Rouge or Charollais

[Oneman37]

Had my mind set on purchasing a Charollais ram to run with ewe lambs. But from working with some over the winter, put me off somewhat. They are mad and less settled than my other ewes.

would a rouge be calmer ?

 

[unlacedgecko]

Had my mind set on purchasing a Charollais ram to run with ewe lambs. But from working with some over the winter, put me off somewhat. They are mad and less settled than my other ewes.

would a rouge be calmer ?

Are you going to retain females? Do you sell live or dead?

 

[Oneman37]

Sell live, will retain females but maybe not in first year.

 

[unlacedgecko]

Charollais more recognizable as a terminal. Would they bring a premium in your local mart?

 

[Oneman37]

Not sure, I know Charollais grow well. But their not just my kind of ewe, to mad. A good Belclare could grow alright too.

 

[andybk]

Rouge (and blue) is used as a female sire (used pure) in France , Charollais is widely used terminal sire , pure rouges are very nesh a lot worse than even french charollais if your lambing outside , long coat but very open , easy lambing and good killing out % due to fine bone though . Have seen examples of rouges in France with conformation to rival charollais BUT never seen any in uk as good , Basically its a female producer

 

[M-J-G]

Had my mind set on purchasing a Charollais ram to run with ewe lambs. But from working with some over the winter, put me off somewhat. They are mad and less settled than my other ewes.

would a rouge be calmer ?

I've had Char ewes and I'd class them as horrible, they were wild, lean and poor milking, which is just as well as they were good at ha in singles.
I found myself hating them increasingly the longer I had them.
At that time I had a rouge ram and I found the ewes off him to be more manageable.
They might have been a bit more prone to prolapse than others, but apart from that they were OK sheep.
More quiet than the Char ewes were, but they weren't pets by any stretch.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

I use Rouge on my ewe lambs. The tups are sodding mental. No other way of describing them. But they are some of the easiest lambs I’ve ever had out of hoggs. BUT I’m lambing inside. The rouge lambs need that first couple of days with NO wet or cold. They just can’t stand it. Once they are 3 days old they fill out and away they go. Everything goes far here, so I haven’t tried retaining any lambs back. I’m very pleased with them and will be after another rouge this next autumn.

 

[M-J-G]

I use Rouge on my ewe lambs. The tups are sodding mental. No other way of describing them. But they are some of the easiest lambs I’ve ever had out of hoggs. BUT I’m lambing inside. The rouge lambs need that first couple of days with NO wet or cold. They just can’t stand it. Once they are 3 days old they fill out and away they go. Everything goes far here, so I haven’t tried retaining any lambs back. I’m very pleased with them and will be after another rouge this next autumn.

In your position I'd consider Roussin, not quite the terminal of the Char but not that far behind from what I see with other lambs locally.
I'm finding them as fast growing as out Hampshire sired lambs.
Our first Roussin hoggs lambed this year and I'm finding them to be doing fine, very keen on their lambs and keeping their lambs full a s easy to work with, but I they'll have to perform in order to be any part of a longterm plan.
I'm planning to use some Lleyns this autumn with the idea being to criss cross Roussin and Lleyn.

 

[Skintagain]

Personally rouge are cranks. Charolais are cranks.

no females I would want from either breed unless I was breeding rams

Terminal wise not much in them just better coats on charley. I would say Charley would grow quicker as a rule but some good growthy rouge out there too if you can find them

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Personally rouge are cranks. Charolais are cranks.

no females I would want from either breed unless I was breeding rams

Terminal wise not much in them just better coats on charley. I would say Charley would grow quicker as a rule but some good growthy rouge out there too if you can find them

It does make a massive difference that I’m not interested in selling lambs before December. Quite happy too get them out on keep and wait for the glut too work it’s way out.

The rouge are funny things too finish though. They go from just meat too well finished in the blink of an eye. You think they are going stale then whoosh, you’re drawing fat hoggs left right and centre. Very strange

 

[Sheepfog]

Had my mind set on purchasing a Charollais ram to run with ewe lambs. But from working with some over the winter, put me off somewhat. They are mad and less settled than my other ewes.

would a rouge be calmer ?

Charollais will be wild and soft compared to other breeds - certainly wouldn't keep any females. In general, birth weights are creeping up in the breed which is a shame as they used to be an ideal easy lambing sire for hoggs.

Rouge will be less wild but softer? Again, probably best to avoid keeping females.

For hoggs, if you want a continental, a Beltex or Roussin would fit the bill.

 

[unlacedgecko]

Charollais lamb out a Welsh draft born this week.

There's blue sky in the photo but this is the weather this week.

Touch wood, not lost any to exposure.

 

[M-J-G]

At least you're getting temps in the teens, I'd be delighted with double figures.

 

[Skintagain]

Charollais lamb out a Welsh draft born this week.

There's blue sky in the photo but this is the weather this week.

Touch wood, not lost any to exposure.

My mrs would love that lamb!!

 

[unlacedgecko]

My mrs would love that lamb!!

£70/life and you can have as many as you want.

 

[Highland Mule]

At least you're getting temps in the teens, I'd be delighted with double figures.

And not a snowflake in sight! I’d be happy with temperatures that stayed positive...

 

[neilo]

Personally rouge are cranks. Charolais are cranks.

no females I would want from either breed unless I was breeding rams

I’d agree with all of that. They breed hard work into a maternal flock, while the market doesn’t come close to rewarding the extra on the terminal side.

 

[Skintagain]

£70/life and you can have as many as you want.

I bet I can lol

 

[neilo]

In your position I'd consider Roussin, not quite the terminal of the Char but not that far behind from what I see with other lambs locally.
I'm finding them as fast growing as out Hampshire sired lambs.
Our first Roussin hoggs lambed this year and I'm finding them to be doing fine, very keen on their lambs and keeping their lambs full a s easy to work with, but I they'll have to perform in order to be any part of a longterm plan.
I'm planning to use some Lleyns this autumn with the idea being to criss cross Roussin and Lleyn.

I’ve a handful of pure Roussin ewes, all of which I certainly wouldn’t describe as ‘good’ maternally. They rear a single ok, but twins are dragged up (on a forage based system).
Last year I used a Roussin ram, alongside a couple of Beltexes, on my hoggs, and I’m on selling the hoggs now. There were a few less lambing issues with the Roussins last year, but not a massive difference tbh.
Now I’ve finally got them up to slaughter weights, they are a million miles behind the Beltex crosses for weight and (unsurprisingly) carcass quality. They look nice enough lambs coming up the race, but weigh like corks on the scales.

I have him another chance on the hoggs this year, but disappointed overall. The Roussin ram is now pulled out to go with the culls next Monday. They are certainly incomparable to a Rouge (or a Charollais) ime, either of which I’d use before a Roussin tbh.