26/11/06
The Hampshire Down has real potential as a terminal sire for
commercial sheep producers based in the north, according to Janice
Baker, of Hazlett House Farm, Waterhouses, Durham.
Members of the Hampshire Down Sheep Breeders' Association north east club:
Matt Baker, Martyn and Glynis Harris, Nigel Hunt, Janice and Mike Baker and
Helen Cooper.
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“Modern Signet SRS recorded Hampshire Downs are proving
to leave cross bred lambs that finish just as quickly off low
input easier care systems as those sired by popular terminal
sires, and they grade within the specification. What’s
more the lambs are lively, they’re got that get up and
go, and they’re proving to be hardy,” she told members
of the Hampshire Down Sheep Breeders’ Association when
they visited the north east for their annual meeting.
Until 2001, Mrs Baker ran 200 commercial crossbred ewes, put
to the Hampshire Down and other terminal sires on her 80 acre
organic unit all of which is located in the LFA.
However, having identified the Hampshire Down’s potential
to leave the lambs with the highest net margin, she decided to
reduce the commercial flock and focus on breeding pure bred ewes.
Since then, the pure Hampshire Down flock has expanded to 60
ewes and followers and plans are to eventually grow the flock
to 100 ewes.
“We have introduced Hampshire Down rams from within the
breed’s top 10% on performance traits to develop a flock
that combines growth and conformation with the breed’s
native characteristics.
“We’ve found that we don’t need to any supplementary
feed after lambing, the ewes are proving to be excellent mothers
and the lambs are reared solely off milk and grass. In addition
the rams have a quiet temperament. In fact we believe that the
breed is ideal for the future; for profit led high output, low
cost systems.”
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