Tag Archives: News

New Ewe Purchase From East Middle Flock Dispersal Sale

Today we added a new purchase to the flock SCE 1301241 who was selected due to her high muscle and fat scores. Sired by East Middle Superior who has been widely used to enhance muscle depth in other flocks she is from a  naturally breeding pedigree line that scores highly for maternal ability.  Superior is by East Middle Power Station, and we already have his genetics in the flock with CNT1100331 who has bred exceptionally well. In 2014 alone she has produced a number of lambs that have been some of the highest indexed lambs in the breed with indexes ranging from 446-472.

She is in lamb to an unnamed East Middle ram by Avon Vale Real Deal who we widely used ourselves for our 2014 lambs. As a result we were confident in purchasing both the ewe/lamb combination which at in lamb sales is usually a challenge!

In future breeding seasons the ewe will compliment our leaner tups and produce offspring that are positive for fat, which we have found results in healthier animals.

It was refreshing to see animals at a sale straight from the field having not been kept inside prior to sale, overfed and coloured or clipped.

East Middle

Scanning Completed

Today we scanned the Ewes and achieved a result of 161% for the Texels and 200% for the Lleyns which we were happy with. The Lleyns usually carry Texel embryos however this year we haven’t done any embryo work so they are in lamb naturally.

The scanner was saying that he was seeing more singles this year than usual and less triplets, however our percentage of singles this year was actually less but we did have less triplets (hooray!)

Our focus now is to ensure that the ewes don’t gain too much body condition between now and lambing as they have been on some cracking stubble turnips and they now handle like steel!

The Ewe pre/post lambing feed has been ordered and this year we are trying an essential oil supplement called Crina. This is designed to modulate rumen bacteria populations to improve rumen fermentation and in recent trials has been shown to increase weights of finished lambs by improving the yield and butterfat of the ewes milk.

It will be interesting to see if it makes any difference, but we found in 2014 that getting the ewe nutrition right made a massive difference so fingers crossed!

Ewes on roots

 

2014 Sale Season Concludes

Today saw the last consignment of Shearling Rams successfully sell which draws to an end a satisfying and successful 2014 sale season.

This year saw regular customers returning as well as new customers buying from us, including a number of pedigree breeders.

The old saying “quality sells” was proved yet again and provided further justification that culling anything that is not right was the right policy as sale averages were up right across the board, in some cases significantly.

The flock also achieved external recognition by coming second in a Regional Flock competition and also won its first ever Supreme Championship at a Show and Sale (we also had the reserve champion at the same show too)!

As the nights are drawing in our efforts now turn to ensuring our breeding programme is successfully executed so lambing is a short as possible.

They say as one door shuts another opens, and I must confess that I am already looking forward to the start of lambing!

2015 Breeding Programme Finalised

Despite being rushed off our feet during the current busy sale season we have also had to make the time to finalise our breeding programme as tupping time is now just days away!

Ladies First

Whilst this is a normal occurrence each year, this years programme has been much more of an effort to finalise, as we have taken the decision to consolidate the number of breeding Texel ewes to 40. This is effectively halving the size of the flock but by doing this we strongly feel that we can focus more on the core families that have excelled. This will further improve our results and also (hopefully!) leave some time free for activities away from the flock.

Naturally this has meant some very hard decisions have had to be taken, and at times it has felt like choosing which child to keep!

During this process each and every aged ewe has been reviewed and its contribution to the flock considered very carefully. Information collected on their progeny, which ones have been retained and which sold (and for how much) helped drive the decision making process along with reviewing medical treatment records and individual knowledge of each animal.

The ewes selected for culling have now gone but I must confess to feeling a degree of guilt as I walk past the local kebab shops in case one of them is spinning around in front of the burner 🙁

Now onto the Boys

One of the benefits of going to the different sales is that you get to see literally hundreds and hundreds of Ram Lambs and you can pick and choose the characteristics you like or are trying to breed.

This was responsible for my decision to use Cambwell Trademark as I was very impressed with how his lambs looked. Semen has been purchased and will be used on some of my highest muscle females.

Trusted favourites Wallington Special Brew and Avon Vale Real Deal will again be used as both have bred exceptionally well.

In addition three home bred Ram Lambs by Avon Vale Real Deal will also be used;

PPK1400385 who is by a big classy Ettrick Ewe by Mitchelhill Paparazzi whose female family is the same as the 17,000gn ewe sold at the Select Seven Sale in 2013.

PPK1400423 who is by a much admired Grey Peel ewe by 3,800gn Cambwell Osprey who was purchased at their dispersal sale.

PPK1400391 who is by a massive Tweed Ewe by East Middle Regardez Moi who was purchased for 1,200gn at the Tweed dispersal sale .

Finally I would like to introduce our new addition – Wallington Vigilante who is the second highest index Texel Ram in the breed for 2014.  His sire Talisman has been used in the flock previously and we have been very impressed with the results. Talisman is by Wallington’s best and most consistent female PHN09035 .

Vigilante has outstanding figures in all key areas plus he looks the part too.

Wallington Vigilante

The Stage is Set

So all remains is for the Girls to meet the Boys – really excited and looking forward to seeing the lambs – roll on lambing!

photo5

 

Kimbolton Flock On Winning Form

At Saturdays Gloucester and Border Counties Texel Club sale at Worcester the Kimbolton Flock scooped the double by winning both of the classes judged on the day.

Kimbolton Volcano PPK 1400386 a Ram Lamb, subsequently went on to secure the Supreme Championship.
Volcano was sired by Avon Vale Real Deal (the top performance recorded stock sire of 2013), out of an Ettrick ewe by Mitchelhill Paparazzi (who shares the same maternal family as the ewe that sold for 19,000gn at the 2013 select seven sale)

Kimbolton Union Man PPK 1300329 a shearling Ram was placed Reserve Champion.
Union Man was sired by Wallington Special Brew (see Rams used page) and is out of a quality Loosebeare Dam by Bettonfield Janitor who was Supreme Champion at Builth 2004

photo5

2014 Sale Season Well Underway

The Kimbolton Flock is pleased to announce that the 2014 sale season is now well under way. We have successfully sold at both the Welsh and English National Sales and customers have also begun purchasing stock direct from Farm too.

Further sales we are attending include:

6th September -Shrops & Borders Club Sale at Shrewsbury Market
29th September – Glocs & Borders Club Sale at Worcester Market
22nd September – NSA Main Ram Sale – Builth Wells
2nd October – Shrops & Borders Club Sale at Welshpool Market
20th October – Shrops & Borders Club Sale at Welshpool Market

Please get in touch if you have particular requirements, the stock list on the “for sale” page was updated today to reflect the latest availability.

 

Kimbolton Sheep Achieve Great Results In The Second BLUP Run

The Kimbolton Flock is delighted with the results it has achieved in the second BLUP run of the year following Ultrasound and CT Scanning of its 2014 lamb crop.

Ram Lambs
The Flock has produced the 5th, 6th and 15th placed Ram Lambs in the breed with nine  animals being placed in the top forty.

Of particular note, following CT scanning PPK 1400440 recorded the second highest gigot score of all 2014 Ram lambs,

Ewe Lambs
The Flock has produced the 2nd, 4th, 7th and 9th placed Ewe Lambs in the breed with six animals placed in the top forty.

The 2014 lambs were sired by the following Rams
Avon Vale Real Deal
Cambwell Taurus
Wallington Special Brew (See Rams used page for pictures)
Alwent Untouchable

Speaking shortly after the results were published Paul Phillips said “2014 has been an exciting year for us as we continue to develop the genetics within our flock. This years breeding objectives have been quite specific;

  • Further improve muscle depth/gigot size
  • Move towards a positive EBV score for fat
  • Maintain or improve growth rates
  • Tidying up our easy lambing heads

In addition to tupping our home bred ewes we also selectively undertook some embryo transfer work using three proven donors (CNT 1100331GGH 1000201 and HMF 1000100) and we have been delighted with the results.

With tupping not far away now some important decisions have to be made so we can ensure that our 2015 lamb crop continues to build on this years achievements and momentum.”

Premier Sale Of Pedigree Performance Recorded Sheep – Entry Forms Now Available

Entries are now being invited for the second sale which is taking place on Monday 8th September 2014 at 17.00 at Worcester Market.

To date we have had a good level of interest with around 60 Texel sheep being pre-entered, therefore we are now looking to attract the remaining 40 entries.

Last year’s sale saw buyers from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales and enhanced advertising this year will further target progressive commercial breeders.

SCHEDULE 2014 A4

ENTRY FORM 08.09

Increased Interest in Performance Recorded Stock

In a survey of English sheep breeders using Signet Breeding Services, 95% identified a rise in commercial interest in performance recorded stock; the majority of these credited the change to work done by Eblex’s Better Return Programme.

Over half of respondents said that a majority of their buyers asked for EBVs, and, although it varied by region and breed, 80% also reported an increase in EBV requests since the BRP began.

More than 90% reported better ram sales, increased profit on rams or a price differential for the very best tups.

Eblex Breeding Services Manager Samuel Boon says: “It is encouraging to hear that the BRP is having a positive influence on breeding improvement within the sheep sector. The findings of this survey are extremely helpful in enabling us to build on the aspects of the BRP that levy payers find useful.”

Selection of 2014 Ram Lambs CT Scanned

Today saw the Kimbolton Flock take eleven of its most promising Ram Lambs to the SRUC mobile CT Scanner that was located at the University of Nottingham.

The Rams taken had already been muscle depth and backfat scanned using ultrasound scanning earlier in the week and the animals selected for full body CT Scanning were those that had the most promising results.

2014 Ram Lambs
2014 Ram Lambs enjoying some supper the evening before their trip to Nottingham

CT scanning allows us to more accurately identify the best animals in our flock for breeding purposes. This means that our buyers can be confident that the genetics contained within our rams will help them improve the carcass quality of their own lambs. This has a significant impact on their profitability as out of specification lambs are worth far less than ones that hit the required specification.

During the scanning process the sheep are sedated and fitted into cradles prior to being taken through the CT scanner.  Once they have been scanned they are left quietly to recover from the sedative before being returned to the fields that they recognise and call home.

CT Scan

The final results are anticipated in the next few weeks and will predict

  • Carcass tissue weights and %
  • Killing out %
  • Muscle to bone ratio
  • Muscle to fat ratio
  • Gigot shape and eye muscle area

The Rams taken were

PPK1400385 view at BASCO Search
PPK1400391 view at BASCO Search
PPK1400395 view at BASCO Search
PPK1400397 view at BASCO Search
PPK1400403 view at BASCO Search
PPK1400406 view at BASCO Search
PPK1400417 view at BASCO Search
PPK1400419 view at BASCO Search
PPK1400423 view at BASCO Search
PPK1400440 view at BASCO Search
PPK1400444 view at BASCO Search