New Zealand Suffolk

roosky

I have a very white flock and want to cross some black faces back into it....but i dont want to use irish suffolks because when i think of irish suffolk i think : 1 bred for the ring not the field
2 big head and legs (hard lambed)
3 lazy over fed, pampered ram lambs
4 DAGGINS

Just my opinion !!!

The NZ suffolk seem to be an alternative and are working well in athenry research farm.....has anyone any experience with them how are the lambs to finish

gazahayes

roosky wrote: »

I have a very white flock and want to cross some black faces back into it....but i dont want to use irish suffolks because when i think of irish suffolk i think : 1 bred for the ring not the field
2 big head and legs (hard lambed)
3 lazy over fed, pampered ram lambs
4 DAGGINS

Just my opinion !!!

The NZ suffolk seem to be an alternative and are working well in athenry research farm.....has anyone any experience with them how are the lambs to finish

Interested in this too in the same position as yourself. There was a lad at a show breeding Suffolk and texel rams off grass for work not for show. They were a lot tidier looking than any of the show rams but with a bit of width compared to the nz suffolk must look for the sheet he gave me if I can root it out.

orm0nd

we meant to try them but never got around to doing,

I see a few breeders are offering a 50/50 NZ/Irish which is also an option,

I know someone who is using them last couple of years & very happy, he would be a fairly shewd sheep man

1 thing for certain buying a commercial ram at suffolk sale you most likely get a over fed pampered yoke thst most likely will die the first winter

roosky

I have been in touch with a breeder in Laoise and he according to his "broucher" they are the only job but then again all breeds claim to be the all round sheep...

I would want to keep replacements off them but not get stuck with poor ram lambs!

I seen them in Athenry and they are a grand sheep, bit plain for the Irish farmer but your better with a functional sheep.

The ewes look like the crossbred suffolk ewes we would have here

Cran

What do they really offer besides continuing to use a traditional breed that's gone away from practical traits? They re probably not as good as other terminal breeds or even Irish Suffolks for terminal and there are better maternal breeds out there.
Besides maybe offering small flocks an dual purpose breed what do they offer above other breeds...

orm0nd

Cran wrote: »

What do they really offer besides continuing to use a traditional breed that's gone away from practical traits? They re probably not as good as other terminal breeds or even Irish Suffolks for terminal and there are better maternal breeds out there.
Besides maybe offering small flocks an dual purpose breed what do they offer above other breeds...

less rams needed .1 NZ Suff will easily cover up to 100 ewes

finish faster than CH or other terminal breeds

offer the option of maternal

easily lambed & lambs up & suckling fast


These are findings of the guy I mentioned in the post above, I know this man for 40 years & he always calls it as it happens, if they were sh1te he would be the first to tell you, at one stage he had 1100 ewes , but has cut back to about half that now. (like myself he's not getting any younger :o)

Cran

orm0nd wrote: »

less rams needed .1 NZ Suff will easily cover up to 100 ewes

finish faster than CH or other terminal breeds

offer the option of maternal

easily lambed & lambs up & suckling fast


These are findings of the guy I mentioned in the post above, I know this man for 40 years & he always calls it as it happens, if they were sh1te he would be the first to tell you, at one stage he had 1100 ewes , but has cut back to about half that now. (like myself he's not getting any younger :o)

Interesting what's he comparing them too all breeds or just suffolks?
Because 1. Not only Rams would do that, that's probably more to do with how reared rather than breeding I'd think. 2. Doubt this and think they're slightly behind native suffolks even for finishing in athenry, but he s used them so take it. 3. Get this and 4. Not only breed offer this, would say better than native suffolks without doubt I'd say

orm0nd

Cran wrote: »

Interesting what's he comparing them too all breeds or just suffolks?
Because 1. Not only Rams would do that, that's probably more to do with how reared rather than breeding I'd think. 2. Doubt this and think they're slightly behind native suffolks even for finishing in athenry, but he s used them so take it. 3. Get this and 4. Not only breed offer this, would say better than native suffolks without doubt I'd say

Ok, Joe you know best.

stantheman1979

roosky wrote: »

I have a very white flock and want to cross some black faces back into it..

Whats wrong with white faced sheep!! Maybe im racist but i would say over 90% of our ewes are white faced. Belclare, lleyn, tex X, NZ romney all produce good lambs for us. I would'nt like our ewes getting too black being honest.

Cran

orm0nd wrote: »

Ok, Joe you know best.

No sorry meant it more as a question than statement, prob didn't write it very well
Tbh I liked the look the NZ Suffolk at athenry last year, and might try one at some stage. I m just wondering are they worth the investment compared to what's out there already....

J.O. Farmer

stantheman1979 wrote: »

Whats wrong with white faced sheep!! Maybe im racist but i would say over 90% of our ewes are white faced. Belclare, lleyn, tex X, NZ romney all produce good lambs for us. I would'nt like our ewes getting too black being honest.

What would you think of puttinga bblack faced ram (Suffolk not horned) on white faced ewes or a white faced ram on black faced ewes.

stantheman1979

Nothing wrong with speckled faces. I like to keep a few every yr. I just wouldn't put a Suffolk on them to keep as replacements. Just my opinion. A lot of people like big black ewes. I haven't any NZ suffolks or know anyone that has them so I'm not going to tell you what to do I'm just saying having white ewes isn't necessarily a bad thing.

roosky

stantheman1979 wrote:

Whats wrong with white faced sheep!! Maybe im racist but i would say over 90% of our ewes are white faced. Belclare, lleyn, tex X, NZ romney all produce good lambs for us. I would'nt like our ewes getting too black being honest.

Nothing wrong just want to take advantage of a bit of hybrid vigour

roosky

Cran wrote:

I m just wondering are they worth the investment compared to what's out there already....

What sort of money are yiu talking for a good quality hoggett

orm0nd

Any chance you could PM his number as I seem to have mislaid it, if you don't have it to hand no worries, I can get it elswhere ... just lazy