beltex x texel onto mule ewes

[spark_28]

Yes or no.

Would some of the lambs end up being slightly on the smaller side come August/September to be sold live

Been having a debate with a friend of mine, his lambs off a texel were more than good and ready to go in August, I’m not sure he will achieve anything by putting the beltex in there. His lambing percentage isn’t high either.

What’s the chances of it living through the winter anyway? It’s very beltex, worth me putting a wager on with him?

 

[johnrob96]

we tried one and didnt get on well with it, lambs where small but stocky just made it for tge deadweight job, tup didnt survive till next tupping tho

 

[TexelBen]

Surely a decent, shapey texel would do a better job?

Could possibly live longer too

 

[johnrob96]

Surely a decent, shapey texel would do a better job?

Could possibly live longer too

thats the conculsion we came to

 

[Estate fencing.]

Could possibly live longer too

Could being the optimum word.

 

[Estate fencing.]

There’s only one tup that should ever be put onto mules and that a Suffolk.

 

[Woolless]

Yes or no.

Would some of the lambs end up being slightly on the smaller side come August/September to be sold live

Been having a debate with a friend of mine, his lambs off a texel were more than good and ready to go in August, I’m not sure he will achieve anything by putting the beltex in there. His lambing percentage isn’t high either.

What’s the chances of it living through the winter anyway? It’s very beltex, worth me putting a wager on with him?

If you're selling stores, the extra shape will be a plus? And the Beltex influence should result in an easier lambing? That's been my thought process when I bought one for use on my B flock Easycares.

 

[Ysgythan]

Yes or no.

Would some of the lambs end up being slightly on the smaller side come August/September to be sold live

Been having a debate with a friend of mine, his lambs off a texel were more than good and ready to go in August, I’m not sure he will achieve anything by putting the beltex in there. His lambing percentage isn’t high either.

What’s the chances of it living through the winter anyway? It’s very beltex, worth me putting a wager on with him?

we use the pedigree stock tups to sweep our mules after embryos are implanted. It’s the best test of a stock tup you can get. It also proves that the right type of Texel doesn’t need the Beltex infusion.

 

[Agrivator]

If in doubt, use the best Beltex x Texel tup you can afford.

With normal segregation:

One quarter of the lambs will be female, and ideal for replacements or the live market.

One quarter of the lambs will be female and ideal for the live market.

One half of the lambs will be male, and ideal for the live market.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Yes!
We only run the odd pure texel tup nowadays.
Rouge on ewe lambs
Char x beltex on shearlings
Texel or Beltex/texel on everything else.
The beltex influence has upped our lamb slaughter weights, we get less of those “greyhounds” that make it too March, weigh 47kg and still carry no damn finish.
We did go onto the 3/4 beltex 1/4 texel for 2/3 years. That was a mistake, lamb quality/shape went better but size dropped. Back on 3/4 texel 1/4 beltex or 50/50 now and lambs are much better.
Although we all have differing ideas. I’m very happy with how ours are performing at the moment.

 

[Ysgythan]

Yes!
We only run the odd pure texel tup nowadays.
Rouge on ewe lambs
Char x beltex on shearlings
Texel or Beltex/texel on everything else.
The beltex influence has upped our lamb slaughter weights, we get less of those “greyhounds” that make it too March, weigh 47kg and still carry no damn finish.
We did go onto the 3/4 beltex 1/4 texel for 2/3 years. That was a mistake, lamb quality/shape went better but size dropped. Back on 3/4 texel 1/4 beltex or 50/50 now and lambs are much better.
Although we all have differing ideas. I’m very happy with how ours are performing at the moment.

You’re definitely the sort of customer we’d love to show around.

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

Judging by recent sales I've been to, a mixture of Beltex and Texel breeding in tups is becoming more popular, a good looking cross bred tup will regularly make more than pures at the same sale. I think people are looking for the premium you get for the Beltex with less of the longevity problems you get with the Beltex
From mules you tend to get more white faced lambs (anti live sellers look away now) which tend to sell better either as stores or fat, or as breeders.

There are some big producers such as Tercrosset or Whiteley Hey selling these tups and their demand is growing, ewes are also sought after

 

[neilo]

A Texel and a Beltex is the same breed, whatever the marketing men might tell you, they’ve just been selected with different priorities.

I fail to see how a Beltex x Texel can breed any better than a Texel that has been bred with shape. Just stop buying the big, arseless, late maturing ‘white faced Suffolk’ types?

 

[Ysgythan]

This

 

[Agrivator]

A Texel and a Beltex is the same breed, whatever the marketing men might tell you, they’ve just been selected with different priorities.

I fail to see how a Beltex x Texel can breed any better than a Texel that has been bred with shape. Just stop buying the big, arseless, late maturing ‘white faced Suffolk’ types?

You might just as well say that the Belgian Blue and the Beef Shorthorn are the same breed.

A Beltex cross lamb at 44 kg is a completely different lamb compared to a Texel cross lamb at 44 kg (out of the same dam). And assuming that the Beltex and Texel tups were of similar merit.

The Beltex cross will make about 20% more than the Texel cross in the live fat market. But at a breeding sale, the reverse will apply (for the majority of buyers).

And for first-time lambers, Beltex cross lambs are invariably easier to lamb.

I'm in the process of developing an even better strain of Beltex, which is to be called the ''Terminalissimo''.

 

[Agrivator]

And anyway, the Beltex has a rat's tail, whereas the Texel doesn't. But I don't know where it came from

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

A Texel and a Beltex is the same breed, whatever the marketing men might tell you, they’ve just been selected with different priorities.

I fail to see how a Beltex x Texel can breed any better than a Texel that has been bred with shape. Just stop buying the big, arseless, late maturing ‘white faced Suffolk’ types?

I think it's more important to listen to what the market tells you than the marketing men. People are after the premium that the buyers give for Beltex confirmation together with the extra size the Texel gives. It's noticeable up here that the demand for cross bred tups has risen in recent years as it has for Beltex/Texel ewes. At Kirkby Stephen on Friday this was particularly noticeable.
Breeding Rams

Texel (Aged or Shlg)
1st JC&E Pedley & Sons, Yore House - £600
2nd E Elliott, Town End Farm - £800
3rd H&B Wharton, Galloper Rise - £750

Beltex (Aged or Shlg)
1st P Wilson, West Roods - £700
2nd P McCune, Farewell Grange
3rd P Wilson, West Roods - £400

Any other breed (aged or Shlg)
1st LC&D Wearmouth, Parkside (Beltex x Texel) - £1600
2nd M/s Hastwell, The Buildings Farm (Texel x Beltex) - £850
3rd LC&D Wearmouth, Parkside (Beltex x Texel) - £1050
(These were all beltex texel tups.)

To go back to the OP's question. The inclusion of Beltex in the mix should give shapier tighter skinned lambs from mules IME

At the end of the day, what's the worst that can happen, you could get lambs that are like Texels which isn't a disaster or lambs that are like Beltexes which equally is not a disaster, but you should get some that have the best attributes of both.

 

[Skintagain]

And anyway, the Beltex has a rat's tail, whereas the Texel doesn't. But I don't know where it came from

What about a ‘dutch texel’??

 

[Greythundercloudys]

Alot of those very plain texels out of mules around the Stirling markets, big frames, no giggots, a think you'll have to buy afew real good texels 1000+ to see a difference, but abit beltex will make a difference also, the beltex x texel aren't cheap either.

 

[unlacedgecko]

And anyway, the Beltex has a rat's tail, whereas the Texel doesn't. But I don't know where it came from

A bit if Shetland blood was crossed in to bring down the size of the beltex. That's why they're so easy lambing, and where the tail comes from.