[Azzdodd]

I recently purchased some zwarble ewes 3 off which have single ewe lambs at foot which I want too tup this year my ram is there dad so can't use him. If I can get a zwarble ram lamb I will use him but if not I want too try them with a small ram....anyone done this my thoughts are a charolias ram lamb? Or Shetland ram

[Me]

Why go full on huge pedigree continental or tiny native? Charmoise are a sensible sized continental and cannot be beaten on ewe lambs.

[SallyintNorth]

Either Charollais or Shetland would give easy lambing, active lambs, good for a first timer.

The Charollais x would be a faster-growing, better fat lamb.

Both would have interesting fleeces,  , though the Shetland x rather more so.

What would be your plan for the offspring?

[Azzdodd]

If the females were half decent keep them for the crossbreed flock if not in the freezer. I did read about them me but no one in north wales with them....

[Ladygrey]

I had two zwartbles ewe lambs amongst my other ewe lambs umm maybe 2 years ago now

I put them to a charolais ram alongside my shetlands as both were big and weighed maybe 50-60 kilo both ewe lambs had lambing problems aswel as my texel/mule ewe lamb resulting in one dead lamb and two nearly dead lambs 

I know the charollais is meant to be easy lambing but when his lambs came out so much bigger than the shetland lambs did I dont know how they were meant to be easy 

My shetland ewes didnt get stuck to the same ram, they lambed on there own, so the charolais was great for the ewes 

This year I am putting my ewe lambs to the charmoise or the shetland either one, as the charmoise lambs were about the same size as the shetland lambs and sort of fell out whilst the ewe sneezed....

If you would like to keep sheep with lovely wool then go for the shetland  although the charmoise has a lovely carcass and a very fine soft fleece aswel

If a shetland is close to you then go for it as it will always make more sense then traveling to find something 

[Azzdodd]

Well at the moment I have the zwarbles and a crossbreed flock ideally I don't want 3 rams so would like a ram which produced good meat lambs but it's not the end off the world cause I can put the crossbreed with the zwarble ram. I like the idea off Shetland easy lambing I think the resulting ewes would make good smallholder ewes?

[smee2012]

My breeder advised that we put our Zwartbles shearlings to a Z tup for their first time, just because they are quite a narrow build, albeit quite a large sheep.

[SallyintNorth]

Well if Zwartbles are narrow, and you want the ewe lambs for breeding, then definitely use the Shetland.  It has a wide pelvis so hopefully would help to correct that fault of the Zwartbles in the crossbred offspring.

And yes, Zwartbles x Shetland would sound like a very interesting sheep for a handspinning smallholder!  Though whether you'd get any to buy them, when smallholders are generally rather independent-minded folk who seem to like to make their own choices...  

[Azzdodd]

I think I'm gonna get a Shetland tup to use on the ewe lamb's he can go in with the crossbreed ewe lambs....I know a local breeder up the road From me too might even be able to get one on loan......