Maternal tup for Texels

Woolless · May 8, 2020

Bones said:
Hill cheviot or maybe even a easy care ram.

@Wazmos could certainly do worse than put a decent Easycare over those Texel type ewes to head down a more functional route, if getting rid of wool was a possibility. Have sold a tup to go over Texel hoggs and many of my ewes have some Texel in them now. The best of the first crosses are great sheep, shapey but well able to lamb outside.

Agrivator · May 8, 2020

Wazmos said:
Thanks for your thoughts. Would using a BFL or Suffolk increase the size of the ewe further? There already big strong ewes, wouldn’t mind decreasing size if anything. What are the highlanders like to handle?
Cheers

No, the resultant cross would be about the same size. I would stick with the Suffolk and just continue criss-crossing.

And it is satisfying to sell a Texel or Suffolk cross cull ewe for upwards of £90.

neilo · May 8, 2020

Agrivator said:
A good tight-skinned Suffolk. But avoid the heavy-boned Aberdeenshire types.

The poor bugger wants to reduce the time he spends in the lambing shed, not have to persuade them to suck after he’s hauled them out.

neilo · May 8, 2020

Wazmos said:
Thanks for your thoughts. Would using a BFL or Suffolk increase the size of the ewe further? There already big strong ewes, wouldn’t mind decreasing size if anything. What are the highlanders like to handle?
Cheers

My Highlanders have always been placid, despite never seeing a feed bag in their lives, too placid sometimes!
I did have one ram that was a bit lively himself, and his daughters were noticeably more excitable too.

I don’t know where you are but, as luck would have it, I do have 4 homebred Highlander shearlings running with my sale rams currently......

Macsky · May 8, 2020

Lairg type Cheviot

Wazmos · May 8, 2020

neilo said:
My Highlanders have always been placid, despite never seeing a feed bag in their lives, too placid sometimes!
I did have one ram that was a bit lively himself, and his daughters were noticeably more excitable too.

I don’t know where you are but, as luck would have it, I do have 4 homebred Highlander shearlings running with my sale rams currently......

Pm me the details and we’ll see what we can sort out??.

Texelman · May 8, 2020

Dutch spotted great mothers very milky and hardy, easily lambed.
I can supply a few?

hilux · May 8, 2020

Wazmos said:
What are your thoughts on a maternal tup to put over mainly 3/4 texels for breeding replacement ewes?
We are just finishing lambing and I’ve had to intervene with to many, what breeds are going to inject some maternal traits back into the flock. Thanks.

Been in your shoes as regards to lambing 3/4 texel crosses. Put a lleyn on the yearlings in our 1st year and went from pulling about 65% of them to 25% and then I was interfering to much, but was so used to it. Now 50% of the flock is pure lleyn with the remainder lleyn x texel. You don't get the grades with a lleyn but you do get more live lambs. Try a maternal breed. Just tried Charollais on the lleyn x texel and I'm quite impressed with the ease of lambing. Lambs don't look to bad either.

Dkb · May 8, 2020

I’ve been using highlander rams on 3/4 texel and 1/2 texel ewes for the last few years. Keeping the ewe lambs and then putting back to a highlander again.

It’s working well in my opinion and I’ll continue to do it.

Sheepfog · May 9, 2020

neilo said:
The poor bugger wants to reduce the time he spends in the lambing shed, not have to persuade them to suck after he’s hauled them out.

That’s why @Agrivator advised steering clear of the Aberdeenshire types!

Fine boned (UK) Suffolks are a piece of cake to lamb, similar to the pure Charollais for vigour and suckling. If they weren’t they wouldn’t be kept! My cross ewes all go to the Suffolk stock tups and lamb outside no problem. The Charollais have the edge on carcass but the Suffolk’s edge them on growth rate and the ewe lambs sell for a premium.

Whitepeak · May 9, 2020

Wazmos said:
What are your thoughts on a maternal tup to put over mainly 3/4 texels for breeding replacement ewes?
We are just finishing lambing and I’ve had to intervene with to many, what breeds are going to inject some maternal traits back into the flock. Thanks.

What is the other 25% of your ewes? I'm guessing it'll be Mule?
Quite a few round here who got to nearly pure texels have tried crossing to BFL, but the blue type not the crossing, to breed their own Aberfield type ewe. We have one now who looks like that cross who is successfully rearing triplet charollais lambs.
There's also been quite a few people crossing to cheviots, judging by the amount sold in Bakewell and Leek. No idea what type of cheviot they use though.

Woolless · May 9, 2020

Whitepeak said:
What is the other 25% of your ewes? I'm guessing it'll be Mule?
Quite a few round here who got to nearly pure texels have tried crossing to BFL, but the blue type not the crossing, to breed their own Aberfield type ewe. We have one now who looks like that cross who is successfully rearing triplet charollais lambs.
There's also been quite a few people crossing to cheviots, judging by the amount sold in Bakewell and Leek. No idea what type of cheviot they use though.

A BFL x (3/4) Texel is going to be a big ewe, too big? @Al R runs Aberfield x ewes and IIRC was complaining about them getting too big.

neilo · May 9, 2020

Woolless said:
A BFL x (3/4) Texel is going to be a big ewe, too big? @Al R runs Aberfield x ewes and IIRC was complaining about them getting too big.

To be fair, everything gets too big with @Al R . Even his ewe lambs are 70-80kg iirc!

Woolless · May 9, 2020

neilo said:
To be fair, everything gets too big with @Al R . Even his ewe lambs are 70-80kg iirc!

I was going to mention that but I suppose he gets fed up being told that he farms in sheep nirvana! Like everyone else, I'm sure it doesn't feel like that sometimes!

Al R · May 9, 2020

Woolless said:
A BFL x (3/4) Texel is going to be a big ewe, too big? @Al R runs Aberfield x ewes and IIRC was complaining about them getting too big.

neilo said:
To be fair, everything gets too big with @Al R . Even his ewe lambs are 70-80kg iirc!

im hoping to cull 400 TexelX ewes this year and replace with another breed if I can find the available numbers.
The 40 Aberfield x Texels have all gone before year 4, a 90+kg ewe with a pelvis like a washing machine who kills her own lambs or leaves them cast and bad mastitis problems is no good to me. Last year when I had the last 20, 5 had mastitis, the rest of the farm I only had 5-6 cases on 1200 ewes. the AF x Texel is also 6” taller than all my other sheep (taller than my pure BFL) which made them look bloody stupid when In with a group of TexelX or Mules which are usually closely matched.

Agrivator · May 9, 2020

A neighbouring Laird (or at least his Farm Manager) used to be a multiplier flock for Highlanders,

They've stopped doing it, but from what I remember, the Highlander of 10 years ago seemed to be a much different animal to those on the current Innovis website. They used to have wool everywhere, but they now look more like Texels or at least 3/4 Texel crosses. Much like the Lleyn.

Why aren't these breeders subject to the same scrutiny as some Limousin breeders?

hubbahubba · May 9, 2020

Ive been in your position for years. Tried nz texel and lleyns. Now onto bleu du maines over texel x mules. I am only on the lambing hogg stage and second crop of bdm lambs. But for my set up lambing inside, scanning over 200% there very good. Not growing as fast as the suffulks but plenty twins doing 400 grams a day just now.

Only downside twins born a good size but sometime there quite small and fine as triplets.

Nithsdale · May 9, 2020

neilo said:
To be fair, everything gets too big with @Al R

I bet his wife doesn't say that

I'll go and hide so I can't get a kicking from @Al R now

scottish-lleyn · May 9, 2020

hilux said:
Been in your shoes as regards to lambing 3/4 texel crosses. Put a lleyn on the yearlings in our 1st year and went from pulling about 65% of them to 25% and then I was interfering to much, but was so used to it. Now 50% of the flock is pure lleyn with the remainder lleyn x texel. You don't get the grades with a lleyn but you do get more live lambs. Try a maternal breed. Just tried Charollais on the lleyn x texel and I'm quite impressed with the ease of lambing. Lambs don't look to bad either.

Ive got a few ewes that have tex lleyn and char in them put back to tups of the same breeding the lambs are brilliant shapey things but some do still require a bit of a pull. Im going to put a bit more lleyn back in them now to help with that hopefully. Only got 150 of them for a couple of local butchers that i supply.

scottish-lleyn · May 9, 2020

Agrivator said:
And it is satisfying to sell a Texel or Suffolk cross cull ewe for upwards of £90.

We have sold lleyn cull ewes for £90+ at both st boswells and lanark on a regular basis

Maternal tup for Texels

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