were always hardier than any Rouge lambs we had, even with the Charollais of 25 years ago!
If you're lucky, the Lleyn's maternal traits might carry them for a cross, but I'd be very wary of going any further than that....
Haha,they do have rubbery faces.Yes in the past and a few are still around today shearer friend call them those rubber faces ones.They by enlarge were good sheep although take into account the lleyns i started with were good mind.fissled out here because diificulty getting enough choice of rams.Had pedigree rouges before that and yes low milk yield and udder problems owing to lambs working to hard at the teats and damaging them.
Almost every breed seems to have improved over the last five years and the rouge is no different, they are better both in bone and fleece, just as the charollais has been bred up to become a far superior sheep to ten years ago or so.
That's very possible, I am a fan of the charollais by the way I think they are hard to beat as a terminal sire but not on the maternal side, I used to breed them, so am very familiar with them.I agree to a degree, just pointing out that the genetics used to improve their ease of fleshing and tighten their fleeces won't have improved maternal traits any....
thanks thats the kind of info I was looking for. we crossed him with texel×charollais ewes they are a strong well fleshed sheep and would have quality lambs to many breeds.we run a closed flock and need another cross for these good conformation rouge×texel×charollais females we're thinking lleyn would best to make a four breed rotation.Been using a Rouge on Lleyn crosses for last few years. Don't look like much when they are born but grow into decent sized well shaped lambs.
What way did the rouge x lleyn work out for you?tl
thanks thats the kind of info I was looking for. we crossed him with texel×charollais ewes they are a strong well fleshed sheep and would have quality lambs to many breeds.we run a closed flock and need another cross for these good conformation rouge×texel×charollais females we're thinking lleyn would best to make a four breed rotation.
I crossed him over a few texel/lleyns I had with very good results, well made lambs with good skins and ends. I was mulling over a few ideas at that time and wanted to see if anyone had tried the cross in the op. I'd be interested to see how rouge crossed with easycare as well.What way did the rouge x lleyn work out for you?
I'll let you know about the easycare x rouge next march/April , Rouge rams are pretty cheap to buy, but once the right shaped ram comes into the ring it can go to big money,I crossed him over a few texel/lleyns I had with very good results, well made lambs with good skins and ends. I was mulling over a few ideas at that time and wanted to see if anyone had tried the cross in the op. I'd be interested to see how rouge crossed with easycare as well.