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Dutch Texel breed: for high-quality lamb production

History   -  Sheepbreeds  - Description of race  -  Breeding goal  - Features  -  Predicates  - Breeding values  -  Shows  - Selection  -  Export  

History
The Netherlands have a long history of sheep breeding. The Dutch sheep population is estimated at 1.5 million spread over about 20.000 farms. Some of the more specialized sheep farms keep over 300 ewes.

Most sheep are kept on dairy farms as a sideline, with ewes lambing in the spring. The activities of sheep breeding, multiplication and slaughter lamb production are all integrated on the farms. In the Netherlands, sheep are kept mainly for meat production. The profitability of sheep production is determined by lamb production, growth rate and slaughter quality.

Over the last few decades Dutch sheep breeders have invested considerable amounts of money in research to improve the profitability of sheep farming. Through the use of rams with high genetic potential, much progress has been made in improving the functional conformation traits and carcass composition. In the past, the emphasis had been on economic mutton and wool production, but today the main aim is to sell slaughter lambs of constant, high quality.
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Sheepbreeds
Texel ewe
Texel sheep evolved as a result of crossbreeding the Dutch polder sheep with several English breeds, such as the Leicester, the Wensleydale and the Lincoln at the beginning of this century. Later, when cross-breeding no longer met the expectations, more influential breeders started breeding their own sheep. The result was a large fast-growing and rich-woolen animal. Today, as a result of efficient selection, the Texel breed has developed into a meat-type sheep of outstanding lean meat quality and has accordingly become increasingly popular amongst Dutch sheep farmers. The Texel ram is used for pure Texel breeding purposes and as sire in the production of slaughter lams in various cross-breeding programs in the Netherlands.

The most popular cross-breds in the Netherlands are:

Sire Ewe F1 Terminal Sire End product carcass
 Flemish breed  x   Dutch Texel  =   Swifter  x   Dutch Texel  Slaughterlamb
 Finnish Landrace  x   Dutch Texel  =   Noordhollander  x   Dutch Texel  Slaughterlamb
 Ile de France  x   Finnish Landrace  =   Flevolander  x   Dutch Texel  Slaughterlamb
 Flemmish breed  x   Dutch Texel  =   Blessum  x   Dutch Texel  Slaughterlamb
 German Whitehead  x   Romanov  =   F1  x   Dutch Texel  Rhinelamb A
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Discription of race
Average size Dutch Texel sires (total population)
0,5 year-old rams 1,5 year-old rams
year height length height length
1997 57,6 cm 64,9 cm
1998 58,3 cm 64,9 cm
1999 59,0 cm 65,1 cm
2000 59.3 cm 65.9 cm
2001 59.1 cm 64.8 cm 65.7 cm 73.0 cm
2002 60.5 cm 67.4 cm 66.1 cm 74.2 cm
2003 60.4 cm 67.7 cm 66.6 cm 74.6 cm
2004 60.9 cm 68.6 cm 67.0 cm 75.6 cm
2005 61.2 cm 68.6 cm 67.0 cm 75.1 cm
2006 61.5 cm 69.0 cm 67.6 cm 76.0 cm
2007 61.4 cm 69.4 cm 68.0 cm 77.2 cm
* the world’s most meaty mutton breed;
* rapid growth;
* excellent lean/bone ratio;
* does turn food to lean and not to fat;
* excellent mothering qualities;
* produces predominately twin lambs.

A grown ram has a weight of approximately 95 kg and a withersheight of approximately 70 centimeter. A grown ewe has a weight of approximately 75 kilo and a withersheight of approximately 68 centimeter. The Ducth Texel gives birth ones a year. Grown ewes produce predominately twin lambs.
It is possible for an ewe to get her first litter at an age of 12 months.

The Dutch Texel has an excellent carcass composition. Due to their extremely low fat covering, lambs of the Texel breed can be sold over a long period of time with different end-weights, without any loss of carcass quality. Because of the breed’s extremely high degree of meatiness, the carcass has a killing-out percentage of 55 - 60%. The body of a Dutch Texel is well proportioned with extra strong loins, a solid square stance and round very well developed gigots.
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Breeding goal
Picture of an A-ram The main objective of the Texel flock books is to improve the quality of the purebred Texel sheep as much as possible. To achieve this goal the following requirements have to be met:
* two weaned lambs per litter;
* rapid growth of young lambs;
* maintaining good maternal characteristics;
* further improvement of the carcass qualities.
Over the past few years, breeders of the Dutch Texel sheep have, in addition to further improving the breed’s meatiness, worked intensively on its growth, fertility and functionality. The development of breeding values for both fertility and growth has been a valuable contribution to this process. These efforts have resulted in larger, longer animals that can easily carry and raise two lambs.
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Features
Littersize
The Texel sheep are early maturing. The ewe lambs come already in heat at an age of about 7 months. The breeding season of the mature Texel is nearly 5 months. The average litter size of the mature Texel ewe is about 1.85 lambs at birth.

Good growth
Due to the ewes’ good milk production and the lambs’ excellent growth potential, an average growth of 275 grams per day is attained during the suckling period. During the grazing period of the lambs the growth is about 225 grams per day. If slaughtered at the age of 24 weeks, the lambs’ average live weight is 44 kg.

Maternal characteristics
The Dutch Texel ewe is a good mother. The milk yield of a Texel ewe is large enough for raising 2 lambs. The Texel sheep are excellent graziers and therefore easy to manage. This is also due to the good resistance to internal parasites.

Excellent carcass quality
The Texel breed is known for its excellent carcass composition. The carcasses on average consist of 60 percent lean meat. Due to their extremely low fat covering, lambs of the Texel breed can be sold over a long period of time with different end-weights, without any loss of carcass quality. Because of the breed’s extremely high degree of meatiness, the carcass has a killing-out percentage of 55 - 60%.
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Predicates
Well breeding sires can achieve four different predicates. Which predicate they achieve depends on the quality of the offspring:
Picture of offspring of a sire with the predicate 'Keur'
* Premie ram (P), based on offspring of one year;
* Keur ram (K), based on offspring of two consecutive years;
* Preferente ram (PR), based on offspring of three consecutive years;
* Preferente 'A' ram (PA), based on data of offspring. The ram must already be Preferent.

Dams can achieve the predicate Ster-ooi (Star-ewe, S). To achieve this predicate, the following points are considered:
- age of the ewe;
- conformation of the ewe;
- lambproduction;
- quality of offspring.
Depending on the achievements of the dam herself and her offspring the predicate S is granted with points, e.g. S32. A dam must have a minimum of 13 points to attain this predicate.
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Breeding values
Breeding values are estimated for littersize and growth at 135 days. These breedings values are estimated with the aid of the method 'animal model'.
The breeding values are given as a number around 100. The corrected data from Dutch Texel sheep born in 1994 form the base and stands for 100.
A Texel with a breeding value of 105 has for that particulary feature a higher genetic value compared with an animal with a breeding value of 95.
68 percent of the animals have a breeding value between 95 and 105.
These breeding values give the sheepbreeder the best view of the genetic qualities for these features. Above all these are good aims for selection.

Breeding value for littersize
Littersize is a very important economic aspect in sheepbreeding. When estimating this value the littersize of the ewes is considered. Besides this corrections are made for: age of ewe at giving birth, farm-, year-, seasoninfluence and the permanent animaleffect.

Breeding value for weight on 135 days
The breeding value for the weight on 135 days offers sheepbreeders the possibility to select lambs with the highest genetic value for growth. When estimating this value the weight on 135 days of the lambs is taken into account. Corrections are made for: period of birth, littersize at birth and during suckling, age and parity of the dam, birth, farm-, year-, seasoninfluence and the permanent animaleffect.
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Shows
Picture of a show The breeding-associations NTS and TsNH organise regional shows in july, august and september. On these shows breeders have the opportunity to show their best breedinganimals. These shows play an important role at the sale of young rams.
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Selection
Young, promising rams with a very good conformation are selected for breeding. This selection depends most on the own achievements of the ram en further on the littersize breeding value and the conformation of the parents. The next year the best rams are selected for the breedingprogramme based on information of the offspring.
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Export
There is a great demand of Texel sheep from all over the world, due to their excellent meat-production features and the very good animal health status of the Dutch sheepfarms. On general they are free of maedi-visna and most of them have the highest scrapie-status (only ARR/ARR animals on the farm). Thanks to the great number of exported Dutch Texels, their qualities are well known all over the world. Annualy over 600.000 slaughterlambs are exported.
The Dutch Texel is very apprecieted, because it is the most meaty mutton breed in the world, with an excellent carcass quality.
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