Suffolk x ewes and .....?

[sheepmatilda]

Hello, ... I read with interest some of the older posts on sheep breeds and everyone seems to have their favourites and not so favourite! I really like the Suffolk as a breed, but it seems that is not necessarily what the market wants? I went to Thame sheep fair and felt that the number of blackface sheep was very much outnumbered by the white face sheep?......I have Suffolk cross ewes and some ewes which are more Suffolk than the cross(as I kept some of the ewe lambs into the flock and crossed with a Suffolk ram)... I think they are getting too Suffolky? and I was thinking about crossing with a Charolais or Texel ram? I only have about 100 ewes, and they are lambed indoors in mid-march April time. I thank you for your thoughts.

 

[hendrebc]

I used to keep suff cross lleyns and put them to a texel. Good lambs off them. Suffolk cross ewes tend to be very milky in my experience

 

[Northeastfarmer]

@Nithsdale Farmer

 

[TL100]

Our first lambs sold will always be off the suff x mule ewes. We use texel tups on ours but a charolais would be a good choice too.

I would never put a Suffolk tup back to Suffolk ewes, the lambs would be too dopey I would think, out of Mules they are as sharp as anything.
I'd be wary of using a crossbred tup on suff x ewes if you sell live weight as the lambs may well look a bit 'mongrelly'.

 

[Nithsdale]

I love how I now get tagged in every thread a Suffolk is mentioned

Texel, or Beltex.
And if you want fast growing lambs, then that narrows it down to the Texel.

IMO I wouldn't put a Charollais near a Suffolk ewe, for a similar reason as said above about not using a crossbred ram. That is by no means a dig at the Charollais - but I feel they dont match, or 'nick', onto Suffolk ewes as well as (am I really saying such an old fashioned thing?!) white faced breeds.

 

[hendrebc]

Charollais on suffolk crosses tend to get wooly heads for some reason. Their heads go a funny brown colour too they arent pretty. Not that it matters its one if the first thing to get cut off a lamb but i agree with them not being a great match with a suffolk ewe. Not sure why

 

[Nithsdale]

Charollais on suffolk crosses tend to get wooly heads for some reason. Their heads go a funny brown colour too they arent pretty. Not that it matters its one if the first thing to get cut off a lamb but i agree with them not being a great match with a suffolk ewe. Not sure why

It's fine is you sell direct, but you'd get punished heavily going in a livering... so it, sadly, does matter.

I really wouldn't advise anyone to do it.

 

[CopperBeech]

It's fine is you sell direct, but you'd get punished heavily going in a livering... so it, sadly, does matter.

I really wouldn't advise anyone to do it.

Which once again, just shows how backwards and stupid the UK sheep trade is.

And people wonder why less and less people are selling live. It's an absolute joke!

 

[Ross121]

A good cheviot tup works well on a Suffolk cross ewe, and can be retained as a ewe lamb too,

 

[Nithsdale]

Which once again, just shows how backwards and stupid the UK sheep trade is.

And people wonder why less and less people are selling live. It's an absolute joke!

Agree. It's quite embarrassing when you stop and actually see the importance put on looks in the fat ring

Yet we are told the livering is best

 

[harperfarmer]

Extremely surprised to see people saying a charollais tup wouldn't suit Suffolk x ewes. In a lot of lowland scenarios this is the cross that would supply the vast majority of finished spring lambs through April/May/June (sold live).

 

[glensman]

I love how I now get tagged in every thread a Suffolk is mentioned

Texel, or Beltex.
And if you want fast growing lambs, then that narrows it down to the Texel.

IMO I wouldn't put a Charollais near a Suffolk ewe, for a similar reason as said above about not using a crossbred ram. That is by no means a dig at the Charollais - but I feel they dont match, or 'nick', onto Suffolk ewes as well as (am I really saying such an old fashioned thing?!) white faced breeds.

sorry @Nithsdale Farmer but that's cobblers, it may not be traditional in your area but there is no better click than a charollais tup on a Suffolk ewe. Consistency of lamb is as good as it gets. They grow fast, weigh like lead and finish of grass easily. Probably the most common use for charollais in N.ire is Suffolk ewes.

 

[Nithsdale]

sorry @Nithsdale Farmer but that's cobblers, it may not be traditional in your area but there is no better click than a charollais tup on a Suffolk ewe. Consistency of lamb is as good as it gets. They grow fast, weigh like lead and finish of grass easily. Probably the most common use for charollais in N.ire is Suffolk ewes.

That's alright. Only going by what I've seen/know and the feedback from the buyers here

 

[Bullring]

That's alright. Only going by what I've seen/know and the feedback from the buyers here

I agree, I sell liveweight and my Charollais x Texal lambs will easily be £5 per head more than my Charollais x Suffolk lambs, buyers don't like the woolly brown heads.

 

[glensman]

That's alright. Only going by what I've seen/know and the feedback from the buyers here

that's not really charollais country your in though( I'm not in charollais country either)in the better sheep country in wales, England and Ireland both north and south it would be a common cross. We tupped Suffolk /cheviot ewe lambs to the charollais a number of years back, they were super lambs.

 

[glensman]

I agree, I sell liveweight and my Charollais x Texal lambs will easily be £5 per head more than my Charollais x Suffolk lambs, buyers don't like the woolly brown heads.

do you not find the charollais/Suffolk lambs are great weighers.

 

[Bullring]

do you not find the charollais/Suffolk lambs are great weighers.

Not really compared to the Charollais x Texal. I prefer the Texal on the Suffolk ewe.

 

[Nithsdale]

that's not really charollais country your in though( I'm not in charollais country either)in the better sheep country in wales, England and Ireland both north and south it would be a common cross. We tupped Suffolk /cheviot ewe lambs to the charollais a number of years back, they were super lambs.

The Cheviot would play a bigger role in that, then the Char IMO keeping the lambs blocky and weighing, whilst also keeping their heads clean of wool/topknots.

Scotland isn't Char country because they aren't good enough. If they were, we would all have them... instead the breed is in real decline up here they do well down south because the climate is much kinder.

But. Quality is quality - the lambs should be the same regardless of where they come from (within reason) and paid for, regardless. I mean, apart for Vivers, there are no abattoirs for lambs within an hour in any direction - most are nearly 2 hours away and many go to Wales to be hung up... so it's not like they are kept/killed locally.


Early lambing ewes put onto heavy creep chasing the early sales - I can see why you'd use the Char. Fast growing. If you sell NSL in late April or May buyers will pay, because demand outstrips supply most years. But if you have Texels on offer at the same time, you'd see which the buyers really want...

 

[glensman]

The Cheviot would play a bigger role in that, then the Char IMO keeping the lambs blocky and weighing, whilst also keeping their heads clean of wool/topknots.

Scotland isn't Char country because they aren't good enough. If they were, we would all have them... instead the breed is in real decline up here they do well down south because the climate is much kinder.

But. Quality is quality - the lambs should be the same regardless of where they come from (within reason) and paid for, regardless. I mean, apart for Vivers, there are no abattoirs for lambs within an hour in any direction - most are nearly 2 hours away and many go to Wales to be hung up... so it's not like they are kept/killed locally.


Early lambing ewes put onto heavy creep chasing the early sales - I can see why you'd use the Char. Fast growing. If you sell NSL in late April or May buyers will pay, because demand outstrips supply most years. But if you have Texels on offer at the same time, you'd see which the buyers really want...

I have no vested interest, if you look at my avatar you'll see a texel lamb( which I managed to kill, shearing him after someone had fed him nuts without telling me, but that's another story) I've used both breeds for years and like them both for different reasons and purposes, sometimes in this country the aesthetics are given more weight than they should be (a luxury partly afforded by subs). That said in tougher climates it has to be texel

 

[harperfarmer]

But if you have Texels on offer at the same time, you'd see which the buyers really want...

Ah but you see there you've hit the nail on the head.......the Texels are never on offer at the same time because they can't match the growth rate. Therefore its pointless trying to compare apples with pears.