Breed of the week TEXEL SHEEP Texel sheep originated on the isle of Texel, the largest of the Wadden Islands off the north coast of the Netherlands. They are one of Ireland’s most popular breeds. Hardy, adaptable and with exceptional carcass qualities, the Texel has become the dominant terminal sire breed in Ireland and the popularity of this distinctive breed is growing. There are many kinds of Texel sheep, including Dutch, English, and French. The English Texel sheep tend to be taller animals while the Dutch Texel sheep have very short legs and heavy muscling. They all though have one outstanding characteristic in common – remarkable muscle development and leanness. Texel-sired lambs show an advantage of one full leg score in breed comparisons and less total carcass fat—especially seam fat. They have excellent temperaments. They are docile, easy to work around, and have a curious nature. They tend not to be easily excitable or nervous. Due to the good milk yield of Texel ewes and the breeds’ abilities for fast growth, lambs can gain an average of 250 grams per day. At weaning the average weight of the lambs is 25 kg and their final weight at slaughter (24 weeks) is 44 kg on average. Texels are medium sized sheep with ewes weighing 150 - 200 pounds. They are easy keeping, easy fleshing animals that thrive on grass. The Texel breed is a white-faced breed with no wool on the head or legs. The breed is characterized by a distinctive short, wide face with a black nose and widely placed, short ears with a nearly horizontal carriage. They have black hooves. The wool is of medium grade with no black fibers. Mature animals shear fleece weights of 3.5 kg to 5.5 kg.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Jul 2014 09:55:33 +0000
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