Lleyn tup for replacements?

[FirlodgeFarm]

Has anyone here used a lleyn tup on suffolk/mule and/or texel/mule ewes to breed replacements? If so how did the resulting ewes turn out?
Thinking about pulling out a few ewes this year to give it a go.

 

[M-J-G]

We bought some pure Lleyn ewes last year and I'm very pleased with them, we went for a smaller more refined type as imposed to the big tall leggy ones or the big texel sorts.

I can't imagine them being bad ewes crossed onto your type of sheep

 

[Estate fencing.]

Has anyone here used a lleyn tup on suffolk/mule and/or texel/mule ewes to breed replacements? If so how did the resulting ewes turn out?
Thinking about pulling out a few ewes this year to give it a go.

Iv put one over texel cross for a couple of years. Been some nice enough lambs, yearlings lambed for the first time this year very easy with a nice 170% scan but have a far to many with mastitis (15%). Going to try nz Suffolk cross mules to lleyn this time to bring my replacement costs down.

 

[Agrivator]

Has anyone here used a lleyn tup on suffolk/mule and/or texel/mule ewes to breed replacements? If so how did the resulting ewes turn out?
Thinking about pulling out a few ewes this year to give it a go.

Yes we have, but it didn't last long. North Country Cheviot (Park Type) are much better. And the wether lambs are much more sale-able. Whereabouts are you?

Some folk might suggest the Aberfield, but like the Lleyn it has probably had its day.

An alternative is to criss-cross the Suffolk and Texel. Starting with what you've got, put the Suffolk on light-face ewes and the Texel on dark-faced ewes. And if for some reason it doesn't work or you change farming policy, you'll have some decent sale-able ewes for breeding or for the fat market.

 

[Jerry]

Some folk might suggest the Aberfield, but like the Lleyn it has probably had its day.

How come?

 

[Agrivator]

How come?

Because it isn't reliable enough. The Aberfield ( Texel x BFL) has been around long enough to become homozygous, so there is too much segregation. And the same applies even more so to the Texel x BFL, or the BFL x Texel, both of whcih are probably bred by pedigree breeders from ewes that are too poor to breed pure.

The number of failed breeds is legion: Bleu du Maine, Rouge de l'est, Highlander, Meat Link, Lleyn.............

 

[FirlodgeFarm]

Thanks for the replies so far, am currently putting texel over suffolk ewes and the suffolk over the texel ewes. My fear with keeping these as ewes would be big fat lumps that would hard to lamb and not overly prolific?
What was your scanning percentage with the cheviot cross ewes?

 

[unlacedgecko]

The number of failed breeds is legion: Bleu du Maine, Rouge de l'est, Highlander, Meat Link, Lleyn.............

Your user name is well chosen. Are you a plant to drive forum traffic?

 

[Jerry]

Because it isn't reliable enough. The Aberfield ( Texel x BFL) has been around long enough to become homozygous, so there is too much segregation. And the same applies even more so to the Texel x BFL, or the BFL x Texel, both of whcih are probably bred by pedigree breeders from ewes that are too poor to breed pure.

The number of failed breeds is legion: Bleu du Maine, Rouge de l'est, Highlander, Meat Link, Lleyn.............

Sorry, I was meaning the Lleyn, certainly dont think they are failed

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

The number of failed breeds is legion: Bleu du Maine, Rouge de l'est, Highlander, Meat Link, Lleyn............

Must say I've tried 2 of those breeds and I wouldn't entertain them again. There's still one on the list I've got an itch to try though....

 

[unlacedgecko]

Has anyone here used a lleyn tup on suffolk/mule and/or texel/mule ewes to breed replacements? If so how did the resulting ewes turn out?
Thinking about pulling out a few ewes this year to give it a go.

What are you looking to achieve?

Probably best to thing about what your goal is, then work back from there.

 

[FirlodgeFarm]

What are you looking to achieve?

Probably best to thing about what your goal is, then work back from there.

Breed a good bodied maternal ewe from the ewes I already have, that will be able to leave me a decent fat lamb when crossed back onto a terminal sire.
Don't see the sense in spending £180 per head for replacements every year

 

[unlacedgecko]

Breed a good bodied maternal ewe from the ewes I already have, that will be able to leave me a decent fat lamb when crossed back onto a terminal sire.
Don't see the sense in spending £180 per head for replacements every year

Where are you and what's your system?

Lambing inside in Feb and creeping? Lambing out in Apr and finishing off forage? What's your target ewe weight and scan? Etc etc

 

[M-J-G]

Your user name is well chosen. Are you a plant to drive forum traffic?

One does often wonder

 

[Nithsdale]

Sorry, I was meaning the Lleyn, certainly dont think they are failed

He can't give you an answer to them specifically
He just trolls the same utter pish which is totally unsubstantiated.

He will be fizzing his pants to hear that Neil McCleary sent me a letter desperate for my LLEYN lambs again this year...

 

[M-J-G]

Yes we have, but it didn't last long. North Country Cheviot (Park Type) are much better. And the wether lambs are much more sale-able. Whereabouts are you?

Some folk might suggest the Aberfield, but like the Lleyn it has probably had its day.

An alternative is to criss-cross the Suffolk and Texel. Starting with what you've got, put the Suffolk on light-face ewes and the Texel on dark-faced ewes. And if for some reason it doesn't work or you change farming policy, you'll have some decent sale-able ewes for breeding or for the fat market.

Keeping those big monster sheep to get a 45kg lamb is rather like using a sledge hammer to crack a nut.

Next thing you'll be telling folks to use a Beltex on them.

 

[FirlodgeFarm]

Where are you and what's your system?

Lambing inside in Feb and creeping? Lambing out in Apr and finishing off forage? What's your target ewe weight and scan? Etc etc

In Northern Ireland, at the minute lamb 2 batches, both inside. Late jan/Feb and creep and then another in mid march and no creep. Looking to lamb everything in march next year with no creep. I know the price is great ATM but with rising feed and forage costs I just can't see the early lambing job being viable next year. Scan I would like to be in around 190. This year was 180 for the early batch and 215 for the latter lambers.

 

[hendrebc]

Lleyn are generally good sheep but you need to be very careful choosing a ram because there are a lot of poor ones. You can say that about all breeds but it's more important to get it right if you want to keep daughters from him because the wrong ram would be an expensive mistake. Make sure the ram breeder keeps his sheep the same way you want to run yours because there is a lot of variation in the breed. And make sure the ram breeder is telling the truth about how he runs his sheep.
There are plenty of people who hate lleyns and they have all had rams or ewes from someone who ran them on different systems to their own and been disappointed.

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

An alternative view that might upset some but hey ho!. Lleyns seem to be like marmite, you really like it or you can't stand it. I don't know whether this is down to variation in the breed or them needing a certain kind of management or a bit of both. You said you are spending £180 on replacements, presumably this is for shearlings so I can see why you are looking at alternatives. A simple system that is very popular is to find a good producer of mule gimmer lambs. Buy what you need each year to maintain a nucleus flock put to a Texel or Texel x Beltex tup. Keep those gimmers to go into your main flock and you will have maternal ewes that will be able to leave a decent fat lamb when crossed back onto a terminal sire.

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

Just to add to that, if the above doesn't appeal then I think a Cheviot would be your best choice