Texel sheep. Origin of the Texel sheep breed, advantages and disadvantages of Texel sheep

Among the variety of sheep breeds, the Romanov breed stands out especially, which is famous for its unpretentiousness and endurance, as well as fertility. The name of the breed has nothing to do with the descendants of the royal family. It comes from the places where this wonderful animal was bred - Romanovo-Borisoglebsky district, which was located in the Yaroslavl region. This breed was bred quite a long time ago, in the 18th century, as a result of crossing the best short-tailed sheep for their fur quality.

Breed characteristics

Romanov sheep are a coarse-haired, short-tailed meat-wool breed.

Characteristic features of Romanov sheep:

strong, well-developed bones, up to 70 cm at the withers;
Rounded, barrel-shaped body, with smooth and straight lines of the sacrum and back;
Small elongated head; with big eyes
hooked nose, vertical ears;
deep, wide chest and wide withers;
short tail, straight muscular legs on the sides of the body;
Polled, i.e. hornless specimens are valued more than horned ones, although horns are found in both males and females.

Rams of the Romanov breed

Sheep offspring indicators Romanovsky species depend entirely on the performance of the ram. The better the performance of the ram, the better the future offspring will be

Rams of the Romanov breed are calmer than rams of other breeds. The weight of an adult sexually mature ram reaches from 60 to 80 kg (there are record holders weighing up to 100 kg)

Representatives of this species often grow a mane, which differs significantly in the length and color of the coat. If the body coat is predominantly gray-blue with a steel tint, then the mane of representatives of this breed is contrasting black.

Gallery: Romanov breed sheep (25 photos)

How much does a sheep weigh

Romanov sheep weigh 50 -70 kg. The weight of lambs depends on quantities babies in the litter. On average, the indicators can be something like this:

a singleton pregnancy produces a lamb with an average weight of about 4 kg;
the weight of lambs born in twins is approximately 2.9 kg;
triplets, reach a weight of 2.5 kg,
if four offspring were born at once, then the weight of each does not exceed 2.3 kg

No matter what weight a lamb is born with, mother's milk allows it to gain weight quickly. Of course, when there are many siblings in the litter, the babies may not have enough milk, in this case recommended place one of the lambs next to a ewe that has one lamb in the litter, after first dripping a trickle of her milk onto the foundling.

Typically, in the third month of life, lambs weigh from 16 to 25 kg, depending on the number of brothers. The average daily weight gain is 140-170 grams and by the age of 6-7 months the weight of lambs reaches about 35 kg.

How many lambs does a ewe produce?

One of the distinguishing features of this breed is its fertility and multiple births. Romanov sheep are distinguished by their early maturation; they can bear two offspring per year, and three offspring in three years.

Moreover, each pregnancy can consist of 2-4 lambs; there have been cases when females gave birth to up to 5-7 lambs in one litter. For these indicators, this breed is in demand and is valued on farms because of its profitability.

Breeding Romanov sheep

Breeding Romanov sheep is rarely difficult; as already mentioned, this type of sheep is famous for its unpretentiousness. And with proper care, the ewe is given offspring at any time of the year. may strive for mating even during lactation; repeated insemination increases the likelihood of mating. The gestation period is 10 days shorter than that of other breeds, and birth occurs on the 145th day.

Sexual maturity sheep of this breed reach maturity by 4 months, but it is not recommended to inseminate them during this period. The first mating is desirable when the weight reaches about 40 kg.

During childbirth, births usually do not require human intervention in the process. Before lambing, the ewe bleats and periodically lies down. Still, it is advisable to prepare the animal before giving birth - usually the hair between the hind legs is cut. The vitality of lambs is very high.

Room for breeding the Romanov breed it must be dry, warm and with good ventilation. This breed loves fresh and cool air, but does not tolerate drafts. In winter, the temperature in the room should be at least 3 degrees, and in the room with lambs at least 8 degrees.

Difference in performance

Representatives of this type of sheep are divided into three groups:

with rough bones;
with strong bones;
with delicate bones.

Each group has its own characteristics. Sheep with delicate bones are less fertile and tenacious, their productivity leaves much to be desired. These animals have a narrow chest and head, sharp withers. The bones are underdeveloped, and the coat contains too much fluff in proportion to the hair, which leads to the fact that the fluff easily falls off. And although their fur is very beautiful, snow-white, these individuals practically do not participate in breeding.

Those with large bones are most attractive to farmers. They have the best wool quality; it is most valued in the fur industry. Representatives of this variety have a wide chest, a thick coat of gray, sometimes slightly bluish color. They are the most tenacious and unpretentious.

The latter type of these sheep has heavy bones and coarse wool. Their hair is longer than fluff, their sheepskin is rough and ugly, but the animals demonstrate the best indicators of endurance, fertility and vitality. Therefore, they are often bred in rural areas.

Content It is preferable for Romanov breed sheep to be kept in a stall only in winter; long-term keeping in a stall is undesirable for these sheep. In the period from early spring until the first frost, it is preferable to keep it on pastures, away from wetlands, because In these areas, grass grows that can lead to the death of offspring.

It is recommended that the transition to pasture be done gradually, as well as the transition to feeding hay in winter. It’s good to feed the animals hay mixed with concentrates (oats, barley) for 1-2 weeks. Long-term feeding of barley leads to obesity in sheep. Ideal pastures for this breed are sown with legumes, cereals and clover.

In hot weather, it is ideal if the sheep graze in shady places or under a canopy, because... they can hardly tolerate high temperatures.

Does a sheep give milk?

Romanov sheep are bred mainly for obtaining hides, wool and meat. The meat of this breed has a unique taste and aroma and is highly valued on the market. However, Romanov sheep also provide milk. It is fattier than cow's milk and is much more profitable in cheese making.

Due to the fact that the fertility of this breed is good, the sheep give milk for a long time; if one sheep has a downtime, then another gives milk. During one lactation period, one ewe can produce up to 100-150 liters of milk.

Attention, TODAY only!

Sheep have been bred by humans for thousands of years. Today there are many good breeds of sheep, which are raised primarily for meat. With all this, Texel continues to be the best. Farmers annually receive large amounts of meat and wool from this breed. These sheep also have qualities such as unpretentiousness and endurance. But, of course, these pets, like any other, need to be cared for correctly.

A little about the breed

Such sheep were first bred during the Roman Empire. But they were able to gain greater popularity only in the 19th century. It was at this time that the quality indicators and productivity characteristics of this breed increased noticeably. On the territory of the Netherlands Islands, in the province of North Holland, these sheep were crossed with Dexter and Lincoln rams.

Ultimately, such selection gave rise to three varieties of the new breed: Dutch, French and English. All these groups of sheep have become widespread and popular among farmers, and are therefore bred everywhere. Especially a lot of Texel sheep observed on farms in Europe. Such animals are also raised in North America, Australia and New Zealand.

Dutch meat-haired breeds have shorter limbs than English individuals. But at the same time, their muscle mass is better developed. Main advantage The French breed is considered precocious.

Gallery: Texel sheep (25 photos)

Characteristics and appearance

Since this breed is more related to meat production, its main and distinguishing feature is its large mass. The sheep's torso is rectangular, massive, and well developed. The coat is usually very long and curls in rings. Features of the breed include the following:

Breed colors:

White.
With blue coat colors, dark head and legs.
Golden-brown individuals with white legs and head.

The Texel also differs from other sheep breeds in its polled appearance. Rams have the beginnings of horns, but they are very rare. The head and legs of this breed Most often they are not covered with fur. The tail can be either long or short.

Origin story

It is impossible to say exactly at what time and for what reasons they learned about the aboriginal sheep living on the Texel Islands (they were also called March Sheep) on the continents. What is known is that already in the 18th century they began to spread widely throughout Holland. Farmers who lived here from time immemorial appreciated the breed, its early maturity, tasty meat, and already at the beginning of the 19th century this breed was rapidly spreading throughout Europe.

She was able to settle down best in France, located next door, where breeders were even able to develop their own type of this breed - French. In the 70s, from Holland and France, it came to Great Britain, where breeders, who understood the basic qualities of such peaceful animals as sheep, quickly guessed what an unusual and useful animal fell into their hands. They continued to carry out selections on this breed in order to improve the qualities and characteristics given by nature.

Texels (at this time they were already being named after their homeland) were mated with sheep of the best breeds of England: Kent, Leicester, Unsleydale and Lincoln - such selection took place in a clearly defined meat direction.

When raising and maintaining young livestock, the greatest preference was given to those lambs that gained weight faster than others, but were not very fat. The experiences of leading breeders have led to the fact that Texel sheep have become real leaders among other breeds grown in Europe, and have become widely used in other parts of the world. Such high positions are typical for the breed in our time.

Sheep of this breed, which is registered as meat, are valued for good reason on many farms. They have qualities that were created during island isolation in a certain climate, dictated by the harsh climatic conditions of the North Sea, and subsequently modified by English farmers who had many years of experience in sheep farming. Such sheep are characterized by:

The breed's meat is tender, low-calorie, does not have any strange smell and belongs to the marble category. This was the main reason why sheep of this breed became so popular. The slaughter yield is 55-60 percent, which is considered a fairly high figure. Meat of this breed cooks much faster than others.

In culinary applications it is used for cooking exquisite rack of lamb. With all this, the breed is famous not only for its meat, but also for its soft, thick and silky wool, which reaches up to 15 cm in length. In terms of its indicators, it belongs to the middle class. The secret of wool is very simple. No matter how hard English breeders tried to eliminate fat in this breed, their attempts were never successful.

Texel sheep contain a layer of fat, which not only saves them from low temperatures when living in harsh climatic conditions, but also produces fatty sweat, which significantly softens the wool. From one sheep you can easily get from 5 to 6 kg of wool, and from a ram - all 7 kg. The wool from such sheep is used for knitwear, making socks and stockings.

Types of texels

How the breed is bred

There are no particular difficulties in breeding Texels: they are completely adaptable to any living conditions and to any diet. But this does not mean at all that you can not monitor them and leave them to their fate. This way you definitely won’t get beautiful wool and high-quality meat: simple maintenance rules still need to be followed. Fortunately, there are not very many such rules. The key ones are:

Due to their precocity, sheep are ready to breed already at seven months, but sheep breeders do not recommend fertilizing them at such an early age: it is believed that at this time they are not yet fully matured in order to breed all the offspring. As already noted, a sheep can produce up to two lambs per year, or even three per lamb, so the later fertilization occurs, the better quality it will be.

Based on this, the best time frame for texel coverage is 10-12 months. Sexual hunting occurs immediately after the individual's summer shearing, in September, and lasts five months, ending in January. Mating can occur in any month, but it is best to breed individuals in the fall, so that by spring the offspring will already be formed. One or two days before giving birth, it is best to place a pregnant ewe in a separate pen to strengthen her maternal instinct.

Most often, childbirth occurs at night and is a rather difficult test for the sheep, which tests its health and endurance. One of the breed characteristics is the large head that newborn lambs have. For this reason, sheep often go through difficult labor. On many farms where they are bred, a veterinarian is always present during lambing.

Considering that a sheep is capable of bringing the farmer not just one lamb, but a whole set of twins, then its stamina and health can be envied. It should be noted that a lambing ewe usually only has enough milk for several lambs, so if she gives birth to triplets, then one lamb will have to be given to another female.

Modern Texel sheep are the fruit of the labor of British breeders. They once managed to create a breed that is now highly valued for its excellent meat quality and high productivity of both meat and wool. We will consider the characteristic features of the breed, its advantages and disadvantages below.

History of the breed

The Texel sheep breed is ancient. It is believed that this species existed during the Roman Empire, although modern representatives are very different from their ancestors. Over several centuries, attempts have been made repeatedly to improve the productive qualities of these animals. The French and Dutch made their contribution to the creation of the breed. In the 19th century, when animals arrived in the British Isles, the British began to work closely on breeding.

At that time, there was a demand for lean lamb in Europe, so breeders set out to create a breed of sheep that would be distinguished by a high level of meat productivity. The main goal was to reduce body fat. The sheep were crossed with representatives of the Lincoln, Wensleydale, Leicester and Kent breeds. The result was large Texel sheep. They were given this name thanks to the island from which the animals were once brought to Britain.

Characteristics and features

In terms of productivity, this species belongs to the meat and wool category. They have several distinctive features:

The animals' heads are small but wide, white, and their nose is black. Dark spots may be present on the ears and around the rims of the eyes.
There is no hair on the face, as well as between the ears.
The fur on the limbs is always white. The presence of darkening in the joint area is allowed.

Texel sheep have a strong build. Their body shape is rectangular, their back line is straight. The lumbar area is slightly narrowed. The animal's muscular corset stands out well. The limbs are short, strong, and muscular. Their fur is short and white.

There are 3 types of Texel sheep:

English;
French;
Dutch

Species differ from each other in height and body proportions. The largest and tallest are the Dutch Texel sheep, although their limbs are much shorter than those of the English ones.

Breed characteristics:

males are much larger than females, height at the withers reaches 87 cm, and for ewes - 73-75 cm;
wide powerful chest;
compact head white;
the ears are small in size and located horizontally;
the average weight of an adult ram is 130-150 kg, a sheep – 70 kg;
The coat is semi-fine, highly crimped, the color is white, blue, sand.

The nature of these animals is peaceful, they do not require care and are extremely hardy. When grazing, Texels do not huddle in heaps, but scatter throughout the pasture; they are comfortable alone. However, they do not go far from the shepherd. Sheep of this breed are not afraid of cold and wind; warm wool reliably protects them from colds. They have strong immunity.

Productivity

Texel is one of the best meat and wool breeds. Starting from an early age, lambs develop a developed muscle corset, which is preserved with age. Their meat does not contain a large amount of fat, therefore it does not have an unpleasant odor. It is juicy and tender.

Attention! The slaughter yield of meat is 62%.

In addition to meat, animals provide the farmer with wool. Their fleece is semi-thin, soft, highly crimped, and belongs to class 56. The average fiber length is 5-7 cm. The average annual clip for Texel rams is 7 kg, for sheep – 5 kg.

Animals are usually groomed in early summer. At this time, the fleece reaches the desired condition. Experienced farmers recommend cutting off the wool at the very base.

Advantages and disadvantages

For two hundred years, the best representatives of the Texel breed have been carefully selected on European farms. Thanks to such painstaking work, they managed to achieve good results - the breed has clear advantages over others:

high slaughter yield of meat – 62%;
excellent taste of meat products;
the breed easily adapts to any climatic conditions;
wool uniformity;
the annual clipping rate is above average;
endurance;
When crossed, animals easily pass on their best traits to their offspring.

Despite the advantages, Texel sheep also have disadvantages, for example:

Small increase in livestock. Every year, each ewe is capable of producing only one lamb.
Heavy lambing.
Slow weight gain. Upon reaching three months of age, the average daily weight gain is only 300 grams.
There are no purebred Texel sheep in Russia, and bringing them from Europe is very expensive.

Content Features

Texel sheep and rams are undemanding to living conditions. All they need is a spacious pasture in the summer and a dry and warm sheepfold in the winter. The suitable temperature inside the barn is +8 degrees and above.

Attention! For ewes that are preparing for lambing, an insulated room is allocated. It’s good if the thermometer there does not fall below 16 degrees Celsius.

In summer, animals eat grass in pastures. If the vegetation is sparse, then the sheep will have to be supplemented by offering concentrated feed in the evening. In winter, animals are fed 3 times a day, and the diet consists of:

hay;
root crops and vegetables;
grain crops.

Clean drinking water must be available at all times. It is important to consider that each adult drinks 7-10 liters of water per day.

Breeding

Sheep and rams of this breed occur at the age of one and a half years. Mating usually occurs between September and January. After 5 months, from 1 to 3 lambs are born. Since the cubs have a wide head, which makes it difficult for them to move through the birth canal, farmers invite a veterinarian to be present at the birth.

Newly born babies are ready to go out with their mother for a walk or to the pasture the very next day. They grow quickly. In the first 3 months of life, their daily weight gain reaches 400-600 g, but later the gain in body weight slows down.

The strongest individuals without physical defects are selected for the tribe. Advantage is given to those who are characterized by rapid growth and weight gain.

Attention! During lambing of Texel sheep, veterinary assistance will be required.

There are no purebred Texel sheep in Russia and Ukraine. They are bred in some European countries, America, and Australia. Perhaps something will change in the coming years, and domestic farms will have the opportunity to purchase purebred sheep for meat and wool production.

The island of Texel (also known as Tessel or Texel), part of the group of West Frisian Islands (province of North Holland, the Netherlands), is famous for many:

the world's largest annual catamaran regatta, held in mid-June (regatta distance is about 60 nautical miles).
the uprising of Georgian prisoners of war in the spring of 1945, which after the Second World War was called “the last battle of Europe.”
a ten-day blues festival held annually in mid-October in the island's capital, Den Burg.
filming the finale of the famous film “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” in 1997 (scene by the sea).
Maritime Museum, where items from ships that sank or were sunk near the island are exhibited.
a national ornithological reserve, which covers a good third of the island’s land (the Airland area and the EcoMar center, where the museum of flora and fauna is located).
tulip fields that are not afraid of wind, changeable weather (they say that in ten minutes in Texel the sun can give way to rain and almost snow) and not a very gentle climate (the highest temperature of the year, in August, during the day reaches only +19 , and at night +13).
finally, by the fact that back in 1415 it was given city rights. Thanks to this, a situation has arisen that has no analogues in the world: the largest city in the Netherlands is formally considered to be an island about seven kilometers wide and about twenty kilometers long, comprising seven towns, a couple of dozen villages and a water area of 416.14 sq. km. For comparison: the total area of the island city with a population of about 14 thousand people within the approved boundaries is 585.96 square meters. km.

The island is famous for all this among tourists, scientists and historians. Texel is known to sheep farmers for the fact that, in conditions of underdeveloped agriculture and a not very favorable climate, a breed of sheep was bred there that was capable of producing two or even three lambs in one lambing. We are talking about a breed named after the island - Texel.

Unique sheep

It is impossible to say with certainty when and under what circumstances the aboriginal island sheep, which were first called “marching” sheep, were learned on the mainland (there is an opinion that they were known about them back in the days of the Roman Empire); all that is known is that already in the 18th century they spread to mainland Holland. Local farmers appreciated the precocity of these animals and the excellent taste of their meat, and already at the beginning of the next, 19th century, the Texel breed began to spread throughout Europe. It took root best of all in neighboring France, where they even developed their own type of this breed - the French. In the 70s, from Holland and France, it came to England, where sheep farmers, who knew a lot about these peaceful animals since the times of medieval enclosures, quickly realized what a treasure had fallen into their hands, and began to diligently experiment with it in order to improve the developed nature of quality. Texels (by that time they had already been named after their homeland) were crossed with sheep of the best English breeds - Kent, Wensleydale, Leicester and Lincoln - and the selection was carried out in a strictly defined meat direction: when raising young animals, preference was given to those lambs that gained weight faster than others and were not very fatty. Breeding experiments led to the fact that Texel sheep quickly became leaders among sheep raised in Europe and became widespread in other parts of the world. The breed holds these positions to this day.

Sheep of this breed, registered as meat, are valued all over the world for good reason. They have qualities that were formed during island isolation in a climate dictated by the harsh North Sea, and improved by English farmers with centuries of experience in sheep farming. These sheep:

precocious. By the age of four months, the young animals reach a weight of 38-45 kg.
hardy.
They have strong immunity and rarely get sick. Colds are completely unknown to them.
They tolerate bad weather well and are not afraid of strong winds and frosty winters, thanks to which they can adapt to living in regions with a harsh climate. It has been noticed that in winter sheep happily walk in the snow and even frolic in it.
extremely prolific. One sheep lambs once a year, but it can lamb two or even three lambs. The average statistics for the breed is as follows: per 100 sheep, on average there are from 170 to 190 lambs, of which 127-135 are twins.
are large in size. The average weight of an adult sheep is 70 kg, and the weight of a ram can be up to 160 kg.
They do not have a herd instinct, which is why they can be seen both in a group and grazing alone or even in the company of cows or goats.
They are independent and strong, feel great alone and can get out of a river or ravine on their own, so they don’t even need special supervision.
They are extremely unpretentious in food and can graze on any type of pasture: flat, mountain and even swampy.

The meat of this breed is worth mentioning separately. Low in calories, tender, without any specific odor and classified as marbled, it was one of the reasons why Texel sheep gained such popularity. The slaughter yield is 55-60%, which is a good indicator. The meat of this breed cooks faster than the meat of other sheep breeds. In cooking, it is used to prepare delicious rack of lamb. But texels are famous not only for their meat, but also for their soft, silky semi-fine thick wool up to 15 cm long, which is middle class in quality. The secret of such wool is simple. No matter how hard the British tried to rid this breed of fat, their attempts were not crowned with complete success. Texel sheep have a layer of fat that not only protects them and their wool from low temperatures and harsh climatic conditions, but also produces fat that softens the wool. From one sheep you can get five to six kilograms of such wool, from a ram - about seven. Texel wool is considered an excellent material for knitwear, socks and stockings.

The appearance of Texel sheep is also noteworthy:

a proportional, muscular body of medium size, shaped like a rectangle.
an elongated, short-haired or completely hairless head with a not very wide forehead and short, widely spaced ears. As a rule, the head color is white, the nose is black, and sometimes there are black spots on the ears and eyelids. No hair grows on the forehead or between the ears.
hornlessness. In some cases, rams may have undeveloped horns.
long, flat, wide back.
a thin, medium-long tail, which tends to shorten when crossed with other breeds (for example, Romanov).
short and muscular neck.
well developed hips.
strong, correctly placed legs with developed muscles and short white hair. The muscles of the hind legs are especially well expressed.
white, golden brown and white-bluish coat colors.

There are three types of texels:

Dutch, or original. It is characterized by high muscle mass even against the background of its initially large size, a powerful body constitution and shorter legs, unlike other types.
French. Despite the fact that it is as close as possible to the original type, it is characterized by predominantly average indicators in all physical parameters. However, French Texel differs from other types in its faster maturation.
English, which has longer legs and an unusual bluish-smoky color. Because of this, English-type sheep are the tallest: their height can reach up to 87 cm at the withers (for comparison: the usual height of a Texel sheep is 75 cm, a ram is 85-87).

Breeding Features

There are no special tricks in breeding Texels: they are unpretentious, hardy, and perfectly adapt to any conditions of keeping and feeding. However, this does not mean that they can be kept anyhow and as a result get wonderful meat and beautiful wool: the basic rules of maintenance still have to be followed. Fortunately, there are not many of them. The key components to successful breeding of Texel sheep are:

a constantly clean, warm and ventilated paddock, in which there is not and will not be a place for dampness (even the immunity of such a strong sheep as Texel cannot resist it).
regular walking for a long time.
sufficient amount of clean, fresh water.
affectionate treatment. For all their independence and independent appearance, Texels are sensitive to rudeness, shouting and blows, so this behavior should be avoided.
quality nutrition, which is especially important during pregnancy. In summer, sheep find their own food, but in winter they should be taken care of, providing tasty hay, straw and mineral briquettes to maintain their tone. For variety, you can include branches of trees and shrubs in their diet.

Due to their precocity, sheep are already ready for mating at 7 months, but sheep farmers do not recommend fertilizing them at this age: it is believed that they are not yet mature enough to bear their offspring. As already noted, a sheep is capable of producing two or even three lambs in one lamb, so the later fertilization occurs, the better quality it will be. Based on this, the best period for covering a sheep with Texel is 10-12 months. Sexual hunting begins immediately after the summer shearing, in September, and lasts five months, ending in January. It can happen in any month, but it is preferable in the fall, so that in the spring there will be offspring. A day or two before giving birth, it is advisable to place a pregnant sheep in a separate pen in order to strengthen the maternal instinct.

Childbirth most often takes place at night and is a serious test for endurance and health for the Texel sheep. One of their breed characteristics is a large head, which even newborn lambs have. Because of this, the sheep often have a difficult birth, so on many farms where they are bred, a veterinarian is required to be present during lambing. If we consider that a sheep can produce not just one lamb, but twins and sometimes even triplets, then one can only envy its endurance and health. It must be said that a lambing ewe only has enough milk for two lambs, so if she gives birth to triplets, one baby is given to another female.

The weight of newborn lambs, depending on the type of texel, ranges from five to seven kilograms. They are born already adapted to the world around them, so the very next day they can be taken out for grazing. Babies are distinguished by a good appetite, playful character, and friendliness. They grow quickly: up to two months, their average daily growth ranges from 300 to 600 grams, but as they grow older, it drops to 300 grams.

Conclusion, or Texel sheep in the CIS countries

Significant Texel populations are concentrated in Europe, Australia, the USA and New Zealand. On their home island, the number of sheep is such that visitors at first think that there are more of these animals than local residents. Gradually, this breed appears in the countries of the post-Soviet space - in particular, in Russia and Ukraine. In Russia, it is bred mainly in the Stavropol Territory and some other regions. However, you can often hear the opinion that there are no purebred Texels in Russia, since their import requires special permission from the veterinary department. It is extremely difficult to obtain it. In addition, Texels imported under this permit are often crossed with other breeds of sheep in order to adapt to local conditions. And although the resulting offspring quite fully perceives all the qualities of Texels, they can no longer be considered purebred and, according to reviews from sheep breeders, they lose quality of meat. Perhaps someday a separate Russian type of the Texel breed will be formed, just as these types were formed in England and France, but for now, amateur sheep farmers are wary of domestic proposals for the sale of these sheep, wonderful in all respects, preferring to look for opportunities for their acquisitions in the West. True, this is not cheap: in 2009, for example, for one purebred Texel sheep with a pedigree, ordered in Germany, they asked for 500 euros, and for a producer with the so-called. “increased reproduction rate” - 3 and a half thousand euros.

In Ukraine, the price for one purebred Texel sheep in 2014 was 400 euros.

The Texel sheep breed is one of the most productive meat-and-wool breeds, combining unique features: wool, meat, endurance, unpretentiousness and early maturity.

Origin of the Texel breed

The Texel is an ancient breed, with the official description stating that it dates back to the Roman Empire. Over its history, the appearance of the breed has undergone significant changes. The history of the breed begins on an island south of the Netherlands, which gave it its name. In an effort to improve the quality of meat, Dutch breeders crossed local breeds with English ones. Soon the breed came to France, and from there to Britain, where the process of its improvement continued. Attention was paid to meat qualities.

Since lean meat is popular in Europe, Texel sheep, which have a fatty layer and soft wool, quickly became more widespread than other meat breeds. In the 19th century The breed has become the most popular in Europe and is not inferior to the championship.

Description and characteristics of the breed

Texel is a special breed; it belongs to the meat-haired breed, has a memorable exterior and impressive size. The most specific characteristics and differences of the breed are the absence of horns on the rams and the absence of hair between the ears. The animals have superbly developed muscles, and their meat is dietary.

The head is usually white, occasionally the ears and eyelids are spotted with black, and the nose is black. The forehead is wide, ears set wide apart. Texels have a thin, short tail. The body is proportional, medium in size, rectangular, strong, powerful, with a superbly developed muscular system (and muscle mass does not tend to decrease with age). The back is flat, the lumbar region is thinner, the neck is muscular, and the hips are well developed. The legs are slender and muscular, most often covered with short white hair (there may be no hair on the limbs, which is not a defect).

In rams, the height is very high, 85-87 cm at the withers, in sheep - up to 75 cm. A ram has a maximum weight of up to 160 kg, the weight of sheep is much more modest - up to 70 kg. The weight of newborn lambs is 5-7 kg.

There are the following colors of the breed:

white;
golden;
light brown;
white-bluish (this color is becoming increasingly popular and desirable).

Sheep wool is characterized by high density, thickness and softness; the fibers are crimped, semi-fine, of medium length; their thickness is 30-34 microns.

Texel is a special breed, its exterior is quite heterogeneous. The main difference between the varieties is the growth of the animals.

There are 3 subtypes of Texels:

Dutch. Has the greatest muscle mass and is more powerfully built with short limbs.
English. It differs from the Dutch in being taller, with long legs and a less powerful build.
French. An average type, closest to the original of the breed, the distinctive feature of which is the greatest precocity.

This species is characterized by early maturation (7-8 months before the first mating) and high fertility rates.

Breed productivity

The Texel sheep breed is one of the leaders in the productivity of meat and wool breeds. Texel breed rams produce up to 7 kg, Texel females - 5.5 kg. The yield of pure wool is 70%. Summer is the most suitable period for shearing sheep. Animals are shorn clean so that no hair remains on the body.

Wool is most often used to produce natural threads. The meat is tender, has excellent taste, without a specific smell, cooks quickly, and is almost devoid of fat, which was the goal of Texel’s selection. Productivity is 60% per individual.

Read also: Description of the bighorn sheep

Advantages and disadvantages of the breed

Main advantages of Texel:

high yield and quality of wool of various colors;
significant yield of meat of excellent quality;
fertility (180 lambs per 100 females);
strong immunity;
developed muscles and physical strength;
endurance and adaptability to housing and grazing conditions;
independence, calm and flexible character.

Flaws:

low litter rates: once a year;
childbirth is difficult;
Lambs slowly gain weight after 3 months;
Purity of the breed is very rare.

Texel sheep breeding

Breeding Texel sheep raises doubts among farmers regarding the advisability of purchasing, because in terms of the main characteristics it lags behind. It should be emphasized that the use of artificial stimulation does not give the expected effect.

The female matures at 7-8 months. Average productivity is 1.7-1.8 lambs per ewe, 1-5 lambs are born at a time, but most often twins. Matings usually occur between September and January.

Childbirth is difficult and lengthy almost always due to physiological characteristics (lambs are born large, with a large head, which creates difficulties when passing through the birth canal). A veterinarian must be present at the birth. The female's milk is quite fatty and nutritious, but it is enough for 2 lambs, and if more young are born, they are transferred to another female. Lambs are born adapted and can go out to graze already on the 2nd day of life. In the first 3 months, lambs rapidly gain weight (400-600 g per day), then growth slows down to 200-300 g.

Features of the breed

Sheep of the Texel breed are not demanding compared to other breeds and do not require special housing conditions. It is only necessary to create the same conditions as for other types of livestock; first of all, a warm and clean ventilated sheepfold is important. First of all, you should pay attention to the fact that the sheepfold should not be damp in the cold season, and fresh water should be available at all times; this is the key to the health of the animals.

Representatives of the Texel sheep breed differ from others in the absence of herd instinct, independence and desire for solitude. However, these individualists get along well with other domestic animals and even tend to hang around with cows and horses when grazing. Having a muscular body, the ram is able to defend itself, and therefore rarely becomes a victim of an attack by wolves. Due to their calm and balanced nature, these animals do not wander off from the pasture, do not cause much trouble for farmers and do not require constant supervision. Developed muscles allow them to get out of inappropriate places without outside help.

This northern meat breed has strong immunity and rarely gets sick. Almost any conditions are suitable for grazing: mountainous terrain, plains, wetlands. Animals are characterized by high frost resistance and tolerate strong winds and precipitation well. They also easily adapt to changing conditions.

Any food is suitable. In addition to hay and straw, they provide combined feed, as well as mineral supplements.

Texel in Russia

In our country, Texel sheep are not common, despite their promise and high productivity. The available Texel sheep are not purebred, and their price is quite high. Pavlov M.B. notes: “Unfortunately, in fact, the CIS does not have a gene pool of specialized meat breeds of sheep that fully meet modern requirements, and therefore its creation is an urgent task for domestic sheep breeding.” But scientists are convinced that, taking into account the undying popularity of these sheep in Europe and America, it can be assumed that in the near future Texel will not only be appreciated, but soon its purebred representatives will appear on farms.