JD-Kid
Member
- Location
- Akaroa.. New Zealand
no worrys if hanging them up the live ring can have a lot to answer for at times
Romney ewe lambs
- Thread starter T7170
- Start date
- Location
- Scottish Borders
Primera is what I use, easy to lamb, and hardy. Grow well too !
Not bowing instantly to the latest fad you mean?
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
From what I've seen Beltex x Charollais can vary between some wide, stocky things, and some with poorer shape than any half decent Charollais would have. Primera's themselves are INCREDIBLY variable too (some even look reasonable
). It would be foolish to say one of those would be better on ewe lambs than another, without seeing them IMO.I still have a few (thick) Beltex x Charollais left, and I wouldn't advocate using them on ewe lambs at all.
Depends which ine has the narrowest shoulders and smallest head. My guess would be the primera x
From what I've seen Beltex x Charollais can vary between some wide, stocky things, and some with poorer shape than any half decent Charollais would have. Primera's themselves are INCREDIBLY variable too (some even look reasonable
I still have a few (thick) Beltex x Charollais left, and I wouldn't advocate using them on ewe lambs at all.
Yes my 2 primera x are v different - one is like a blocky char but with small head and shoulders. The other is much bigger and longer but still pretty narrow in front. You can really see them but...
The beltex are fairly stocky
Highcountryshepherd
Member
why use a primera x char ?? Thought primeras were the breed to save the industry Char x beltex be much better option
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
Have you used any of them before, to know whether they tend to throw big lambs?
I wouldn't be too concerned about using any of those on ewe lambs tbh, just going from the photos. My Beltex X yearlings would all have been a lot heavier in the shoulder than those, but next year's (by a different ram, more 'Beltexy' and less 'small Texely') are a lot more wedge shaped. Hence my point about variation in types.
Used the beltex x for last few years on ewes, haven't had any problems with them. The primera x are new. Didn't intend to buy them but just keep getting drawn to them when I was picking the rams. So we shall see....
up til now I've used a Welsh x texel ram (he was an accident but did the job amazingly, randy bugger!!!) but he's in his teens and although still keen he's a bit arthritic. I'm going to give him a few and then have him shot [emoji22]
Lambing ewe lambs with him over them had been a joy so now I'm a bit scared of using anything else!
up til now I've used a Welsh x texel ram (he was an accident but did the job amazingly, randy bugger!!!) but he's in his teens and although still keen he's a bit arthritic. I'm going to give him a few and then have him shot [emoji22]
Lambing ewe lambs with him over them had been a joy so now I'm a bit scared of using anything else!
Highcountryshepherd
Member
Lambed primeras on awell known estate in Scotland was were primeras were originally sold from , The variability in the tups was well a understatement , and the lambs also , would of lambed 50% of shearlings in lamb to them big lambs hung. Cos of shoulders , not breed knocking but a observation
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
I'd go with what you know and use the Beltex crosses. They appear to have small heads and slight shoulders and you know they aren't throwing any problems. Whatever the marketeers might tell you, there are a few folk about that have had lambing issues with Primeras and curse ever letting them on the place, but most seem to get on OK on that score and seem be prepared to accept poorer shaped lambs. I've heard enough bad tales to make me wary of believing they'd all be easy lambers, the same as in any other breed.
When i was short of suitable wedge shaped rams for ewe lambs id go through my fat lambs and pick out something i thought would do the job well enough. Used all kinds of crosses, mostly wuth afair bit of lleyn in it, none were the best looking but all were better than using something too big. Should be easy to find something similar to your welsh cross texel even if you had to go to a neighbour to get one. Id say lambing ease would be one of my main priorities with rams for ewe lambs even if it means getting a poorer lamb from them.
Woolless
Member
- Location
- Berwickshire, Scottish Borders
I (inadvertantly!) did this this last year. Had a brain fade when drawing lambs and left two crappy little Hampshire x tup lambs in with the smaller ewe hoggs. As a result, I had 17 extra in-lamb but only had to give a couple a little tug and didn't lose a lamb.
I used to do this every year till we started keeping pure lleyns and bought or kept unrelated lleyn rams for them so i could breed more replacements from them to build numbers. I wouldbt hesitate to do it again was a really cheap way of tupping them even if the lambs werent the best lambing them was easy. Bought 2 charmoise this year so hopefully they will be easy to lamb and a better lamb from themm
It seems texel aren't the only rams that fit well with a romney
Will be crossing the hoggets to a texel this year hopefully to get some replacements and using a homebred charlaois on the ewe lambs again
NZDan
Member
- Location
- Broomfield, New Zealand
I mate all my hoggets to a Texel. Good small fine lambs with a will to live.
- Location
- North Yorkshire
@MRT might have some left?
T7170
Member
Thanks a mill great lookin stock [emoji106]