- Location
- Montgomeryshire
Plus you're working with a mainly Texel based ewe, so you're safe enough
Any UK Texel genetics are a good way back now.
The UK Texel based ewes I had previously certainly wouldn't have been lambing outside.
aberfield sheep
- Thread starter missjones
- Start date
Any UK Texel genetics are a good way back now.
The UK Texel based ewes I had previously certainly wouldn't have been lambing outside.
NZDan
Member
- Location
- Broomfield, New Zealand
I'm surprised it hasn't been sold more as a composite ram, The Logie is close and Forage Master do a Llyen cross NZ texel as well don't they?
M-J-G
Member
Any UK Texel genetics are a good way back now.
Sorry, I had assumed they were mainly Texel based. What is the main breed in your ewe flock?
Wouldn't a Texel X ewe lamb outside to an easy lambing Char?
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
My main flock is Highlander, from first X up to 4 crosses. Before that a cross of Hartline. Before that would be my old Texel X ewes.
I wouldn't be concerned about any first X Texel ewe, it's when you get more blood than that, you start to run into progressively more 'maternal' issues IME. Only using a first cross would make it very hard to run a closed, self-replacing flock, with all the myriad of advantages that confers.
Unless you criss-cross with a Lleyn or Highlander. I was very sceptical of highlanders, but a guy who uses our tups has them and they cross really well with the right Texel.
M-J-G
Member
Obviously the Highlander is Texel based, albeit a foreign one. Pardon my ignorance, but what is a Hartline?
Jackson4
Member
- Location
- Wensleydale
Mostly Lleyn with a little texel in i think.
Edit: mind they would be a closed flock for ?? 20/30 years? so considered its own breed i would think. Is it Robp who still has them on here?
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
There are Highlanders and Highlanders, as with all these 'early days' composites, particularly where Kiwis that don't believe type matters have been involved I suspect.
Tups need picking carefully IME.You'll never guess, but I reckon they cross really well with a good Charollais too, like most Texel crosses.
M-J-G
Member
There are Highlanders and Highlanders, as with all these 'early days' composites, particularly where Kiwis that don't believe type matters have been involved I suspect.
You'll never guess, but I reckon they cross really well with a good Charollais too, like most Texel crosses.
To be fair, Texel crosses seem work well with most breeds.
I'm assuming that's why there are so many of them about.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
I agree. There's just a trade off with how much extra work you're willing to take on as you increase the proportion of (UK, jury's still out on NZ) Texel blood IME. I can't think of any other terminal that I would want to see in a maternal ewe's past though.
There are Highlanders and Highlanders, as with all these 'early days' composites, particularly where Kiwis that don't believe type matters have been involved I suspect.
You'll never guess, but I reckon they cross really well with a good Charollais too, like most Texel crosses.
Charolais really are terminal though, even the Highlander or Lleyn as a base.
NZDan
Member
- Location
- Broomfield, New Zealand
I always thought the Highlander/Lleyn would be good in a rotational cross breeding stuation, two breeds that look similar, perform similar but are different genetically and should express plenty of heterosis.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
Agreed. However, being short on ewe lambs last year, I pulled out 20 Ch x Highlander ewe lambs from my twinsat weaning last year, along with a dozen NZ Texel x Pure Charollais ewe lambs (Rams all killed
) for retention. All got in lamb as tegs and all made a good job of rearing singles (& two twins), sired by Beltex. I've kept & tupped another 20 Ch x Highlanders back this year too, to see if it was a fluke......
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
That's my current plan, as I'm struggling to find mv accredited Highlanders, or those tested for MyoMAX.
currently thinking of a 3 way cross between Highlander, NZ Texel and Lleyn, but we'll see.......
- Location
- north Wales
You wouldn't try an aberfield in the mix just as an experiment?That's my current plan, as I'm struggling to find mv accredited Highlanders, or those tested for MyoMAX.
NZDan
Member
- Location
- Broomfield, New Zealand
Especially if the NZ Texel had Lambmax in it ;-)That's my current plan, as I'm struggling to find mv accredited Highlanders, or those tested for MyoMAX.
Having said that, a three breed rotation is great but with 3 mating mobs plus a terminal mob does the heterosis advantage of the third breed over come the hassle of the extra mating mob?
I'm not quite sure what the third breed adds. Lleyn and Texel or Highlander and Texel.
Unless...
@neilo are you concerned about look and want to keep the top knot to a minimum?
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
No, it has BFL blood in it.
I was offered the chance of being an Aberfield multiplier flock in 2012, I turned it down for the same reason. I don't regret the decision.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
Tbh, the prolificacy isn't the biggest issue I have with the 2 NZ Texels I've used. Prolificacy genes can be added from other breeds too, if necessary. My Texel flock used to scan at 220-230%, as a result of the Cambridge influence further back. I dare say I could find some of those prolificacy genes in some of my current ewes, if I was minded. Personally, I don't want those sort of numbers again, at least while I'm lambing outside.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
I'm not quite sure what the third breed adds. Lleyn and Texel or Highlander and Texel.
Unless...
@neilo are you concerned about look and want to keep the top knot to a minimum?
Of course I am concerned about type, hence my comment about Highlanders above. I don't like or want topknots, but I realise that it's purely a cosmetic trait, with no influence on functionality or performance. You have to like the sheep your working with though....