Border Leicesters, Halfbreds, greyfaces

[Swaley]

Hello all,
I was wondering who still uses border Leicesters tups on there ewes welshies, cheviots and swales/blackfaces, and what are the lambs like.
Secondly who still buys halfbreds and greyface halfbreds and what are they like as breeding ewes.
And if you have any photos please put them on.
Many thanks all.

 

[MDL POWERUP]

Had a dabble, pleased with the outcome. Have a few shearlings lambed as ewe lambs both carried twins and reared them.

 

[MDL POWERUP]

From these

 

[sticky]

My father will buy the odd pen of scotch halfbreds when he's up north, never has any trouble selling them as theaves.

 

[Ryan774-80]

Had a dabble, pleased with the outcome. Have a few shearlings lambed as ewe lambs both carried twins and reared them.

Good helicopter blades on them

 

[MDL POWERUP]

Good helicopter blades on them

If helicopter blades make money I'll make em

 

[Swaley]

From these

What type cheviot are these

 

[MDL POWERUP]

What type cheviot are these

North country, border type mostly

 

[Swaley]

North country, border type mostly

Do you have a photo of the tup.

 

[MDL POWERUP]

Do you have a photo of the tup.

That's all I have of him £160 as a lamb out of lanark. Not as big as some there but has always kept condition.

 

[ford4000]

Had Welsh Halfbreds here as long as I can remember, but last bought a 100 in 2013, and the ones left have all been culled this autumn.
Pretty good ewes, last longer than mules but lambing percent is lower and lambs tend to be woolier, red necks on some even

 

[Blindside06]

I shear in an area that would have been predominantly half bred and greyface ewes. I can only think of one farm still breeding with Border Leicesters commercially.

 

[BigD135]

Still work with greyface, have some mules also, but personally prefer the greyface. Find them good strong sheep

 

[GSJC1960]

Had a dabble, pleased with the outcome. Have a few shearlings lambed as ewe lambs both carried twins and reared them.

Cracking lambs. Would the border wether lamb sell better than the mule?

 

[MDL POWERUP]

Cracking lambs. Would the border wether lamb sell better than the mule?

Think the tup lambs born February went in may/June and would average 90/95. They definitely grow fast but sell them as they are fit to handle. They go growthy and don't flesh up again for a while. Off grass I'm talking about.

 

[GSJC1960]

Similar enough I’d have thought then, nothing gets any creep here. Did you keep the ewe lambs or sell them?

 

[MDL POWERUP]

Similar enough I’d have thought then, nothing gets any creep here. Did you keep the ewe lambs or sell them?

Sold all of this years, would of kept them but prices were too good! Making a few nom mules this year so can compare!

 

[Agrivator]

Most of the true Greyfaces (Border Leicester x Blackface) were bred in their last bastion - Aberdeenshire and Upper Banffshire. But the Aberdeenshire-type Blackface was traditionally treated as an upland ewe, wintered on turnips and summered on good inbye grass. And at least half of Greyface ewe- lambs were treated as fat lambs, and were far superior to the BFL crosses for that purpose.

But nowadays there are very few sold as ewe-lambs. And in the Borders, the the last pen I can think of being sold was two years ago by John Jeffrey (of Rugby fame).

 

[AftonShepherd]

Most of the true Greyfaces (Border Leicester x Blackface) were bred in their last bastion - Aberdeenshire and Upper Banffshire. But the Aberdeenshire-type Blackface was traditionally treated as an upland ewe, wintered on turnips and summered on good inbye grass. And at least half of Greyface ewe- lambs were treated as fat lambs, and were far superior to the BFL crosses for that purpose.

But nowadays there are very few sold as ewe-lambs. And in the Borders, the the last pen I can think of being sold was two years ago by John Jeffrey (of Rugby fame).

Didn't realise JJ had sheep. Got a Simmy bull from him last year bred a lot of decent calves.

 

[Agrivator]

Didn't realise JJ had sheep. Got a Simmy bull from him last year bred a lot of decent calves.

He also has a hill farm in the Lammermuirs, and he and his father were respected Border Leicester breeders. And of course, his father produced one of the most famous Charolais bulls of all time. Anyone recall what it was called?

Kersknowe Festival - sold for 10,000gns to the Scottish Milk Marketing Board in 1971.