What is the Beltex used for?
The Beltex sheep breed is primarily used as a terminal sire in Europe. The rams are prized for mating with ewes for producing lambs for meat. Today the breed is raised mainly for meat production….Special Notes.
| Breed Name | Beltex |
|---|---|
| Breed Purpose | Mainly meat |
Are Beltex easy lambing?
The Beltex as a crossing ram deserves a reputation for easy lambing. We can also keep hoggs fitter through winter carrying a Beltex lamb than we could if tupped with any other breed. Compared with a Suffolk-sired lamb which could weigh up to 9kg, these Beltex lambs are around 4-5kg.
What cross is Beltex?
A cross of Belgian and Texel sheep, the Beltex is used primarily for mating with ewes to produce lambs for meat.
What is a belclare sheep?
The Belclare Sheep breed was a new word among sheep breeds in Ireland, when they appeared on the scene in the late 1970’s. This new breed was developed at An Forus Taluntais research center at Belclare hence the. name of the breed. The Belclare breed came about solely by the vision, dedication and foresight.
Where do Beltex sheep come from?
Beltex sheep arrived in the UK from Belgium in 1989 and with their double-muscle traits they brought a totally new dimension to British lamb production. The breed was originally developed as the Belgian Texel, by selecting and breeding for the traits found in culards (double-muscled sheep).
Is a Beltex a Texel?
The Beltex is a breed of heavily muscled domestic sheep. A portmanteau of Belgian and Texel, the name reflects the breed’s origin as an offshoot of Texel sheep from The Netherlands.
What is a terminal sire breed?
A terminal sire, or ram, is one that provides the genetics to maximize lamb growth, feed efficiency and carcass quality. Using a terminal sire can result in superior market lambs that meet the demands of your targeted market.
Are belclare sheep any good?
There are many attributes of the Belclare ewe that appealed to Larry, such as: ease of lambing; good vigour at birth; high litter sizes; and good milk production. “They are a low-maintenance animal and are very easy to manage.
What is a Milford sheep?
While there is no authoritative definition of what constitutes a Milford ewe, expert opinion in Donegal indicates that the term is used locally to describe crossbred ewes with Scottish Blackface and lowland-breed ancestry.
What is a terminal cross sheep?
Terminal crossing It may utilize two, three, or four breeds, and can be as simple as crossing two pure breeds. In terminal crossing, all of the crossbred offspring are sold, and replacement ewe lambs must be purchased or produced in the flock by mating a portion of the flock to rams of the same breed or type.
What does Terminal mean in sheep?
What is a purebred flock?
Pure-breeding (straight breeding) is the mating of rams and ewes of the same breed (or type). A purebred flock can be managed as a single flock because all ewes and rams are usually of the same breed. The goal of purebred sheep production is to provide superior genetics (seedstock) to the commercial sheep industry.
What is Beltex sheep?
Beltex sheep have white face, and their wool is of medium length. Both rams and ewes are generally polled. Average body height of the mature ewes is around 50 cm, and around 60 cm for the rams.
Do Beltex rams have lambing difficulties?
Allison says there are no lambing difficulties with Beltex rams mated over commercial ewe breeds; the lambs are born “small and vigorous”. He says this is universally accepted in the UK; the pronounced muscling is not apparent at birth but starts to develop shortly afterwards.
Will Beltex lambs sell well at the Surrey Hills sale?
Beltex crossbred lambs sold well at the Surrey Hills sale last month, and the vendors are again hoping for good prices; buyers are expected from around the country. The former head of Invermay Research, Jock Allison, Mt Somers farmer Blair Gallagher and farm adviser John Tavendale brought the Beltex breed to New Zealand in 2017.
What do you know about Belgian sheep?
Read some more information about this Belgian sheep breed below. The Beltex sheep are medium to large sized animals. Main characteristics of these animals are double-muscled hindquarters, coupled with fine bones which ensures maximum killing-out percentage of the finished lamb.