When selecting new stock rams to join the flock great care is taken to ensure that they are of correct breed type with length, flesh and sound legs and feet. Performance figures are also very important to me and since our commercial ram customers are looking for growth rate and fleshing these are the traits that we have been selecting for over many years. Recently some customers have been looking for rams to produce Suffolk cross females to use or sell for breeding, so rams with good maternal EBV’s (estimated breeding values) have been selected where possible. In most cases performance figures of our stock rams are in the top 5% of the breed and in some cases they are in the top 1%. Great care is taken to avoid genetic faults such as turned in eyelids or cud spillers.
Sitlow Leicester by Stockton Turbine
Shared with John Gent (Stokedoyle) Standing 3rd in the Signet recorded class in the pre-sale show, Leicester is a correct powerful lamb with more bone than we usually look for. We feel that some of our ewes will benefit from the extra power that Leicester has. He shows excellent colour and structure while still carrying that all important flesh. A twin, he is the Buckley’s highest index ram lamb of the year and also has a good maternal index.
A trip to the Kelso Ram sales in September 2013 resulted in the purchase of 2 top notch shearlings to add to our team of stud rams.
Heriot Tweed by Sandyknowe the Apprentice
Tweed has growth rate EBV's in the top 1% of the breed and a muscle depth EBV in the top 5%. Furthermore both his terminal sire index and maternal index are also in the top1%. For us he stood out as the top ram in the Heriot pen with length, good colour and skin, his light bone means that we can use him on shearling ewes with confidence. In fact we liked him so much that he was given all 25 of our shearling ewes to serve in October 2013.
Former Stock Rams
Bentley Brexit by Bentley Sapphire
A leg at each corner is the phrase which comes to mind when looking at Brexit. A well fleshed twin lamb with sound performance figures and a good maternal index. Brexit has the light bone which we usually look for in our stock rams, with a correct structure and a stylish head.
Kersey Rising Star (C41:11:084) by Kersey Nutcracker
Rising Star was born in April 2011 and despite being the youngest lamb scanned he was one of the heaviest. An exceptional scan weight EBV of 18.42kg (the highest in the breed) and an index of 5.97 together with his tight skin, style and flesh have him marked out as one for the future. Both Rising Star and Nelson are out of the same good ewe H45 one of our most consistent breeders who has a maternal EBV of 2.21 in the top 1% of the breed. We have semen available for sale priced at £30 per dose.
Drinkstone Top Muscle 12 by Drinkstone Top Score 10, purchased jointly with John Gent (Stokedoyle)
We picked 'Top Muscle 12' out of the Drinkstone pen at Kelso by eye before we realised that he had been used and registered by Arnold and John Park as a ram lamb within their own flock. This ram has truly exceptional performance figures: His Index of 6.40 placed him third on the 2013 Top Stock Sires list. With top 1% EBV figures for the 3 most important traits of growth, muscle and gigot.
Arran Epic (BHW:11:010) by Essie Fit Like
Epic was bought privately and resulted in a 700 mile round trip in 1 day! A triplet lamb, he was bought for his outstanding figures combined with a correct fleshy body and tight skin. Epic scanned 44.3mm muscle and his muscle depth EBV is 5.69mm with an index of 5.03 (top 1%)
Arran Impulse (BHW:11:017) by Birness Brodick
Impulse caught my eye when I went to purchase Epic. Impulse a well fleshed correct ram has a super back end and is a more showy type than Epic. Impulse has an index of 3.34
Kersey Nelson by Rugley Freddies Boy
One of 3 home bred standout ram lambs from the 2010 crop; Nelson has bred well and grown into an impressively large shearling, winning his class at the 2011 Norfolk Show. Nelson has an index of 4.67 with a scan weight EBV of 14.23kg (top 1%).
The other 2 top ram lambs from that crop were Kersey Nutcracker, who after being used as a lamb was sold for pedigree breeding in the Lavendon Flock of James Barker. While Kersey Nugget also used as a lamb was purchased as a stock ram for the Randolph Flock of Guy & Nicky Aldhouse.
Strathisla Sea Eagle by Lakeview Leeroy
Sea Eagle was originally purchased at Kelso by Liz Needham for whom he bred very well and excelled in the show ring. I was delighted to buy this ram from Liz as a 2 shear because I was so impressed with the flesh, breed type and correctness of him and his daughters. Sea Eagle was judged champion stock ram in the 2011 Midland and Eastern area flock competition.
Tomcroft Javelin by Tomcroft Persuader
Purchasesd privately as a young lamb in 2007 Javelin has grown into a correct deep bodied ram with lots of flesh. He won Breed Champion at the Suffolk Show in 2009 as a 2 shear. Used for 5 seasons his daughters in particular have caught the eye and a large number have been brought into the flock. Javelin has excellent performance figures with an index of 3.91