Author Topic: Crossing tup for Shetland ewes (Read 10160 times)

Merrie Dancer · « **Reply #15 on:** April 04, 2014, 05:59:08 pm »

I was going to say a wensleydale, as its one of those breeds that were mainly for producing rams to put to hardier ewes.
mind you a wensleyX has wild hair day - everyday.

jaykay · « **Reply #16 on:** April 04, 2014, 06:41:11 pm »

Sally, would you be able to find out where your next door farm got their Romney from? I've emailed the Society, to ask if there are any northern breeders.

Interesting that the Charmoise has Romney in the mix too. Charmoise better than Texel (and Charollais?) I think as smaller heads.

Yes, I'd like to keep the fleeces fine if I can. BFL would be the easiest tup to get round here. But I'm interested in seeing if I can get a Romney I think. I love both Teeswaters and Wensleydales, but same issue as GFDs - just too big.

Ladygrey · « **Reply #17 on:** April 04, 2014, 07:15:14 pm »

Charmoise have very small heads and are teeny tiny at birth, they literally shoot out and hit the ground running, My pedigree charmoise lambs weigh around 10kgs now at 3 weeks old and were born between 3-4kgs each, so low birth weights but high growth rates

I am looking forwards to the Charmoise cross shetland lambs I will be making next year

I dont have a very good photo of my Charmoise ram (he currently has a purple and blue head) but this is a photo that shows what they look like

Im sure you could get plenty of info/photos from Me (Tom) about charmoise on this forum

After having a stuck hampshire/charollais ram lamb from a ewe today that was wedged around its actual skull, I think my ewes can go to the charmoise next year instead

Me · « **Reply #18 on:** April 04, 2014, 07:38:20 pm »

Yep if anyone would like honest information on Charmoise pm Me and I will bore you witless! They are a great little sheep, easy lambing, muscular, the highest meat-bone ratio you will find, vigorous, do well on poor grasses and hard as nails (Lady Grey can confirm conditions with Me vary from hard to harder).
ps if interested have a look at the Charmoise Sheep Breeders Facebook page

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #19 on:** April 05, 2014, 02:45:06 am »

Quote from: jaykay on April 04, 2014, 06:41:11 pm

Sally, would you be able to find out where your next door farm got their Romney from? I've emailed the Society, to ask if there are any northern breeders.

Yes of course. Remind me if I don't get back to you - head like sieve these days

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #20 on:** April 05, 2014, 02:49:19 am »

Took a few pics today.

Here are some of Dora. Dad is a Shetland (grandpa to yours, I think, jaykay), and Mum is 1/2 Charollais, 1/4 Beltex, 1/8 BFL, 1/8 Swaledale. Dora's half-brother and cousin Cap'n is the tup I used on my fleece sheep this year, and his fleece is lovely.

(Stupidly never took a pic of Cap'n as a grown lamb.)

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #21 on:** April 05, 2014, 02:51:22 am »

And some of the BFL x Shetlands:

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #22 on:** April 05, 2014, 02:56:54 am »

And, not what you will want to do but interesting I think, the Manx x Shetlands. I'm dying to get the fleeces off them and to see how they breed next year. Dulcie Grey, the grey katmoget, is an outstanding gimmer (even BH likes her!) and, as far as you can tell on the hoof, the most beautiful fleece. Harry Potter (different dad, Pricket didn't like Jack Frost and broke black Zebedee out of his stable

) has quite a nice fleece too, but not in the same league as Dulcie. Dulcie has beautiful even black horns, HP is polled.

Pricket is in lamb to Cap'n this year - goodness knows what she's cooking in there...

Ladygrey · « **Reply #23 on:** April 06, 2014, 09:31:43 pm »

Lovely sheep Sally

I really like the look of dora, she looks just like my one Charollais cross shetland!!

I have just had a lovely lamb born to a first timer shetland shearling, she gave birth un assisted to a single ewe lamb, such a fab lamb!! soooo solid and so so pretty!! she also has the short shetland tail

The lamb is out of my Charollais cross hampshire down ram, looking forwards to seeing what he has produced on the rest of my shetlands and cant wait to see how this lamb grows!!

All of my cross bred lambs this year have short tails

apart from my Charollais/Hampshire down cross Texel/Mule....... but he is an elephant...