Author Topic: Favourite meat sire (Read 2478 times)

thenovice · « **on:** January 25, 2013, 08:36:45 pm »

Wondered what you folks on here rated as a top meat sire breed, and the rams qualities. Thanks all

woollyval · « **Reply #1 on:** January 25, 2013, 08:49:07 pm »

My absolute favourite for ease of lambing and wonderful lean tasty meat that grows on grass alone with no creep etc has to be Dorset Down.

Hillview Farm · « **Reply #2 on:** January 26, 2013, 09:02:47 am »

I Like suffolk's personally. They grow extremely quickly and theres always a market for them

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #3 on:** January 26, 2013, 10:56:40 am »

I vote Charollais - easy lambing, lambs grow really well, great conformation, weigh well for their size, tasty succulent lean meat

Lovely fleece too, if you spin. Tups generally pretty placid - although very greedy and can knock you over in their greed

Only downside is the lambs can be fairly bare-skinned (which is one of the things makes them easy-lambing) - if this is an issue where and when you lamb, get a tup with plenty of wool on his head, and keep those plastic lamb jackets handy

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #4 on:** January 26, 2013, 11:11:13 am »

Interesting the breeds mentioned above have the Southdown in their background! It was probably the first breed to be improved (by John Ellman of Glynde in Sussex around 1780). A friend of ours who's hugely knowledgeable about sheep and butchery says he can never decide whether Southdown or Portland is the most delicious.

thenovice · « **Reply #5 on:** January 26, 2013, 05:16:12 pm »

Did you ever try a southdown tup on a portland ewe?

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #6 on:** January 26, 2013, 05:30:50 pm »

Nah, I breed pedigree, registered Southdowns as my main breed but also put them on a breed that the farmers around here will recognize and sell the crosses at market. SDs give a good carcase without lambing priblems.