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Welcome at the
Stamboek Blauwe Texelaars
Flockbook Blue Texels
k.a.lunsche@hetnet.nl


History of the Blue Texel
The name says all: we are talking about a Texel sheep with a blue fleece. Although probably there have been always spontanious colourvariants arised out of Texel sheep, it was not until 1977 before some people put attention to it. Since the late 70-ties some breeders have bred the blue colourvariant of the Texel pure. To meet to the wish to register the Blue Texel sheep in a proper way, the flockbook 'Blauwe Texelaars' had been raised in 1983. The use of the term 'blue' (in Dutch: 'blauw') originates from the fact that although the fleece looks white/gray or brown the colour inside the fleece is steel blue.

Characteristics of the breed
Blue Texel sheep are early maturing. The ewe lambs come already in heat at an age of about 7 month. The breeding season of the mature Blue Texel is nearly 5 month.
Not only the white Texel breed is known for its excellent carcass composition, so is the Blue Texel. 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%.

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

Inheritance and features
The Blue Texel arised from white Texels who carry the colourfactor 'blue' with them. This factor is a recessive factor. From a mating of two white Texels who both carry the factor for the blue colour there is a change of 25% that blue lambs are born (so when the genotype of the parents is Bb and Bb (where the B correspond to white and the b to blue), there is a 25% change of a bb (blue) lamb). This blue lambs are thoroughbred for the colour blue and a mating between a Blue Texel and an other Blue Texel always gives blue lambs.
the inside of the fleece
The features of the Blue Texels are:

  • a fleece colour which varies from pretty dark to light
  • a white drawing on the head, the so called 'halter'
  • a white drawing on the upperlimbs and under the tail
  • a small band of white hair on tip of their ears

The Blue Texel: calm and nice to get on with.

Breedadministration
Mr K.A. Lunsche
Stelmaker 20
9321 KE Peize
tel. (+31) (0) 50 503 32 39
e-mail: k.a.lunsche@hetnet.nl