[Azzdodd]

I'm thinking off using my what I call Heinz 57 pet ram this coming year I had 2 nice ewe lambs I kept from last year and I can't use there dad on them. As all my sheep live together I would need to get my welsh ram castrated otherwise this fella wouldn't stand much chance. But am I being stupid using a ram that I don't know works instead of a ram I know gives twins & triplets alot. Should I just sell the 2 ewe lambs and buy 2 more an still use same ram? The cross lamb looks like dad was a texel/lleyn tup out off a mule ewe purely guessing though!

[Tala Orchard]

Hi, can understand some of your fears, however inbreeding is not all bad it can bring out the genes that will continue to produce twins etc and to be honest for one season should not prove untoward.

however there sre many more qualified persons on this forum who will have a better idea than I, although we did not inbreed directly as a child on our station we did use once removed relations ie cousins and uncles so to speak on the ewe.

Tala

[sabrina]

I would be more inclined to sell or put the crossbred lamb in the freezer and either see if you can borrow a pure bred Tup or buy one of this years male lambs that was early born. would be old enough come tupping time to do the job.

[SteveHants]

I don't like putting a ram back to his daughters - thats the kind of thinking that got the dog breeding world in so much trouble (oh yes, we can inbreed, but only if we test for genetic conditions, whilst conveniently ignoring that this is the best way to discover new ones)...


Since he ins't a purebred, It wouldn't be the worst thing ever, but Id try and get a different one for this tupping, which can be a pure or a crossbred of your choosing - I like a suftex.

[Azzdodd]

He is a year old this year and He is as soft as anything! He is bigger than my other sheep I'm not massively bothered about how great the lambs turn out cause the end up in my freezer....I think I might give him a chance get the old boy castrated give the cross ram from sept/nov then get a sweeper? Then when lambing comes I know if he works or not jaha!

[SallyintNorth]

I'm not massively bothered about how great the lambs turn out

Just as well.

It seems bizarre to be talking about castrating a purebred ram to use a Bitzer     If you like Bitzer so much why not castrate him, keep him as a ram companion, and use the welsh ram?

On your scale, linebreeding one generation and not keeping the offspring for further breeding is probably not a problem. 

Having said all of which, we buy purebred, often pedigree and very occasionally a controlled mix of two breeds (eg 1/8th Beltex, 7/8th Texel) tups.  I've fancied using a Beltex x Charollais but BH says it's best to keep the tups purebred.   However, every year get a handful of unintended early lambs where an uncastrated tup lamb had managed to get busy before we got him away.  Our ewes are mixes of several breeds, so the tup lambs will be 50% Texel or Charollais and 50% allsorts.  Their unplanned offspring are always absolutely fine and sell just the same as their 'better bred' peers.