[ZacB]

What is everybodys view on the Oxford Down? Doesn't this fit into a 'large meat' breed category?

[Blinkers]

Personally I love 'em, but them I'm a sucker for all the Lowland Breeds and even more so if they're on the Rare Breeds lists.   

[Hillview Farm]

What is everybodys view on the Oxford Down? Doesn't this fit into a 'large meat' breed category?

I've always loved the look of the Oxfords! Anyone have any experiences with them?

[littleacorn]

I researched quite a while before I choose Oxfords - I have just got 3 oxford shearlings a couple of weeks ago, hopefully in lamb due sometime after the end of March.
Up to now there are no negatives about them - mine came from a large herd so are still a little wary of me at the moment - but they know what the feed bucket means!  They appear really laid back and I have got them in a smallish area of a field for now just kept in by 3 strands of electric wire and they have made no move to escape - so thats a definate positive in my book.   
 

[Bionic]

Zac, what about Ryelands?
I have 5 and as these are my first sheep I don't have anything to compare them with but they are very laid back. No escaping, its too much effort for them. 
http://www.ryelandfbs.com/
 

[ZacB]

Reason I enquired about Oxfords is after a visit to the Suffolk Show last year. We only played with some lambs last year to grow on and will most likey do something similar this year......nothing to stop me researching for the future though   
A few people we know have Lleyns and rave about them. I must admitt to having a soft spot for Kerryhills but after seeing Oxfords at the Show they did tick a lot of the boxes for me 
GFD's are also very very very nice    (Are you there this year Tilly???)
We will see...time will tell...until then I'll continue to plan 

[ZaktheLad]

What about the Hampshire Down?

[Padge]

Pasture farm, what ram do you put them to?

At the moment we have four tups.... two Pure Lleyn One Hampshire Down and One Charolaise x Texel.  In the past for meat (terminal Sire) we have always used the Hampshire this produces a good carcass for market at around 42-45kg but the drawback has been at lambing where the lambs forehead has always been a problem for the ewe to pass without me having to assist, when using a pure lleyn for new stock there are very few lambing problems and Ditto to what Castle Farm says. My Recent Charrolaise cross is more of an experiment for next season we havnt used him yet, were after a good terminal sire for meat but with less lambing difficulties.
 
hope this helps

[ZaktheLad]

Yikes - that's not what I wanted to hear about the difficulty with the Hampshire Down and difficult births.  My 10 ewes will lamb to a Hampshire Down sire this year after a swap from a Charollais X tup.  I have 1 x very large ewe lamb that I am now extremely worried about    When I researched the various breeds prior to purchase it mentions about easy lambing with this sire.  My ewes are all large ewes of Charollais x breeding with the ewe lamb being a Charollais x Suffolk.  My older ewes are normally able to lamb without any assistance at all, so I really hope I haven't made a big mistake and put them at risk by choosing a Hampshire Down!

[Tilly]

GFD's are also very very very nice    (Are you there this year Tilly???)
 
 
 
  I will be there  .

Hi  ZakB 
.........I am a fan of the big native down breeds , they are just awesome  .
 My Greyfaces were penned next to a chap at one of the shows last year who was showing his Hampshire downs, and I was really taken by how laid back they seemed.
....He said they were a really easy breed to look after and normally have twins ,that they lambed easily and the lambs fattened  quickly .
I would imagine the lamb carcase would probably not fit into the" standard" supermarket type carcase and the chops would be extra large and possibly with a extra internal fat coverage on the meat,
personally I love that as it adds extra flavour to the meat.
 
As for handling such a large breed -and I am a small lass !  I think I would`t even attempt to turn such a heavy breed - foot trimming and shearing would have to be done with the sheep standing  , a bit unconventional but possible.
 
Tilly 
 
 

[ZacB]

I will be there  .

Look forward to seeing you there again
  a little better weather this year 

[feldar]

Yikes - that's not what I wanted to hear about the difficulty with the Hampshire Down and difficult births.  My 10 ewes will lamb to a Hampshire Down sire this year after a swap from a Charollais X tup.  I have 1 x very large ewe lamb that I am now extremely worried about    When I researched the various breeds prior to purchase it mentions about easy lambing with this sire.  My ewes are all large ewes of Charollais x breeding with the ewe lamb being a Charollais x Suffolk.  My older ewes are normally able to lamb without any assistance at all, so I really hope I haven't made a big mistake and put them at risk by choosing a Hampshire Down!

Please don't worry, the only Hampshires i've had to assist this year have been the ones with Schmallenberg, all the others have spat them out no problem and i have over a hundred of them.
If you get any problems it is usually down to over feeding but ALL sheep can be prone to bad births, We have  lambed Hamps for many years and they are not hard, but they are also not prolific except when put to the mule type sheep. on their own as pedigree, singles and twins are the norm and triplets occasionally.
My crossbred Llanwenog flock lamb later in Feb / March and i tend to leave them to it and they spit out lambs with no assistance these are to our large Hamp tup

[Marches Farmer]

All the down breeds tend to be very docile (and their comparatively short legs make them less likely to have fence jumping tendencies).  I wouldn't recommend Kerry Hills as a starter breed.  Our neighbour keeps them and they're certainly no respecters of fences and tend to be very skittish, although excellent mothers.

[ZaktheLad]

Please don't worry, the only Hampshires i've had to assist this year have been the ones with Schmallenberg, all the others have spat them out no problem and i have over a hundred of them.
If you get any problems it is usually down to over feeding but ALL sheep can be prone to bad births, We have  lambed Hamps for many years and they are not hard, but they are also not prolific except when put to the mule type sheep. on their own as pedigree, singles and twins are the norm and triplets occasionally.
My crossbred Llanwenog flock lamb later in Feb / March and i tend to leave them to it and they spit out lambs with no assistance these are to our large Hamp tup
[/quote]
Thanks feldar for that peace of mind reply - much appreciated. 

[Mays]

Mays - Charollais would work very well on your Beltex x Cheviot.  And have lovely fleece too, if you spin 

if onyl I had the time to spin! but good idea, I have a freind breeds good Charollais, I need to speak to her