charollais v vendeem

supersean1999

hi i was just looking for info , im going to try one of these rams, with texel cross ewes,and mayo blackface ewes, was just wondering which might be hardier ram, easy lambed, any advice welcome, i have texel and suffolk rams, just wasnt to try something different , thanks

snowman707

the charollais as a rule would be the easiest for lambing

both should be hardy after lambing especially since you already have hybrid vigour in your ewes , however if lambing outdoors or if you intend to turn out your lambs early the charollais would suffer more from harsh weather,

I have both and my preference would be for a good lengthy, tight wolled cahrollais, if you were comfortable with they needing that little bit extra care after birth

sea12

I used to use Charolais rams on Suffolk cros ewes. They were lovely lambs but changed over time as the lambs were weak when born, had very little wool. Also found them a bit slower to come to mart weight.

But they did grade very well.

Now I use Suffolk rams.

supersean1999

ok so charollais easier for lambing thats important, will be lambing early april outdoor, but its all luck in this country, march might be a lot nicer, iv feeling ill get a charollais and see how it work out, once i get the lamb alive after birth my pampering skills are ok just in case there a bit soft lol

snowman707

sea12 wrote: »

I used to use Charolais rams on Suffolk cros ewes. They were lovely lambs but changed over time as the lambs were weak when born, had very little wool. Also found them a bit slower to come to mart weight.

But they did grade very well.

Now I use Suffolk rams.

totally agree but to put matters in perspective , last may i had some suffolk X lambs 43kgs netted €104 and ch X 41 kgs which netted €107

also agree that they are 'bare; when born and it is also important that the ewes get pre lambing minerals etc

metalwood

Ive been running a vendeen for the past 7 yrs now had charollais previous to that and I would say vendeen lambs are born hardier and are up trying to suckle within mins

the lambs finish well and look good in the marts

The only downside is the ewe lambs kept for replacements are not the best milkers in the world and maternal traits would not be as good as a suffolk ewe

5live

Have to agree with metalwood. Vendeen very tough lambs to get up and suck. After years of suffolk i changed to vendeen and belclare crosses and sires. Lovely flavour from the vendeen lambs. I find them better mothers than the belclares as ewe lambs but do lack a bit of milk when older. I had a charrolaise ram but the lambs were soft. I felt they needed arun back house until about 2 weeks old then ok. All seem to grade well

supersean1999

bought a charollais lamb this evening ,good solid lamb, thanks for the advice, i think the easier lambing swayed it,should get good lambs out of the texel x mountain ewes, thanks again

snowman707

5live wrote: »

Have to agree with metalwood. Vendeen very tough lambs to get up and suck. After years of suffolk i changed to vendeen and belclare crosses and sires. Lovely flavour from the vendeen lambs. I find them better mothers than the belclares as ewe lambs but do lack a bit of milk when older. I had a charrolaise ram but the lambs were soft. I felt they needed arun back house until about 2 weeks old then ok. All seem to grade well

for some reason i never had much luck with the belclares, maybe I just got a bad bloodline but had a lot of mismothering and ewes with very little milk, i like the venden also but getting harder to source good rams in my area

supersean1999 wrote: »

bought a charollais lamb this evening ,good solid lamb, thanks for the advice, i think the easier lambing swayed it,should get good lambs out of the texel x mountain ewes, thanks again

hope he goes lucky for you, just ensure the ewes are getting minerals for a few weeks before lambing I find it helps to give the lambs a kick start after birth.

supersean1999

snowman707 wrote: »

for some reason i never had much luck with the belclares, maybe I just got a bad bloodline but had a lot of mismothering and ewes with very little milk, i like the venden also but getting harder to source good rams in my area




hope he goes lucky for you, just ensure the ewes are getting minerals for a few weeks before lambing I find it helps to give the lambs a kick start after birth.

cheers ill get the mineral licks and cobalt working