Excuse me if I'm late in getting in on this subject of "Cross breeding". When I cross breed for "Freezer meat", I love to use a BB ram and a BIG Suffolk ewe or Ramboilet ewe. This has always given me (my) desired result which is a larger lamb for butcher/the freezer. What I have found is that this pattern, using a BB ram and a "regular" big wooled ewe causes the lamb to grow at a faster rate, 10, 15, sometimes 20% faster/larger than just a BB to BB lamb result. This, I believe is called "Maternal Heterosis". It has always given me a lamb I can have butchered out at 8-10 months with GREAT flavor, little fat but still enough to help with cooking/flavor. If it's a ram, I never band their little balls, this helps them grow at a faster rate. Hope this helps! (I always name those lambs "Freezer Meat", that way NO ONE gets attached, Hehe)! By the way, my favorite way of eating this is either BBQ, or in the oven with a browning bag, Deb, (my wife), hates lamb/mutton, but she throws some garlic salt & pepper on there, throws it in the browning bag. When it's done, she has to tell me when to stop eating it's so good!
Sincerely, John Taylor California =============================================== This message is from the Barbados Blackbelly Sheep mailing list (http://www.awrittenword.com/listserv/index.html). To respond to this message, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe or change your membership options, go to http://lists.coyotenet.net/mailman/listinfo/blackbelly To search the archives, go to http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
