Single sire joining certainly puts pressure on the mating process. We’ve used small paddocks for joining for many years, but 2020 was the first year we have single sire joined in dedicated containment areas. Due to the drought we had been using containment areas for the 3 months leading up to joining for all our […]
Read moreTCP Index TCP (Terminal Carcase Production) The TCP index has been created by Sheep Genetics to assist producers to achieve both gains in their major production traits, post-weaning weight and muscling, as well as ensuring consumer satisfaction from lamb is maintained through focusing on key eating quality traits such as shear force (tenderness) and intramuscular […]
Read moreAfter eliminating potential candidates for any significant structural and mobility faults our approach is to select a balanced team of sires with as much pedigree diversity and performance as we can find. Mostly the second part isn’t easy! We also look for AI sires that will link us well to the rest of the Sheep […]
Read moreMake the most of the 2019 joining (and next year) For most producers ewe numbers will be down for 2019 and returns from wool and lamb potentially look exceptional. The need to get maximum numbers of lambs on the ground is more critical than ever. If you haven’t joined yet here a few reminders to […]
Read moreWhat drives genetic gain In a discussion with perhaps the leading merino breeder in Australia recently he was asked what he put their rise in the rate of genetic gain down to. He quoted six major points: Choose to go faster – mindset Doing my own matesel (mate allocation) DNA tests – […]
Read moreWe’re serious about lambing ease. Very few of our clients have trouble at lambing. For many of our clients, the birthweight asbv is the first one they look at. Dead lambs don’t grow, and never make sale weight. We first started weighing lambs at birth in 1996. Since then we have weighed 14,759 poll dorset […]
Read moreIt surprises me how much we use the autodrafter, how easy it is to use, and how well the sheep go through it. It seems the more they use it they quicker they go through. Ours is a Pratley air draft, 3 way with swing gates. A five way draft would have been handy, and […]
Read moreHow do the rams look? It’s common for “stud” breeders to make the claim – this year’s rams are the best we have ever bred. Mostly makes me laugh a bit. Invariably this comment is made from a visual perspective, but really, can anyone visually recall a group of rams from 12 months ago well […]
Read moreAfter a moderately successful attempt at embryo transfer (ET) in 2015, and a very poor result in 2016, our program this year has been by far the most successful. We programmed 6 Poll Dorset ewes for flushing this year and on Feb 6 flushed 46 embryos from those ewes. That’s 7.7 embryos per donor, easily […]
Read moreSelecting rams for this years sire teams has been one of the most challenging I have experienced for a number of years. If you’re not sure of your breeding objective, that selection is always more difficult. In 2016 we had Sheep Genetics analysis changes that made quite significant differences to eating quality. What were formerly research […]
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