TexX ewes - which Tup to use?

[Ysgythan]

So...

After last year's experiment, I hinted at another this year.

Well here they are
View attachment 578352NCC Park type bought at Lockerbie on Wednesday.

I decided to go with the Park, and not Hill, type as I want to keep some size and more importantly length in my ewes... Not that the Hill type is short, but I felt they wouldn't add as much to my ewes as the Park should.

The plan is a 1-off cross onto my Lleyn ewes, then breed back to the Lleyn... just to 'lift' the flock. I have Park X lleyn ewes running from a Park visitor a few years ago, and I do like them and their Texel lambs. The Cheviot blood is easy to see, the lambs weigh and fleshen very easily.

I'd imagine Lleyn and Cheviot would criss cross very well.

 

[jamesy]

They look good, not as extreme as the Caithness Park type possibly?

 

[Nithsdale]

I'd imagine Lleyn and Cheviot would criss cross very well.

Texel too

 

[Bones]

Had very bad experience with park Cheviots here, compared to the south and north type, never again...but good luck.

 

[Woolless]

Had very bad experience with park Cheviots here, compared to the south and north type, never again...but good luck.

What was the issue @Bones?

 

[ryanmcmac45]

Had very bad experience with park Cheviots here, compared to the south and north type, never again...but good luck.

Same has that ..very hard to lamb and hard to flesh.
But the best of luck with them @Nithsdale Farmer

 

[Nithsdale]

Had very bad experience with park Cheviots here, compared to the south and north type, never again...but good luck.

Same has that ..very hard to lamb and hard to flesh.
But the best of luck with them @Nithsdale Farmer

Must be an Irish thing... most folks iv spoken to say they fleshen/grow easier as the Hill type.


Hard lambing depends on the individual sheep you buy. Iv deliberately went for light boned, and no big heads.

 

[Bill dog]

Out of curiosity, do you know why your grandad changed from Cheviots to Blackies back in the day ?
I'd have thought a cheviot would always have left a better lamb. Or maybe the cheviot is greatly improved in recent years ?

 

[Bones]

What was the issue @Bones?

These were pure park not crossed, couldn't lamb, then half of them would have to be put in a grate to take there own lambs , and no milk,,I intended to keep them for crossing with a Leicester to breed replacements, but theres no way I'd keep a lamb out of them. I do use the south and hill type Cheviot, big differences.

 

[Nithsdale]

Out of curiosity, do you know why your grandad changed from Cheviots to Blackies back in the day ?
I'd have thought a cheviot would always have left a better lamb. Or maybe the cheviot is greatly improved in recent years ?

Just like there are quite a few hills moving from Blackie to Cheviot now... there were a lot of places would switch to the Blackie around that time - certainly all the hill farms on this estate moved from the Southies around that time.

I guess just keeping with fashion and chasing the ££.

There's a few Kundys in the dykes here. Always amazes me how small sheep must have been at one time, to get through them my weaned lambs wouldn't fit now - never mind adult ewes!!

 

[neilo]

Must be an Irish thing... most folks iv spoken to say they fleshen/grow easier as the Hill type.


Hard lambing depends on the individual sheep you buy. Iv deliberately went for light boned, and no big heads.

You'll be well practices in handling them sheep next year. You'll be pulling them out and pulling them off.

Without a bit of experimentation, life would be very dull though. Good luck with them.

 

[Nithsdale]

You'll be well practices in handling them sheep next year. You'll be pulling them out and pulling them off.

Without a bit of experimentation, life would be very dull though. Good luck with them.

You said something similar about my Suffolks

Cheers.
The resulting ewes I hope to have from this cross, would actually suit using a Char tup so you have 2 years to breed something like what I'd be after

 

[scottish-lleyn]

Do you think neils new goal will be to breed you your ideal char tup now @Nithsdale Farmer?

 

[neilo]

Do you think neils new goal will be to breed you your ideal char tup now @Nithsdale Farmer?

What if I've already achieved that goal, but he just hasn't realised it yet?

 

[Nithsdale]

What if I've already achieved that goal, but he just hasn't realised it yet?

They'd still have to be able to lamb outside, in SW Scotland, in March @ 850ft

 

[Green farmer]

Texel too

Still pondering what to put my llyen x ewes to, all the main contenders keep going around my head, but it's hard to see a past a small headed texel ( if you can find one) just lovely lambs to work with after. They'll grunt at you, but very little else.

 

[Guiggs]

Still pondering what to put my llyen x ewes to, all the main contenders keep going around my head, but it's hard to see a past a small headed texel ( if you can find one) just lovely lambs to work with after. They'll grunt at you, but very little else.

Won't go far wrong with a texel or a charollais on those ewes!

 

[easyram1]

Still pondering what to put my llyen x ewes to, all the main contenders keep going around my head, but it's hard to see a past a small headed texel ( if you can find one) just lovely lambs to work with after. They'll grunt at you, but very little else.

If all goes according to plan there will be EasyTexels available in Ireland next year

 

[Nithsdale]

Still pondering what to put my llyen x ewes to, all the main contenders keep going around my head, but it's hard to see a past a small headed texel ( if you can find one) just lovely lambs to work with after. They'll grunt at you, but very little else.

What is the other half of the X in your ewes?

Texel and Lleyn really do go well together... but such is the Lleyn, you can use any Terminal breed really. As so long as the tups are good examples of the breed, you will get good lambs.

 

[Green farmer]

Their 50 % lleyn, 25 % texel and 25 % could be anything. Result of starting flock by buying in various lowland ewes, putting them to texel Rams and retaining offspring before the lleyns were introduced in recent years with only their daughters now being retained.
Next generation of retained ewes lambs will be 75 % lleyn and everything else sent to butcher/ factory.