Pedigree Beltex Sheep

[Eleanor2021]

Hello Everyone!
Can anyone offer me some advice on Beltex sheep and answer the following questions for me:

1. Best concentrate to feed housed Beltex? ratios, quantity etc.
2. Best supplements, licks etc. for Beltex?
3. Breeding regime? e.g. introduction of ram, feeding in late pregnancy etc.
4. Best Beltex crosses
5. Most popular Beltex rams/tups

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank You

 

[MRT]

1. If its a single NONE!!! (My involvement in beltex is only on the getting the lambs out side of things though )
2. See 1.

 

[Agrivator]

If you are new to sheep, the very last breed you should consider is the Beltex - apart from Easycares and Lleyns of course.

And in response to your 5th query: ''Most popular Beltex rams/tups'', the only answer is: ''Those that are still alive''.

 

[Al R]

And in response to your 5th query: ''Most popular Beltex rams/tups'', the only answer is: ''Those that are still alive''.

@neilo

 

[spin cycle]

Hello Everyone!
Can anyone offer me some advice on Beltex sheep and answer the following questions for me:

1. Best concentrate to feed housed Beltex? ratios, quantity etc.
2. Best supplements, licks etc. for Beltex?
3. Breeding regime? e.g. introduction of ram, feeding in late pregnancy etc.
4. Best Beltex crosses
5. Most popular Beltex rams/tups

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank You

don't listen to those moaning minnys
1-3 pretty much as all sheep
4 crossed with texel or charolais make great terminal sires
5 from commercial users

i don't care what anyone says about belties as far as i'm concerned, in a lowland situation, we're breeding sheep to sell and thats what belties do best

 

[Longlowdog]

My Beltex ewes are not housed till a week or ten days before lambing (Aberdeenshire 200m above sea level, fields white with snow now). They have hay and cheap vit/min buckets till 6 weeks before lambing and then Lifeline buckets from 6 weeks to lambing. Once they come in they get half a pound of ewe nuts to accustom their rumens to the food they will be given after lambing.
My ewes are synchronised with sponges and PMSG for a late March lambing and are either A.I'd with fresh semen or hand mated on farm. Earlier lambings than this deffo need sponges and PMSG. Many folk use sponges, PMSG and frozen semen for A.I and embryo transfer to recip' ewes.
Beltex have very narrow birth canals and need lots of time and you will still probably assist virtually every ewe. Ceasars are not uncommon. The more extreme the ewe the more likely they are.
Ewes prior to tupping should be in great condition having been weaned early in the year since they lambed early and will/should drop some condition during pregnancy but not be emmaciated so you need decent hay unless you live somewhere blessed with year round grass. You will kill lambs and maybe ewes if you feed Beltex like you would do big wide hipped commercial ewes. Lambs are small but vital.
The best crosses are to commercial, maternal breeds to produce fat lambs. Why would you want to create difficult ewes to lamb by keeping Beltex cross ewes. The Beltex is a terminal sire with one job, make dense, heavily muscled lambs to kill.
You can cross with other terminal sire breed ewes and things like Suff's and Charollais make interesting terminal sires, but...use a tup Beltex on the other ewe, you don't want to be trying to get a Suff' lamb with carthorse legs and a football head out of a Beltex unless you relish the challenge.
My tup and ewe hoggs (last season lambs) for ewe replacements and shearling sales live out all winter. Housing non-pregnant sheep does nothing to demonstrate to a buyer that they will thrive in a commercial situation.
Buying a tup is such a personal thing it is difficult to comment. I've paid thousands and had mediocre lambs and bought an inlamb ewe for 400 that produced my stock tup for 4 years and his sister from the litter is among my best breeders.
These are my thoughts after 7 years with the breed, others with more experience will have different views.

 

[Nithsdale]

If you are new to sheep, the very last breed you should consider is the Beltex - apart from Easycares and Lleyns of course.

And in response to your 5th query: ''Most popular Beltex rams/tups'', the only answer is: ''Those that are still alive''.

I agree.

You need to be a bloody good shepherd to get anywhere with these breeds.
If you lack ability you'll blame the breed for your failings.

 

[pgk]

Only experience we have is pure beltex stores, if they puff avoid as very prone to pneumonia, finish slow, best we have done is on oats and vetch, tremendous lambs, topped the market. Son lambed for a chap who put grass fed beltex tups to his lleyns which lambed easily, slow growing but wonderfully shapely lambs.

 

[neilo]

We’ve had them a few years now and can honestly say that I’ve never had a really bad lambing from them, and certainly no C sections. I took advice on feeding them from a few experienced breeders, then reduced it a bit.

Mine are on forage only all winter, then on straw for the last few weeks, with (literally) a small handful of nuts to provide some protein & mins. Keep them reasonably lean and try to get 3-4kg lambs, not great big lumpers that there isn’t pelvic room to get out. Feed well after lambing to increase milk production. Great little mums too.

If you keep on a few of the ‘big names’ in the breed on Facebook, you will see sheep having a very cushy life, never without a trough in front of them, rarely out in the rain, etc. Then you’ll see the same breeders proclaiming how good their Caesarian vet is. The two may well be linked....

I find they work very well on ewe lambs, the crossbred lambs being small & easily born, then up and searching out the teat like most continental breeds. They do grow slowly, which is great for not pulling hoggs down, but I wouldn’t waste a mature ewe on one here. They do make for lambs that grade well, especially if you can keep them long enough, and finish easily IME.

I have decided to simplify things here, and just concentrate on the one pedigree breed, so my little flock of 13 in-lamb Beltex ewes will be for sale shortly. Due in early March, all to pedigree Beltex rams. They’re in a shed on hay at the moment, and will get some photos once they’re ‘de-mudded’ a bit more, before advertising them.

 

[Al R]

We’ve had them a few years now and can honestly say that I’ve never had a really bad lambing from them, and certainly no C sections. I took advice on feeding them from a few experienced breeders, then reduced it a bit.

Mine are on forage only all winter, then on straw for the last few weeks, with (literally) a small handful of nuts to provide some protein & mins. Keep them reasonably lean and try to get 3-4kg lambs, not great big lumpers that there isn’t pelvic room to get out. Feed well after lambing to increase milk production. Great little mums too.

If you keep on a few of the ‘big names’ in the breed on Facebook, you will see sheep having a very cushy life, never without a trough in front of them, rarely out in the rain, etc. Then you’ll see the same breeders proclaiming how good their Caesarian vet is. The two may well be linked....

I find they work very well on ewe lambs, the crossbred lambs being small & easily born, then up and searching out the teat like most continental breeds. They do grow slowly, which is great for not pulling hoggs down, but I wouldn’t waste a mature ewe on one here. They do make for lambs that grade well, especially if you can keep them long enough, and finish easily IME.

I have decided to simplify things here, and just concentrate on the one pedigree breed, so my little flock of 13 in-lamb Beltex ewes will be for sale shortly. Due in early March, all to pedigree Beltex rams. They’re in a shed on hay at the moment, and will get some photos once they’re ‘de-mudded’ a bit more, before advertising them.

Leave them out and they’ll de mud :0

 

[neilo]

Leave them out and they’ll de mud :0

Not much possibility of that here at the moment, not until March anyway.

 

[Eleanor2021]

Thanks so much for all the responses. I have a small commercial flock who are all in lamb to a charlois ram and two pedigree registered Beltex ewe lambs. Just trying to figure out the route to go with the Beltex.

 

[pgk]

We’ve had them a few years now and can honestly say that I’ve never had a really bad lambing from them, and certainly no C sections. I took advice on feeding them from a few experienced breeders, then reduced it a bit.

Mine are on forage only all winter, then on straw for the last few weeks, with (literally) a small handful of nuts to provide some protein & mins. Keep them reasonably lean and try to get 3-4kg lambs, not great big lumpers that there isn’t pelvic room to get out. Feed well after lambing to increase milk production. Great little mums too.

If you keep on a few of the ‘big names’ in the breed on Facebook, you will see sheep having a very cushy life, never without a trough in front of them, rarely out in the rain, etc. Then you’ll see the same breeders proclaiming how good their Caesarian vet is. The two may well be linked....

I find they work very well on ewe lambs, the crossbred lambs being small & easily born, then up and searching out the teat like most continental breeds. They do grow slowly, which is great for not pulling hoggs down, but I wouldn’t waste a mature ewe on one here. They do make for lambs that grade well, especially if you can keep them long enough, and finish easily IME.

I have decided to simplify things here, and just concentrate on the one pedigree breed, so my little flock of 13 in-lamb Beltex ewes will be for sale shortly. Due in early March, all to pedigree Beltex rams. They’re in a shed on hay at the moment, and will get some photos once they’re ‘de-mudded’ a bit more, before advertising them.

don't tell Paddy!

 

[Bury the Trash]

We’ve had them a few years now and can honestly say that I’ve never had a really bad lambing from them, and certainly no C sections. I took advice on feeding them from a few experienced breeders, then reduced it a bit.

Mine are on forage only all winter, then on straw for the last few weeks, with (literally) a small handful of nuts to provide some protein & mins. Keep them reasonably lean and try to get 3-4kg lambs, not great big lumpers that there isn’t pelvic room to get out. Feed well after lambing to increase milk production. Great little mums too.

If you keep on a few of the ‘big names’ in the breed on Facebook, you will see sheep having a very cushy life, never without a trough in front of them, rarely out in the rain, etc. Then you’ll see the same breeders proclaiming how good their Caesarian vet is. The two may well be linked....

I find they work very well on ewe lambs, the crossbred lambs being small & easily born, then up and searching out the teat like most continental breeds. They do grow slowly, which is great for not pulling hoggs down, but I wouldn’t waste a mature ewe on one here. They do make for lambs that grade well, especially if you can keep them long enough, and finish easily IME.

I have decided to simplify things here, and just concentrate on the one pedigree breed, so my little flock of 13 in-lamb Beltex ewes will be for sale shortly. Due in early March, all to pedigree Beltex rams. They’re in a shed on hay at the moment, and will get some photos once they’re ‘de-mudded’ a bit more, before advertising them.

sounds like @spin cycle might be interested in buying them

 

[liammogs]

Been keeping them now 7/8 years, taken me that long to find the right type within the breed to keep, personally I keepca larger than usual ewe and a freak of a tup to make lambing easier and also I find that there are more customers for the larger rams come sale time; no hard or fast rule with the breed any different to others, the ewes wouldn't be ideal to cross try to keep them pure, but crossing the other way is a greater advantage! There a fun breed producing lambs for many avenue to wherever you decide to take them from fat stock to tup makers to top notch butchers lambs enjoy

 

[liammogs]

We’ve had them a few years now and can honestly say that I’ve never had a really bad lambing from them, and certainly no C sections. I took advice on feeding them from a few experienced breeders, then reduced it a bit.

Mine are on forage only all winter, then on straw for the last few weeks, with (literally) a small handful of nuts to provide some protein & mins. Keep them reasonably lean and try to get 3-4kg lambs, not great big lumpers that there isn’t pelvic room to get out. Feed well after lambing to increase milk production. Great little mums too.

If you keep on a few of the ‘big names’ in the breed on Facebook, you will see sheep having a very cushy life, never without a trough in front of them, rarely out in the rain, etc. Then you’ll see the same breeders proclaiming how good their Caesarian vet is. The two may well be linked....

I find they work very well on ewe lambs, the crossbred lambs being small & easily born, then up and searching out the teat like most continental breeds. They do grow slowly, which is great for not pulling hoggs down, but I wouldn’t waste a mature ewe on one here. They do make for lambs that grade well, especially if you can keep them long enough, and finish easily IME.

I have decided to simplify things here, and just concentrate on the one pedigree breed, so my little flock of 13 in-lamb Beltex ewes will be for sale shortly. Due in early March, all to pedigree Beltex rams. They’re in a shed on hay at the moment, and will get some photos once they’re ‘de-mudded’ a bit more, before advertising them.
[/QUOTE/]

Where would you take them to sell them, Welshpool?

 

[bean]

We’ve had them a few years now and can honestly say that I’ve never had a really bad lambing from them, and certainly no C sections. I took advice on feeding them from a few experienced breeders, then reduced it a bit.

Mine are on forage only all winter, then on straw for the last few weeks, with (literally) a small handful of nuts to provide some protein & mins. Keep them reasonably lean and try to get 3-4kg lambs, not great big lumpers that there isn’t pelvic room to get out. Feed well after lambing to increase milk production. Great little mums too.

If you keep on a few of the ‘big names’ in the breed on Facebook, you will see sheep having a very cushy life, never without a trough in front of them, rarely out in the rain, etc. Then you’ll see the same breeders proclaiming how good their Caesarian vet is. The two may well be linked....

I find they work very well on ewe lambs, the crossbred lambs being small & easily born, then up and searching out the teat like most continental breeds. They do grow slowly, which is great for not pulling hoggs down, but I wouldn’t waste a mature ewe on one here. They do make for lambs that grade well, especially if you can keep them long enough, and finish easily IME.

I have decided to simplify things here, and just concentrate on the one pedigree breed, so my little flock of 13 in-lamb Beltex ewes will be for sale shortly. Due in early March, all to pedigree Beltex rams. They’re in a shed on hay at the moment, and will get some photos once they’re ‘de-mudded’ a bit more, before advertising them.

are your ewes mv ?

 

[spin cycle]

sounds like @spin cycle might be interested in buying them

read my fekkin mind .....mrs spin'll kill me

 

[Longlowdog]

@spin cycle , go for it. When your good lady sees the cute little white lambies with their perky ears, ever so bright eyes and chubby little bums all will be forgiven...probably. The sheep will remain long after the bruising settles down.

 

[Estate fencing.]

read my fekkin mind .....mrs spin'll kill me

Don’t tell her then!