Featured Farms
Texels - A Lot Less Work
From Irish Farmers Journal 14th June 2008.
In a recent interview, the sheep manager at Gurteen Agricultural College, Ger Carey, was asked why he favours the use of Texel Rams on the college flock over other breeds and, according to Ger, "the progeny of the Texel rams are superior in many ways.” From day one, the hardiness of Texel cross lambs allows him to turnout the day-old lambs straight to the field without any worry about cold or wet days. “The Texel cross lambs in the flock always remain a lot cleaner than other breeds, require a lot less labour and they always top the list when it comes to grades of the sale sheets".
Date Published: 14/06/2008
It's Never Too Late to Use Texel Rams
Jackie Clarke, who farms at Bellewstown, Navan, Co. Meath, says sheep farming is no bother as long as you have a good dog and a way of working. In the quota days of sheep farming, Jackie farmed up to 600 ewes but currently carries a smaller flock.
Down through the years, he traditionally used Suffolk rams to cross on his ewe flock but in the last 10 years he has used many of the continental breed of rams on his flock. It was in 2001, at the age of 76 years, Jackie decided to try Texel rams (two were purchased at local Texel Society sales and two more from a local breeder). In 2002, when the lambing season started, Jackie realised that he had ...more »
Date Published: 31/03/2008
Texels Beat Them All
According to Peadar Kearney of Ferraghs, Louth, you won’t beat Texels. Peadar is farming an all-sheep enterprise on a Reps farm in the heart of Co. Louth.
The ewes are lambed down in January and March with the ewe lambs lambing in April. Ewes are housed for a few weeks before lambing and, once they lamb, they are turned out to the fields in batches. The January lambing ewes are let out to grass that is saved from the previous October with the March and April ewes following on afterwards.
When faced with the problem this year in the lamb trade of poor prices, Peadar decided to push his lambs to the maximum weights tha ...more »
Date Published: 31/08/2007
