Hair/shedding sheep X charollais

[Man_in_black]

Anyone done it, or seen any? Not trying to start a breed bashing thread, just wondering...

@Tim W @Woolless @willy @exmoor dave @CopperBeech @GTB @Keepers

 

[GTB]

Yes done it. Not suitable for outdoor lambing but if you can keep them alive for the first few days they grow like stink from there on.

I find the texel is a better cross personally. Throws a bit more shape and a bit hardier at birth. Not bashing char though, in fact I'm a big fan and used them very successfully on welsh ewes over many years.

 

[Sandpit Farm]

I had a handful of easy cares and Exlanas. I used a Roussin as a terminal and had excellent results. My twins were pretty much ready for killing at the same time as my pedigree singles.

I'd say that it's what wool shedding sheep are made for, crossing to a terminal. Only thing I'd be concerned about with a Charollais, if selling live, is whether the lambs 'look' like they are from shedding sheep. I've got no idea. The Roussin lambs just looked like damn good lambs.

 

[willy]

Anyone done it, or seen any? Not trying to start a breed bashing thread, just wondering...

@Tim W @Woolless @willy @exmoor dave @CopperBeech @GTB @Keepers

i am currently xing with a durno (texelxcharolais) looking good so far.

 

[GTB]

I had a handful of easy cares and Exlanas. I used a Roussin as a terminal and had excellent results. My twins were pretty much ready for killing at the same time as my pedigree singles.

I'd say that it's what wool shedding sheep are made for, crossing to a terminal. Only thing I'd be concerned about with a Charollais, if selling live, is whether the lambs 'look' like they are from shedding sheep. I've got no idea. The Roussin lambs just looked like damn good lambs.

+1 Roussin does works well too.

 

[Woolless]

Not been brave enough to try, as we are fairly exposed and lamb outside. A 'weatherproof' Charollais would be a very interesting proposition.

 

[willy]

 

[willy]

Out of a Wiltshire approx 4 weeks top one
Bottom one less than a week out of a easycare

 

[Man_in_black]

They the durno Will?

 

[willy]

They the durno Will?

Yep

 

[Man_in_black]

Yes done it.

Any pictures Dai? What was your tup like/type?

Not suitable for outdoor lambing

But if it was possible to find a char tup with plenty of cover proven at cutting it outdoors, the fact that it's on a shedder shouldn't make much difference?

 

[GTB]

Any pictures Dai? What was your tup like/type?






But if it was possible to find a char tup with plenty of cover proven at cutting it outdoors, the fact that it's on a shedder shouldn't make much difference?

Char X lambs tend to be pretty bare skinned even out of wooly sheep which in a way is why char crosses so well onto Welsh ewes. Easycare lambs also tend to be a bit bare and the char X Easycare exaggerates this. This is why I feel that the texel and Roussin seem to click better with Easycare ewes.
Hampshire works really well on easy ewes as far as hardy lambs is concerned. The lambs are easy to finish as early lambs at lighter weights but I don't rate them at all after weaning. Once they go into the store stage after weaning I find them very hard to finish so I won't be buying any more.
Sorry I don't think I have any pics to hand of our char Rams or the crossbred lambs. All I will say is the lambs aren't much to look at but weigh and handle much better than they look.

 

[Gulli]

Char x exlana on the right. Texel x exlana exams on the left. Same mum

Can't find a photo of my char ram as hes a psychopath but he's fairly wooly in my opinion.
Wouldn't be worried about cover for lambing out here but I'm not on a hill. Exlanas have more wool cover at birth than lleyns I find.

 

[Man_in_black]

View attachment 503376
Char x exlana on the right. Texel x exlana exams on the left. Same mum

Can't find a photo of my char ram as hes a psychopath but he's fairly wooly in my opinion.
Wouldn't be worried about cover for lambing out here but I'm not on a hill. Exlanas have more wool cover at birth than lleyns I find.

Same mum....bit of a gap in births???

 

[Gulli]

Same mum....bit of a gap in births???

About 2 minutes...
It's mainly the photo I think but there's usually a fair difference in birth weights between the two tups

 

[neilo]

About 2 minutes...
It's mainly the photo I think but there's usually a fair difference in birth weights between the two tups

Is high birth weight good? I thought I was only 'pedigree' breeders that thought it was. My highest birthweights over the last couple of years have been from my first NZ Texel and the Lleyn I'm trying currently. Both have had high proportions of hung lambs, which have limited their time here.
Big lambs born will undoubtedly get a head start, but at what cost?

I don't 'do' thin skinned Charollais. Any odd throwbacks we get to those 'good old days', get shipped out at 40kg without a second thought. My first cross Charollais lambs, out of Highlanders & NZ Texel X, have as much cover (but better shape) as any of the other lambs born here. I have about 50 Charollais x Highlander females in the commercial flock now, most of which have lamed to the Charollais this Sring. That 3/4 Charollais lamb, is an incredibly vigorous lamb, but lacks enough cover at birth for lambing outside on this farm, IMO. Those threequarter breds will make cracking fat lambs, but would likely need more care (and therefore cost) in a cold wet Spring.

 

[Gulli]

Is high birth weight good? I thought I was only 'pedigree' breeders that thought it was. My highest birthweights over the last couple of years have been from my first NZ Texel and the Lleyn I'm trying currently. Both have had high proportions of hung lambs, which have limited their time here.
Big lambs born will undoubtedly get a head start, but at what cost?

I don't 'do' thin skinned Charollais. Any odd throwbacks we get to those 'good old days', get shipped out at 40kg without a second thought. My first cross Charollais lambs, out of Highlanders & NZ Texel X, have as much cover (but better shape) as any of the other lambs born here. I have about 50 Charollais x Highlander females in the commercial flock now, most of which have lamed to the Charollais this Sring. That 3/4 Charollais lamb, is an incredibly vigorous lamb, but lacks enough cover at birth for lambing outside on this farm, IMO. Those threequarter breds will make cracking fat lambs, but would likely need more care (and therefore cost) in a cold wet Spring.

No it's not on the whole I prefer smaller born lambs they ars usuay a bit quicker on their feet. But if the ewe can lamb them anyway then I'm not sure it makes a massive difference. Both those lambs came out on their own and they will probably both hit killing weight at roughly the same time.
Majority of my lambs are around the 5/6 kg Mark although I've had a couple nearer ten this year

 

[NZDan]

Is high birth weight good? I thought I was only 'pedigree' breeders that thought it was. My highest birthweights over the last couple of years have been from my first NZ Texel and the Lleyn I'm trying currently. Both have had high proportions of hung lambs, which have limited their time here.
Big lambs born will undoubtedly get a head start, but at what cost?.

Current feeling amougst a fair number of Bigger Ram breeders is that 1kg of extra birth weight gives you 2kg of extra weaning weight. One of our biggest breeders quite often says if we want high performing sheep, ie twins and raised triplets, then you have to have big vigorous lambs.

 

[GTB]

Completely agree that big lambs have a head start compated to smaller ones that never seem to catch up. But they need to be born alive in the first instance...

 

[Bones]

I have a few big texel rams and a charmoise x blue texel ram , the standard texel lambs are bigger looking in the field compared to the (charmoise texel ram) but I have to admit I didn't have one dead lamb out of the smaller ram .so its swings and roundabouts.