The Texel sheep is native to the Netherlands and is a fine wool sheep breed for meat. It is a crossbreeding of Lincoln and Leicester sheep with local sheep. With multiple fetuses, fast lamb growth, large body, meat and wool production performance, is one of the famous foreign meat sheep breed. It is one of the famous breeds of foreign meat fat sheep. It is a very good parent breed for meat sheep breeding and economic hybridization.

Texel sheep (Texel) is native to the Netherlands. It is a strong long-wooled meat and wool sheep, the whole body coat is white, large body hair long. The head is medium-sized, the neck is medium-long, the eyes are large and prominent, the nose mirror, the eye ring, the skin is black, and the hooves are black.

The body is long, the forechest is broad and round, the ribs are well opened and rectangular, the back and waist are straight and wide, the body is full of muscles, the hindquarters are well developed, the limbs are open, upright, thick and strong, and the length is suitable. Both rams and ewes are hornless, and the sheep is adaptable and resistant to rough feeding.

The breed has been widely distributed to Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Germany, France, Britain, the United States, New Zealand and other countries. China has also been introduced, distributed in Heilongjiang, Shaanxi, Beijing and Hebei, etc. It is a very good sire breed for meat sheep breeding and economic hybridization. The breed needs to pay attention to the production of ewes in rearing, to prevent the occurrence of difficult labor.

Production performance

The Texel sheep is large, adult rams weighing up to 85 to 140 kg, ewes 60 to 90 kg. The average birth weight of male lambs is 5.0 kg, the average weight at 2 months of age is 26 kg, and the average daily weight gain is 350 grams; the average weight at 4 months of age is 45 kg, and the average daily weight gain from 2 to 4 months of age is 317 grams; the average weight at 6 months of age is 59 kg.

The average newborn weight of ewe lambs is 4.0 kg, the average weight at 2 months of age is 22 kg, and the average daily weight gain is 300 g; the average weight at 4 months of age is 38 kg, and the average daily weight gain from 2 to 4 months of age is 267 g; the average weight at 6 months of age is 48 kg. lambs slaughtered at 4-6 months of age are slaughtered at an average rate of 55-60%, with a high leanness and carcass meat yield rate.

Shearing volume of 5 to 6kg, wool length 7 to 15cm, fineness 50 to 60 branches, net wool rate of 60%. Ewes can be mated at 7 to 8 months of age and have a long estrus season. 80% of the ewes produce double lambs, with a lambing rate of 150% to 200%.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Texel Sheep