Suffolk or texel Rams?

we changed away from suffolks years back when they started to breed the mineral bucket haed and tree trunk legs and breed them to be 50kg before they are fit for slaughter,
we used to use the suffolk to cross over cheviots and crossbreds to have a quick fit lamb at 39 to 44 kg and the texel are gone like beltexs all small and hard lambed and now talking about wool and clippings the most important thing about a texel of thr future.
 

Nithsdale

Member
Livestock Farmer
we changed away from suffolks years back when they started to breed the mineral bucket haed and tree trunk legs and breed them to be 50kg before they are fit for slaughter,
we used to use the suffolk to cross over cheviots and crossbreds to have a quick fit lamb at 39 to 44 kg and the texel are gone like beltexs all small and hard lambed and now talking about wool and clippings the most important thing about a texel of thr future.


Leaves you 3 options...

1: Stay ahead of the pack and change to an as yet unpopular breed for your tups...

2: Pick the breed which suits your needs most, and start breeding your own rams...

3: Try the NZ types...
 

andybk

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Mendips Somerset
.Out of interest, I wonder what role circumstances can have in turning on and off genes, I have bought three rams from one breeder now, all have failed to put flesh back on but have grown out, in other words have not coped well with my more commercial system, But all have produced lambs which have thrived on our system and performed as per their expected EBVs, now that may be only due to high protein diets when the rams were being reared damaging their gut but hasn't prevented their lambs from living on grass

its a shame your ram breeder doesnt have the confidence in his stock to not pump them early on , he is wasting a valuable opportunity and cost , rams that melt wont do his reputation any good whatever the lambs are like and will shorten his working life , seems like the offspring are doing well so genetics are working and there is probally hybid vigour at work as well which will give a better lamb than the father might suggest , so its just his management as far as i can see ,
 

gatepost

Member
Location
Cotswolds
No hybrid vigour as this is in the pedigree flock all recorded and ct scanned, I now that hard feeding beggers them up, but am not convinced that all the genetics follow suit, hence my supposition that circumstance can and does effect genes and their influence.( not including Suffolks which have bred out all the useful genes!!):scratchhead:
 

farmer james

Member
Mixed Farmer
No hybrid vigour as this is in the pedigree flock all recorded and ct scanned, I now that hard feeding beggers them up, but am not convinced that all the genetics follow suit, hence my supposition that circumstance can and does effect genes and their influence.( not including Suffolks which have bred out all the useful genes!!):scratchhead:

I am sure that some Suffolk breeders may have bred out all useful genes as have no doubt some Texel, Charollais or any other breeds you care to mention.
Some of us are breeding sheep to benefit both our customers as well as ourselves

FJ
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
I am sure that some Suffolk breeders may have bred out all useful genes as have no doubt some Texel, Charollais or any other breeds you care to mention.
Some of us are breeding sheep to benefit both our customers as well as ourselves

FJ

I think a lot of breeds are hard at it, we're very good at it in the UK.:( Suffolks are just a prime example of how much damage can be done by the big pedigree guys being so far detached from the world of commercial sheep.
 

gatepost

Member
Location
Cotswolds
I am sure that some Suffolk breeders may have bred out all useful genes as have no doubt some Texel, Charollais or any other breeds you care to mention.
Some of us are breeding sheep to benefit both our customers as well as ourselves

FJ
Said tongue in cheek, and your quite right a lot of damage being done to other breeds by breeders with their own agenda, but it will be a little while before I am convinced to try a Suffolk again after the last 2, the one before that left me some of the best commercial x bred ewes I have ever had.
 
A couple of years age on a bit of a whim I bought a pen of Suffolk mules which run along side our mules and Texel mules. They've been really good, easy lambed, scanned at 198%, very milky and good mothers. I'd like to try some more but I don't know where they were bred originally and reading recent posts on this thread it seems a bit of a lottery as to what you may end up with. Anyone running Suffolk mules got any tips on sourcing?
 

andybk

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Mendips Somerset
Do they breed with commercials in mind? Good feet, easy lambing etc? Kind of keen to try a Suffolk to get fast growing lambs out of the Lleyns, but I'm yet to see a functional one to make me take the leap of faith

yes , well respected and in the breed a long time doesnt do the big sales but does show ,was chatting to him last monday and doesnt like the main run of show stuff @flockeye had one or two i think he was happy with , has hamps as well . Still has lambing issues in the pure suffolks tough as they all do , but i think the general type is ok
 

gatepost

Member
Location
Cotswolds
Bit late, but to finish! old photos of both to see how ''We'' have developed them? Suffolk 1954, Texel 1979
 

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andybk

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Mendips Somerset
Can we go back to those Suffolks, please?!

The Texels have changed - I'd say mostly for the better... That head is far better as the modern one though.

yes like the suffolk but i can see where the ring craft changed them ,just needs a different perspective . and i saw texels like that in france last month ,absolutely huge and wooly Would say UK texels apart from the head and bone are far better sheep these days , (didnt they come from france in the beginning due to some dutch disease problems ) maybe the dutch type put the meat back in the french type they added a bit of size
 
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The last of the Suffolks imported into NZ were just prior to 1954. They still look like that photo with continuing selection to thrive/grow on pasture with minimum shepherding.

NZ Texels are very much like the photo, with selection pressure on growth rate and carcass meat yield. I stress those two points, as changing skeletal shape to make the animal appear meatier (shorter, wider and heavier boned) only stuffs up birthing ease, as a $ saved is as good in the bank as a $ made on the hooks.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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