Event Report on the Herdwick Sheep Development Group Meeting
12 July at Red House Farm, Knock, Kirby Thore, Cumbria,
In 2010 the Herdwick Development Group was formed.
The group approached the breeding company Innovis to discuss the potential of the
Herdwick draft ewe for crossing with their Aberdale rams. In September 2010 Dewi
Jones, from Innovis, came to Cumbria and visited farms that used the Herdwick draft
ewe for crossing with Texel rams. Impressed with the quality of these crossbred
lambs, reared in marginal areas, he agreed to participate in a project to determine
the potential of a Herdwick Aberdale cross.
As the leading supplier of breeding technologies for the UK sheep industry, Innovis
utilises the best UK bloodlines to produce exceptional sire lines, including the Innovis
Aberdale, bred to complement hill flocks.
The Aberdale ram is hardy, well confirmed and based on the British Texel breeding,
bred for maternal traits and carries the naturally occurring Inverdale™ prolificacy
gene; originally discovered in a flock in the South Island and which is now extensively
used throughout New Zealand. Innovis Aberdale crossbred ewe lambs carry the best
carcass and maternal traits, offering commercial lamb producers the opportunity to
maintain or increase production outputs from a prolific but compact ewe that is
capable of rearing twins off grass. It will achieve 180-200% lambing percentage
without the need for autumn flushing and can utilise marginal land. They are suited to
outdoor lambing on a low input grass based systems and produce lambs with fast
growth rates off grass, producing finished lambs in the top carcass specification and
yield.
An upland farm was selected and 170 Herdwick draft ewes were put to two Aberdale
rams with 70 Herdwick ewes put to a commercial Texel ram for comparison. Lambing
took place in April 2011 and a lambing percentage of 135 was realised with lively
lambs up on their feet and quick to suck.
In July the farm had an open day for farmers to see the Aberdale rams and Herdwick
drafts with their Aberdale and Texel cross lambs. The birth weights have been
recorded and the performance of both sets of lambs will be recorded over the
season. Amanda Carson gave a presentation updating people on the progress of the
group and Dewi Jones explained how the Aberdale rams were bred and the other
work that Innovis do.
29 attended the open day and many were interested in continuing to follow the
progress of the trials.
As the performance the group are interested in is that of the cross bred ewe lambs
and their ability to become a profitable ewe for fat lamb production, ewe lambs will be
retained for further crossing with a terminal sire, and their performance recorded. The
ram/wether lambs will be recorded through to slaughter on marginal grazing.
The group will meet again to present and discuss the results of this ongoing trial.
For more information on this event please contact info@thefasrmernetwork.co.uk