[Devonshiredumpling]

After breeding Wilshire horn for six years, we decided to introduce a Charolais Ram to our flock to bulk up the lambs. This was a big success, although we found that the new lambs were less resistant to winter weather on account of their bare head and ears.
We had been told that the lambs would be self shedding due to a dominant gene, but they did not shed a single hair. They all had to be dagged the following year, and we had to spend a fortune on a shearer in May (when we finally managed to get one).
We have decided against keeping any of the ewe lambs for breeding. But at least the lambs do reach finishing weight in 18 months instead of three years!

[Richmond]

There's no guarantee that putting a non shedder with a shedder will produce shedding offspring. We currently have a non shedding ram with our Wiltshire Horn ewes. Results so far are mixed, shedding wise. Based on last year's lambs some of which we've kept, we have one who partly sheds, one who doesn't and one who does. This year's lambs are still quite young (born in March) so it's hard to know what they will turn out like. It's all a bit of a lottery. I think you can only guarantee shedding offspring if you put a shedder to a shedder.

[Bywaters]

Were the progeny horned, out of interest?

[Richmond]

All our sheep are horned, yes. But you might be asking the OP?

[PipKelpy]

After breeding Wilshire horn for six years, we decided to introduce a Charolais Ram to our flock to bulk up the lambs. This was a big success, although we found that the new lambs were less resistant to winter weather on account of their bare head and ears.
We had been told that the lambs would be self shedding due to a dominant gene, but they did not shed a single hair. They all had to be dagged the following year, and we had to spend a fortune on a shearer in May (when we finally managed to get one).
We have decided against keeping any of the ewe lambs for breeding. But at least the lambs do reach finishing weight in 18 months instead of three years!

18 months over 3 years?

I'm assuming you eat the adult animals!

I bought in my first WH with WH lambs in 2021 and did notice that the lambs took 2 months longer to get to kill weight than when the WH lambed to Dorset Down the following year. I didn't lamb last year but anyone who could HAS this year, WH to WH (bought a tup in hoping to get ewe lambs! (Got 3 out of 15)) and the Shetlands have lambed to Dorset Down because I know the DD gene will give me a good carcase.

Shedding? My Dorset Downs off WH can only be described as unbelievable!!

Unbelievably WOOLY!! It was an absolute shocker! WH mum, DD dad and each blasted female that I kept had a longer coat than what the dad had. It reminded me of the offspring off my GreyFaced Dartmoors!

So, in my head next year will be an experiment, I've a nice WH tup lamb I've kept entire (when he was born, I said to mum, that's Isaac) I'm eying him up for the Shetlands for later this year and if I have trouble getting in a tup, he'll go On the bulk of the Ewes as he's only related to 2 of them (his mum and aunt).

Surely the offspring WH x Shetland can't be that wooly?

[Deacon Folly]

We have WH x Shetlands this year.
First crop from WH ewes x Shetland ram
The lams are a cracking size already (6-7 weeks)
They will go off end October
Hopefully 🤞