[SteveHants]

I love blue face Leicesters.      I think the Leicesters are a very noble looking breed of sheep and a lovely size. Can't wait to see some pics of that combination FiB.

Until they are standing with 4 feet pointing skywards....

[ZaktheLad]

Until they are standing with 4 feet pointing skywards....
[/quote]

I imagine that is true for most breeds of sheep - except obviously Wiltshires 

[FiB]

I think we should start a gallery of crosses - I am alwasy wanting to know what do you get if you cross a ______  with a ______  (in chickens too).  Interested in how they look, fleece, and how they grow (meat!!).  But initially how they look!!!  Countdown.

[TheCaptain]

Ja, Zarzar has my three little ewe lambs that were Portland sired x Texel X mule (I believe). The ewe lambs, I believe, are bonkers. The lad we've kept on from last year is a big old boy and we've got another one this year but he's only a single. Unfortunately my other one was the one who had the twins with schmallenberg. Still gutted really.

[SteveHants]

Until they are standing with 4 feet pointing skywards....

I imagine that is true for most breeds of sheep - except obviously Wiltshires 



That is true but BFLs have a special reputation for dying. 

[bigchicken]

Not that interesting but I,ve crossed my Shetlands with Beltex Lleyn and Texel the Beltex gave the best meat carcase and even lot of lambs, the Lleyn the best breeding ewes good shape and good size


 did not like the Texel at all very uneven bunch of lambs. Like the look of Shetland X Ryeland but Ryelands are not for me

[Pedwardine]

We've put a Gotland tup across three Shetland Moorits. Expecting two twins and one single. He also serviced three other Shetland guest ladies. Very eagerly awaiting results 

[Azzdodd]

Most off my ewes are zwarble X texel or zwarble X charloias (I like black sheep) and they get out to my welsh ram I can't watch them all lamb 99.9% lamb on there own cause off the small sire but lambs grow like stink cause of mums breed

[ScotsGirl]

Makes my lot seem quite boring. I have 2 southdown x wilts which I out to Suffolk. Ugly lambs but good meat! Put them with pure Southdown which was even uglier.


Others are mules or suffolks x with pure Suffolk. Put my Wilts to the Suffolk and that has produced a cracking big lamb.

[Marches Farmer]

Use one of my Southdown tups on my Badger Face every other year for commercial-type lambs, then breed the BFs pure the next for replacements.  X lambs are up and suckling within 10 minutes, have long, curly fleece and no markings other than a slight mottling on their nose, and woolly legs down to the hocks.  Never had one with the slightest problem, all survived through to weaning.  Tried a SD on Lleyns one year when I had 20 of them.  Disaster - some scanned with quads but none raised more than twins, Lleyns were very nervous mothers, all sorts of problems. Sold all the Lleyns the following year.

I'm genuinely surprised by that, for the very little I know would have thought SD/Lleyn would have been a dream combination.

I did too.  The problems seemed to stem solely from the Lleyns - one was, according to the vet, in perfect condition, but had a very bad prolapse, got stitched up, water bag appeared later the same day, had a Caesarean then jumped out of the 4 ft high pen as the vet turned to go, she was so stressed out.  Looked fine then died 6 hours later.  Vet thought she'd probably bled out internally due to jump. Really don't need those kind of (very expensive) problems.  Lambs were bottle reared until I could foster them on and did OK but no better than the BF X SD.

[BadgerFace]

Charollais x Badger Face.


The ewe in the photo is out of a Badger ewe and by a Charolllais ram, put back to a Badger ram for 3/4 Badger lambs. Each year she produces triplets, apart from last year when she produced twins (but we had SBV here), she always raises the triplets unaided. Ewes get a handful of cake each day in the six weeks before lambing, all lambs are raised and finished on grass alone. We get a mix of badger markings and 'plain' lambs. This ewe is now eight and due to lamb early April.

[ZaktheLad]

I can't be doing with anything too flighty and stupid and get rid of them, replacing them with a ewe lamb from one of my own quiet, docile and biddable ewes that are excellent mothers and that lamb easily.  Having had a ewe some years ago that started lambing in the field and ended up running straight through a hedge with only the lambs head out, I too, can do without additional stress like that at lambing time.  We did manage to grab hold of her in the ditch the other side of the hedge and miraculously the lamb was fine when we got him out, but what a palaver!   All my girls now are super friendly and easy to manage - makes life so much simpler.

[Mel Rice]

One of my two lambed tea-tim yesterday...its still VERY cold so heat lamp is in the barn with them. Mum doesnt seem to like the second lamb so much so assisting with the odd feed + extra milk. 24 hours old now, still only -4 with forcast -15 or so tonight. Roll on spring.

[kanisha]

Haven't tried it myself but would  a ouessant cross be a croissant 

[woollyval]

Dunno...I have had a Ouessant x Cameroon hair sheep!!!! Got ewe in lamb...previous owners had no idea she was in lamb....apparently ram escaped from the monkey enclosure!!!