Belclare sheep are now widely used in Ireland – so much that certain UK research centres have already started evaluating the breeds superb maternal traits - but don’t believe us – see what the experts have to say.
Belclare’s in Northern Ireland: Belclare rams are responsible for producing more kilograms of meat from your ewe flock. Dr Annett said Belcares (a composite breed developed in the west of Ireland) had performed well in trials. Ewes put to Belclare rams produced more kilos of lamb per ewe and grades were higher than in lambs sired by Lleyn, NZ Romney and NZ Highland rams. Source; Farmers Guardian, 6th March 2009.
Sire selection: Belclare rams are easy lambing – reducing labour and resulting in more live lambs for sale. The choice of ram breed is a key factor influencing ease of lambing and hence labour input at time. Research at AFBI has shown that using a maternal breed sire such as the Lleyn or Belclare can reduce intervention rates at lambing, with 10-20% of ewes requiring assistance compared with 25-35% of ewes lambing down to Suffolk and Texel rams.
Source: Dr. Ronald Annett AFBI, Hillsborough - Farm walks to highlight breeding options for easier-care sheep 2007
Belclare rams produce ewes that are more profitable. Teagasc research on maternal breed comparison clearly demonstrates that when it comes to litter size the Belclare is definitively the best.
| Breed of Sire of Ewe | Litter Size |
| Belclare | 2.00 |
| Bluefaced Leicester | 1.85 |
| Suffock | 1.80 |
| Bleue du Main | 1.80 |
| Vendeen | 1.76 |
| Texel | 1.70 |
| Border Leicester | 1.70 |
| Charollais | 1.70 |
| Rough de l'Quest | 1.60 |
(Hanrahan, 2002)