Suftex

From the resulting progeny we could tell they would not be a strong enough marker for clients. So we top crossed the progeny to make a three quarter Suffolk, quarter Texel, retaining the growth rates and colour of a Suffolk and the muscling for high meat yield from the Texel. This means very high growth rate lambs with around 56% meat yield

In 2011 and 2012 we used some Charollais rams in the Suftex stud. A three way cross retains hybrid vigour effect for clients, and we evaluated it to see if it could bring extra muscling and growth rate genes to our already high performing mix. The result was an increase in survival. The main aim is still to keep them black as a good marker, high yielding and growing fast.

When used over TEFRom 2nd cycle ewe hoggets, the progeny were 31.2kg, compared to TEFRom over TEFRom at 31.1kg, but the Suftex cross lambs were also 17 days younger.

Texels (two copy MYOMax) were used in 1999 and 2002 to increase muscling, survival and worm resistance.