Sucessful Signet demo day at Lydiard Oxford Down, Wiltshire

We welcomed 20 keen breeders who are interested in helping progress the Oxford Breed. We had a very interesting talk from AHDB Beef and Lamb about the use of EBV's and also heard from breeders of performance recorded polled Dorsets and Shropshire who wish they started years ago! My lambs were weighed and ultrasound scanned for fat depth and muscle depth and the results are very interesting the information will now be analysed by Signet who will send my full results.

Starting to performance record has been very easy and interesting. Weighing the lambs at birth then 8 weeks has allowed me to calculate a daily live weightgain (DLWG) this is both useful for selecting replacement ewe lambs and ram lamb selection and also enabled me to spot any problems early.

I have only kept one ram lamb this year, I did not choose him on his figures alone but it just so happens he had the best growth rate. I chose to retain him as he was true to the breed type and over all correct (Teeth, mouth, testicles, straight back, no scurrs, good colour wool etc) his mother lambed him easily and he was up and about in no time!

I'm very much looking forward to next years lambing and seeing if I can improve growth rates and muscle depth. This is a long term commitment but more people are seeking figures as proof of a rams performance and I think we shouldnt be left behind!

If you have any questions drop me an email lindsayrumming@outlook.com or see the Signet website for more info

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OXFORD LAMBS TOP RUGBY MART AT £161

A pen of pure Oxford prime lambs topped the sale of new season lambs held at Rugby Farmers Mart, Stoneleigh on 9th April, making £161 per head. Consigned from Martin Johnson's Longfriday flock at Wollaston, Northamptonshire they weighed in at 49.5kg. This excellent sale result demonstrates the outstanding weight for age performance that the Oxford is capable of and shows that the breed can compete with, and indeed, outperform the Texel, Charollais and other terminal sire breeds.

BILLESDONS LEADS MELTON MOWBRAY AT 520GNS

Top price for Oxford Downs at the Melton Mowbray native breeds sale was a 520gns bid for a Billesdons shearling ram by Horsley Uncle Bob from Vickie Jones, Husbands Bosworth, Lutterworth, Leicestershire. It sold for commercial use to regular Oxford ram buyer Reg Phillips, Bridge House Farm, Ladmanlow, Buxton, Derbyshire.

The same buyer also went to 370gns for a shearling ram by Barley Park Pegasus from Roger & Sue Banks’ Thistledown flock from Holly Croft Farm, Great Ellingham, Norfolk. Next best from the Thistledown pen was a 240gns sale to B Hall, Church Farm, Caston, Attleborough, Norfolk for another shearling ram bred the same way.

In the females, Roger & Sue Banks had a string of good prices, selling a shearling ewe by Barley Park Pegasus at 240gns to J Burford, Woodborough, Nottingham followed by sales of 210gns and 200gns for ewe lambs by Horsley Brexit Bob, which both went to Lancashire breeder Chloe Bowker, Balderstone Hall Farm, Balderstone, Blackburn.

Buckinghamshire vet Philip Ivens from Ash Tree House, Wicken, Milton Keynes, sold four shearling ewes by Netherby Ambition to a top of 185gns, with all four selling to the same buyer, B Hall, Church Farm, Caston to establish a new flock in Norfolk.

Averages

5 shearling ewes sold to 240gns and averaged £194.25

2 ewe lambs sold to 210gns and averaged £215.25

3 shearling rams sold to 520gns and averaged £395.50

3 ram lambs sold to 160gns and averaged £126.00

Overall 13 head sold to 520gns and averaged £228.17.

Auctioneers: Melton Market Auctioneers