Heisenberg
New Member
- Location
- Republic of Ireland
Why is Vendeen sheep not really used in the UK compared to Ireland and France?
Vendeen Sheep
- Thread starter Heisenberg
- Start date
cotswoldcs
Member
- Location
- Bang In the heart of the Cotswolds
We have Vendeen rams and like them. I wish they were more popular as I think they are a good breed.
easyram1
Member
- Location
- North Shropshire
Probably because Jonathan Barber got involved with Charollais sheep rather than Vendeens 30 odd years ago and drove that breed to where it is today.????
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
Lol. Does JB make that much difference? I thought 'naturally wedge shaped' sheep sold themselves these days.
I think it's more to do with the fact they have wooly heads. No breed does well in the UK if it has a wooly head, rightly or wrongly.
No doubt the Romney enthusiasts will be twitching at that already, but the top knot is the biggest deterrent to me going down that road any more than I have with the Highlander. I'm more inclined to put more Texel blood in than top knots. I know it's only cosmetic and it's the first bit cut off, but you've still got to work with them.....
We used them for years but have now moved rightly or wrongly to a more 'fashionable' breed.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
I used to lend a ram to a young lad with Vendeens (FOC to give him a leg up), to tup his ewe lambs that he sent to our neighbour's horse paddocks for the winter. He was very pleased with the way the progeny grew. After a couple of years he was saying that he may have got into the wrong breed, and I heard from a third party that he was saying the same to a few in the breed hierarchy locally on their joint AI day. Apparently they didn't like hearing it.
- Location
- South West Scotland
When I used to breed Vendeens I sold a few tups to Charollais breeders to make them hardier don't think they ever admitted to it @neilo
Great carcase breed, cross lambs were very hardy, but the wooly head definately held them back as neilo said.
Also I always found soft feet to be a problem with them.
don't think they ever admitted to it @neiloGreat carcase breed, cross lambs were very hardy, but the wooly head definately held them back as neilo said.
Also I always found soft feet to be a problem with them.
Johnny400
Member
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
I heard that too. It was charollais, or another french breed i forget which one, that jonathon barbour looked at the beginning. He picked Charollais and got being them to make them what they are today. If he had pick the other, charollais would have been unheard of apparently.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
Crikey. I thought it was down to the sheep doing the job intended, when they got here. While I appreciate the hard graft the Barbers put in, I didn't realise it was all down to him.
Even JB would have struggled to get a breed with a fuzzy head accepted in the UK in the 80's, whatever it's credentials.
- Location
- Mendips Somerset
not to be too picky lol ,
it was John Barber (snr) who was importing charolais cattle at the time , that noticed the sheep on the same farms he visited to buy cattle , his sons David and Johnathan then set up flocks , i think as an importation business , we bought the first shearling sh ewes Johnathan ever bred /sold , The Charollais has been lucky to have a political animal in Johnathan , along with some very go ahead breeders in the early days that kept him in check , like John Geldard and Roland Harris among many others .that kept the commercial breed standard very high , and on the radar .
The biggest problem with many new imported breeds , is the difficulty keeping standards up among the general membership who may be good sheep farmers but miss the finer commercial points (zwartbles the same ) , The vendeen has some excellent animals within the breed , but also a lot of very average stock .
Last edited:
dogandstick
Member
- Location
- on the horizon
Still haven’t made it
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
MDL POWERUP
Member
No experience of lambing yet, bought some gimmers lambs and a tup this year and the main thing I've found is they put flesh on and keep it better than my other sheep (NC Cheviots and a few texels). Tups been a hard worker. Feet have been ok as well.
We used Vendeen rams for over 20 years, mainly on ewe lambs. They have the advantage that the half bred off spting are distinctive, so you can tell which they are. We were using them on ewe lambs for a long time and found them excellent; easy lambed, vigorous, ok growth rate, ok carcass.
Over the years the breeders here seem to have focused mainly on shape and growth rate. The carcass conformation has definitely improved, but found them harder lambed, so no longer suitable for the job we had them for, so no longer have them.
Similar to a Charollais as a breeding replacement; pure hardship, no milk, little maternal instinct, requires more feed.
Would they be any good for lambing outside, crossed on to a maternal type ewe,
I don't have any experience of lambing them outside but think they would be ok. I think they would be similar to a Texel, but not add anything extra, except for perhaps differentiating the lambs.
In general I like the rams to be bred and reared in at least as harsh an environment as they are expected to perform, however over here it is very difficult to buy out door lambed terminal sires and don't know a single Vendeen flock doing it.
In general I like the rams to be bred and reared in at least as harsh an environment as they are expected to perform, however over here it is very difficult to buy out door lambed terminal sires and don't know a single Vendeen flock doing it.
We had Vendeen for many years and kept the ewe lambs from a welsh mule for breeding.
Disadvantages were wooly heads for the live market,dubious feet and a tendency to become fly struck due to fine wool.
Other than that great sheep.
Disadvantages were wooly heads for the live market,dubious feet and a tendency to become fly struck due to fine wool.
Other than that great sheep.
dogandstick
Member
- Location
- on the horizon
That’s three strikes, so they’re out!