Meatlinc sheep

[Dave6170]

Used a tup on our cheviot mule gimmers last year. Well through lambing now, they have all so far lambed them selves got up and sooked. Weather has been kind up until today. Not much wool on them so not sure how theyed cope with a bad lambing

Anyone else use meatlincs? We know they are not suitable for replacements but cant remember why? How do they finish on forage only?

Dad wanted to try something new on gimmers and our neighbour was going out of sheep so we got his meatlinc.

 

[Tim W]

I used a tup on 60 ewes this year and likewise I found the lambs to get up and suck

Next door have 1500+ meatlink lambs every year finished on grass and turnips

Why would they not be considered suitable for replacements when other terminal crosses are?

 

[Dave6170]

Sure someone said to us they were no good for replacements...? Too may crosses...?

 

[Gulli]

Sure someone said to us they were no good for replacements...? Too may crosses...?

bought some lleyn x meatlinc shearlings last year and they have been fantastic, all had twins, lively strong lambs and milky sheep
1 left and she will probably pop her lambs out into a water trough and then die herself now ive said that!

 

[Dave6170]

Someone has been telling us stories!

 

[NZDan]

Someone has been telling us stories!

Yes they have.
I scan a couple of lots, Meatlinc x Mules and Metalinc X (LleynxBlackies) In both cases they out scan the parent cross's. The ewes out of the Mules are very even and are mated to Meatlinc and Suffolk tups.

 

[neilo]

They are a terminal sire. Like any other, if you keep their daughters as replacements, you will get a better quality lamb, being 3/4 terminal, but they won't all lamb themselves & get up and suck.

If you see how your lambs turn out, you will have an idea as to how variable any ewe replacements might breed. It is sure to be an issue with any hybrid/composite/crossbred, but what degree of variation is acceptable, is up to you I guess.

 

[Dave6170]

Maybe it is the variations you can get they were on about. We ve had pairs with one black and one white lamb, wooly ones, less wooly ones.... But they are all lamb get up and sook which is the most important thing, when outside lambing especially

 

[NZDan]

They are a terminal sire. Like any other, if you keep their daughters as replacements, you will get a better quality lamb, being 3/4 terminal, but they won't all lamb themselves & get up and suck.

If you see how your lambs turn out, you will have an idea as to how variable any ewe replacements might breed. It is sure to be an issue with any hybrid/composite/crossbred, but what degree of variation is acceptable, is up to you I guess.

I think they have a maternal line now as well??

 

[neilo]

... But they are all lamb get up and sook which is the most important thing, when outside lambing especially

Agreed, but my point was that if the ewes are half (any decent) terminal sire, they will not lamb as easily. The next cross will not all 'get up and sook', through the extra fleshing over the ewe's hindquarters, pelvic shape/orientation and the fact that the 3/4 lamb will be a meatier lamb born. Up to you to way up whether the extra work is worthwhile, for the extra premium (& losses) on the lambs.

 

[Dave6170]

The cheviot mules have been excellent this lambing. So we ll keep them for our replacements. Just thought the meatlinc was worth a try on them. We were just wondering how they d fair in a wet lambing? And how well they finish.

 

[neilo]

I think they have a maternal line now as well??

Maybe, but it can only be pulled from a relatively small population of terminal sire sheep. I would have thought that it would take a very long time, with ruthless selection, to create a true maternal line (or what many might expect from a maternal line) from a terminal sire that has spent a couple of decades pushing as hard as they can on terminal traits.

 

[Dave6170]

NZDan whats your views on nz suffolks? when we were in nz we never seen 1 black headed sheep in the whole country! does that tell me something...? someone suggested them for our gimmers. my father got fed up with suffolks a few years ago.

 

[NZDan]

You won't see many as they're only used as terminals. But still a significant breed. I think the NZ suffolks in Britian are a much better sheep then the current UK suffolk and if I was using suffolk rams I really wouldn't consider any thing else. What do you currently use? Just Meatlincs?

 

[NZDan]

Maybe, but it can only be pulled from a relatively small population of terminal sire sheep. I would have thought that it would take a very long time, with ruthless selection, to create a true maternal line (or what many might expect from a maternal line) from a terminal sire that has spent a couple of decades pushing as hard as they can on terminal traits.

I don't think its a maternal line of ewes, simply the rams with the best maternal genetics are identified for sale. But that is 2nd or 3rd hand information.
The one farm that has meatlinc x Mules bred back to Suffolk and Meatlinc lambs claim to have no more lambing difficulty in the 2nd x meatlincs than the first but do have a lot of bother with the suffolk cross ones. The Meatlincx lambs are easier to finish and faster growing but the suffolkX lambs get a premium as stores so the they store the Suffs and finish the Meatlincs. I can think of at least one terminal sire source that would be a better option than thier suffolks
I think on that particular farm they are going to stop buying in Mules and just go all Meatlinc ewes.

 

[Jackson4]

I will NEVER have suffolks on this farm again (and i know different breeders will make good or bad sheep in the same breed.. but ) most of my lambs are meatlincs but weve had suffolks here since forever.... they are going down the road this year.. compared to the meatlinc they really show there inadiquacies... harder lambing (not as easy to lamb, big head and big legs ... dopey... from being awkward to get on to the teat to them taking twice as long to catch on to creep being a very enjoyable food (the meatlincs seem to actively be eating grazing and fighting for creep all day wereas the suffolks just seem happy to be sat around looking dopey!) when i eventually did stop creeping them (expensive creep, some grass growing) then the suffolks just sit around again going backwards until i turn up with there dinner!

I am mightily impressed with the meatlincs... they actively want to grow beit by creep or grazing. They have marched on through all sorts of weather and stresses (jan lambing in the pennines = snow and general 3 months of crapiness) when the suffolks get any stress they just tend to look longer leaner and with slighly bigger heads than they should somehow!( no jokes please) + at the end of it you get a much better carcass (great back end and finer boned)

You couldnt tell they were an amalgam of breeds (locals called them my texels until i told them) they are all the look the same out of my dorset x nc mule.... only thing i will say is you do get maybe 1 or 2 in a hundred with strange looking kempy long hair?! some all covered or just half? and i have had some smallish twins born but whether thats them or the bad condition of the sheep this year i wont know till they lamb again.

2 of the 3 charrollais are going as well as if your interested (were not) as if you dont find the very best of the breed i find them and there lambs a bit plain and they have worse feet in general too (there! jacksons cant sleep, get up and rant/babble on the computer about his sheep breed) Good morning everyone!

 

[Dave6170]

You won't see many as they're only used as terminals. But still a significant breed. I think the NZ suffolks in Britian are a much better sheep then the current UK suffolk and if I was using suffolk rams I really wouldn't consider any thing else. What do you currently use? Just Meatlincs?

Mainly texels on bulk of ewes. BFL on cast hill cheviots from hill flock for our cheviot mules then meatlincs for the 1st time last year on them.

 

[DrDunc]

My grandfather was a Suffolk breeder (parkhouse flock). Since his days of selling well fleshed easy lambing terminal sires, it's horrific what has been allowed to happen. You dinnae eat heeds n bones.

My cousin is one of the meatlinc sire vendors. He uses them on a mix of 2000 lleyn and Shetland ewes. He lambs outside (as many do here) and finish then off grass and a little rape (as many do here)

 

[Dave6170]

They did the same to the north country cheviots up here! completly out of fashion now. Huge heads and legs. And they need a hell of a feed! only the die hard breeders keep them going.
Suffolks... Shitty arsed b*****ds!

 

[M-J-G]

They are a terminal sire. Like any other, if you keep their daughters as replacements, you will get a better quality lamb, being 3/4 terminal, but they won't all lamb themselves & get up and suck.

If you see how your lambs turn out, you will have an idea as to how variable any ewe replacements might breed. It is sure to be an issue with any hybrid/composite/crossbred, but what degree of variation is acceptable, is up to you I guess.

Up until 6 months ago I would have agreed with your posts. Then a good friend of mine told me of a visit he went on where the guy crisscrossed Suffolk and Texel and was selling over 200% of nearly all E+U grades. He only bought Rams and kept ewe lambs from twins or triplets and culled ewes that had more than 1 single in a lifetime. Nor would he suckle lambs. The farmer said that there was nothing that culling couldn't sort out. Doesn't help the breeders who are happy with a big single monster Ram lamb the size of a shearling at sale time.