# Which Sheep breed is short but have lots of meat?



## meloout831 (Feb 22, 2013)

I've decided to sell my mini-herd of large sheep, and would like a smaller breed of meat sheep. I live in Texas so non-shearing would be ideal. Any ideas on which breed will work for me? Btw, I like polled sheep, so Barbado is out.  Thanks guys.


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## SheepGirl (Feb 22, 2013)

I know you said you wanted a hair sheep, but I have a 2 yr old Texel ram. He's short & meaty  I've never owned any Texel ewes so I don't have any experience with how their maternal traits are. However I love how big my ram's butt is! One-third of the carcass comes from the leg, and I think my ram has a pretty good sized leg/butt for how thin he is  The first picture was taken a couple weekends ago. The second picture is of his beautiful meaty butt! <3

(I am 5'3" if that gives you an idea of his height)






Look at how deep his twist is!





My ewe base is Babydoll Southdown x Montadale crosses. They get their height & muscle from the Babydoll but their maternal traits from the Montadale. Babydolls are the style Southdown people used to raise in the 60s before the Southdown was "modernized" and made super tall. The Babydoll is almost identical to the British Southdown, however, many people breed Babydolls for pets only not for commercial meat qualities so you need to find someone who is using them for meat. My lambs are 'finished' at about 60-70 lbs, about 6 months old.

Look at how deep this ewe's twist is...she is a six year old ewe who has had one single and three sets of twins. I'm expecting another set of twins (or more) from her this year because she is just as big (if not bigger) as she was when she's had twins before.





This is her 2009 son....he has a beautiful bum! Too bad he had a bad attitude and had to be shipped....(sire/uncle to the ewe lamb below)









Look at how nicely muscled and stocky this 2-3 wk old ewe lamb is! I loveee this girl she has filled out so nicely.





Here she is back in December, at 7 months old and already bred & due to lamb 5/18


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## PendergrassRanch (Feb 22, 2013)

What is the "twist"?


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## goodolboy (Feb 22, 2013)

I'd look into the Katahdins. Click on our website shortcut and you can read some about them.


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## SheepGirl (Feb 22, 2013)

PendergrassRanch said:
			
		

> What is the "twist"?


The twist is basically the V shape where the thighs meet. A deep twist will have more space between the vulva and/or anus and the point of the V. It shows the depth of muscling, which is important on meat sheep (any meat animal, really) since it's the muscles you eat!


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## PendergrassRanch (Feb 22, 2013)

SheepGirl said:
			
		

> PendergrassRanch said:
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Okay that is what I thought but I wasn't sure! Thanks!


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## Remuda1 (Feb 22, 2013)

Gotta cast my vote for dorpers .  At the time of this picture, the lambs were five weeks old.  






These were also five weeks at the time of this photo.  They were born the day after the ones above.






Meaty 






I'm 5'1" and most of the adult sheeps backs reach somewhere around mid thigh


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Feb 22, 2013)

Sorry Sheepgirl and goodolboy but I'm voting Dorper.


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## goodolboy (Feb 22, 2013)

I always tought the perfect commercial flock would be a 50% Katahdin 50% Dorper ewes, and a wool terminal sire.

Easy keepers, best meat producers.


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## meloout831 (Feb 22, 2013)

Nice sheep guys! Sheepgirl your ram is nice! Is he tame? How's the temperament?


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## SheepGirl (Feb 23, 2013)

meloout831 said:
			
		

> Nice sheep guys! Sheepgirl your ram is nice! Is he tame? How's the temperament?


(I'm assuming you're talking about the white one? If not the natural colored one born in 2009 is long gone because he tried to kill me...multiple times.) Yes he is tame. I once didn't have a halter on me so I took baling twine from a straw bale, tied a circle in it, slipped it over his neck, and was able to lead him around my house to 'weed whack' for my mom. He didn't try to run away; he stopped when I stopped, started walking when I walked, etc.

His temperament is pretty good. He has tried to ram me a couple times, nothing serious, though...I was just taking too long with putting the hay in the hay feeder  Otherwise, he is well behaved, comes when I call him, but otherwise stays away. I am able to walk right up to him in the field though and halter him up, which is a good thing.


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## meloout831 (Feb 23, 2013)

Thanks for the info sheepgirl. Yes, was inquiring about the white ram. My thing is the wool. It's hard to find someone to shear the sheep. His wool does not seem all that thick though.


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## SheepGirl (Feb 24, 2013)

He has a long staple length, but no, his wool is not very thick and dense like my other sheep. It's very open. And his wool doesn't feel greasy like my other sheep either.

As for shearing, you could always learn to do it yourself  When my shearer stops shearing, that's when I'll learn lol.


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## EllieMay (Feb 25, 2013)

goodolboy said:
			
		

> I always tought the perfect commercial flock would be a 50% Katahdin 50% Dorper ewes, and a wool terminal sire.
> Easy keepers, best meat producers.


*x2*


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## TexasShepherdess (Mar 2, 2013)

another vote for dorper...


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## SheepGirl (Apr 29, 2013)

Just got my sheep sheared and would like to cast my vote for Texels again 

Look at how big his butt is! That's equivalent to the ham on a hog.





A rear view





And his single born 1/2 Texel x 3/8 Babydoll Southdown x 1/8 Montadale daughter... 11.2 lb birthweight -- she will be weaned Tuesday so I will update this when I get her 60 day weight.





His daughter next to her dam at 51 days old -- no creep feed except for a little handful of alfalfa hay here and there and what she stole out of her mom's feed pan





And two 1/2 Texel x 1/4 Montadale x 1/4 Babydoll southdown lambs out of a 2006 ewe, born triplets/raised twins. They are the two lambs facing away from the camera. Pictured at 45 days old.


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