[Porterlauren]

I like a cheviot, and a cheviot mule is a decent enough sheep. Cant see the harm in a little bit of suffolk in them.

Originally it was all mules and the suffolk and texel x mules only started being kept and used when the prices went bad, so folk kept them as replacements rather than selling them for peanuts and then buying in expensive mules.

So you'll never know unless you try!

As for the money - the only upside of the current situation is that when your dragging a dead fat lamb across a field, its only 50 quid you're throwing to the hounds rather than £75!!!!! And I bought some very cheap long keep stores!

[Azzdodd]

I used a charley once....that's all I'm saying ? personally a good texel you will always win I think just so much s**t out there all been feed since day one. My ewes are all cross breeds cheviot Welsh texel mix an I used a texel ram but he has lived on his teeth alone lambs quick growth rate good shape replacement are good size sheep an get the good maternal from mothers side. But like I say so many I only eat hard feed texel out there it's hard to get a ram that isn't a wimp

[m3joeEm]

I have a texel, but unfortunately he hasnt the length and sheer size/shape i would like for making replacements (bought him last year when i started into sheep properly and wasnt entirely familiar with the breed and what to look for). In saying that i must be happy he was fruitful and threw decent market lambs. Ideally i would replace him but cant really afford to this year 

[SallyintNorth]

We ran some Charollais across our commercials (Texel types, originating from Swaley Mules and Hexham Blackie Mules predominantly) for three years and kept the ewe lambs we liked.  They are super ewes for producing easy-lambing fast-maturing fat lambs, hitting the top grades.  All the lambs with some Charollais in them weigh more than they look, so finish a couple of weeks (at least) faster than those without any Charollais.

We carefully chose Charollais tups with wool on their heads, and mostly the lambs are not too bare for our outdoor-lambing Cumbrian upland farm.  We do jacket them if it's cold and wet weather is forecast.

Our best fat lambs from these ewes are sired by a Dutch Texel - a squatter sheep than the Texel, finer fleece, shorter legs.  We find them to produce small active lambs that quickly grow into brick outhouses.  These ewes do well put to a regular Texel too.

Lleyn produced too many multiple births for our farm.

[Me]

I have a texel, but unfortunately he hasnt the length and sheer size/shape i would like for making replacements

I run small ewes, little 55-60kg Lleyn. Are you sure you want to pay to keep big heavy sheep with extra muscle running around? It all costs. Also "sheer size" why do you need massive ewes? Here most lambs are sold to Dunbia who don't pay for more than 21kg dw so why breed stuff that isn't finished until 50Kg? 

[snowyriver]

For me personally the suffolk x mule and suffolk x texel ewes are way too big and heavy.
If you intend keeping a closed flock I'd suggest that you keep something that is commercially viable. Sheep should be keeping you, not the other way around! and as Me says, why produce a lamb that the majority of markets don't want (over 21Kg dw).   

[Marches Farmer]

We have a closed flock (well, apart from an occasional new ram).  The Southdowns do well here, although we're on a hilltop exposed to high winds from west, north and east.  The Badger Face are put to the SD tup every other year and produce strong lambs sold as stores at market - scan out at 180% most years and all survive.  The only feed we give any sheep is to ewes around lambing time.  Gineral opinion seems to be (and we get a lot of feedback from folks who hire our SD rams) that the SD in the mix doesn't bring in lambing problems and lambs are sturdy and grow away well.

[Hellybee]

What is this stuff you call money money?? Hehe


We ll never have a closed flock here, we will always buy in rams, we are Suffolk x lleyn and lleyn type  bound this year.   


Then back to the lleyn i think.


But Me I STILL want one of your boys    For our younger lasses

[Old Shep]

We use a texel tup on our Suffolk x texel ewes and the few Suffolk x mule ewes and produce lambs that are commercially viable 

[Keepers]

Forgot about the NZ texel!

That should leave you with some good fat lambs as well as some maternal hardy ewes

Also agree with the posts saying about a slightly smaller ewe, specially for a hill farm/land, heavy lambs are being penalized heavily within the market places with the best price per kilo being standard and medium weight lambs

Unless you are using a large framed/milky ewe and a small compact tup such as a beltex or a charmoise to get a lamb that finishes around the 39-42kilo mark, however this means less ewes to the acre

But better cull prices for the ewes 

Its all swings and roundabouts

[beagh-suffolks]

on suffolk x texel and suffolk x mule, we use a ile de france ram, leaves a well carcassed lamb with a good size and it also easy enough lambed, just if you wanna try something different, i kept all the ewe lambs off this cross an have done extremely well with them, we had the lambs finished early on grass and off to mart just as quick.

[Me]

But Me I STILL want one of your boys    For our younger lasses

Always willing to help  

[Hellybee]

Excellent.