If you are a performance recording flock you can benefit from free semen from Kimbolton Voyager who is being used as a part of the Signet Ram Compare progeny test.

There are terms and conditions that apply but further information on how you can make the most of this opportunity can be found on the Signet website at http://www.signetfbc.co.uk/semen/ 

The Ram Compare Farm using Voyager is owned by the Whitehouse Family and is in the Forest of Dean and they have been pleased with Voyagers performance, so much so he has been chosen as the “farm choice” Ram for 2016 replacing a Charollais which was their choice this year.

Voyager is ARR/ARR and more details of his performance recording details and pedigree can be found by clicking here

Following numerous telephone and email enquires we have now uploaded the initial list of stock that we will be selling during 2016.

It can be found on the For Sale page located at the tab above.

Please note that this list is subject to change, plus if you cant see exactly what you are looking for please call as we may still be able to help.

The list will be updated on a regular basis as animals are sold.

Following submission of the eight week weights for the 2016 lambs we have now received the results of the first 2016 BLUP run.

Whilst it is important to point out that these are preliminary results (they are based on lambing weights and eight week weights – the scanning information will be added at 21 weeks which will increase the accuracy and value) they hopefully present a good initial picture of progress towards our breeding objectives.

A summary of the results shows that our 2016 lamb crop has an average terminal sire index of 435, an increase over the prior year (396) which pleasingly places the flock well inside the Top 1% (index of 379).

For the Ram lambs the Kimbolton flock itself bred six out of the top 20 lambs recorded so far this year (including the top Ram lamb PPK1600599) plus our genetics was also used by other breeders to great effect too meaning in total that 10 out of the top 20 Ram lambs (50%) contained our proven breeding.

For the Ewe lambs the Flock bred seven out of the top 20 itself with a further four being bred by others resulting in 55% of ewe lambs containing our breeding.

Sires producing these lambs included Kimbolton Warrior who was used as a junior stock ram (by Cambwell Trademark he now stands fifth on the senior sires list), Kimbolton Wayfarer (by Kimbolton Va Va Voom – half share sold for 1600gn), Kimbolton Va Va Voom (Sold to John Elliot for a significant undisclosed sum), Kimbolton Voyager, Wallington Vigilante plus Goldies Supreme and  Kimbolton White Knight who sold to Duncan McNiven for 1,400gn.

The next milestone is to complete ultrasound scanning at 21 weeks of age plus CT Scanning which is booked in for 5th July. Once all of this information has been collected then a further BLUP run will provide a fully rounded view of each animal in time for their sale and use.

Feel free to make contact if you would like to discuss any aspect of performance recording or if you are looking for a ram to compliment your particular ewes.

PPK1600626

An important part of performance recording is the collection of lots of data (or phenotypes). This starts by weighing lambs on the day following their birth,  again at 8 weeks of age and again at 21 weeks.

This information is then combined with scanning information (both ultrasound and CT) to produce  Estimated Breeding Values or EBV’s. These figures can then be used to determine the genetic potential of the animal and to compare it to other sheep within the Texel breed that also record (and also potentially ones that don’t but the accuracy is usually so low that this is risky).

When collecting the data we try to avoid over handling and stressing the lambs so they get weighed as a single group on the same day. For the 8 week weights this date is chosen when the lambs are between 42 and 84 days of age and when completed it is easy to calculate the 56 day weight so animals can be compared on a like for like basis (i.e. all the same age). This is particularly important as in non recording flocks it is easy for smaller superior later born animals to be overlooked in favour of the larger earlier born animals who are perceived to be better simply because they are older and bigger.

Our physical 8 weeks weights this year have been pleasing when you consider that the grass hasn’t really got going. Our decision to feed the ewes well in the first four weeks has paid off as they have milked well and in turn the lambs have grown well with several breaking the 500g/day DLWG. Weaning is approaching for the first batch and then it will be interesting to see growth rates to 21 weeks.

Pictured below is one of the top performers so far PPK1600626 who is a naturally reared Kimbolton Va Va Voom son.

The raw data has been submitted for evaluation and we await with interest to see how our lambs will compare to the other 230 Texel recording flocks.

Today we had the third visit as a part of our involvement in an Industry leading project being led by the British Texel Sheep Society that is designed to  identify the genes that are significant in both mastitis and footrot.

This is important on a national flock basis (all breeds) as it has been calculated that mastitis alone (acute and sub acute) effects up to 30% of all breeding ewes. This has a massive financial impact on its own but when combined with foot rot which costs about £5 per lamb and £7 per ewe the opportunities to improve both animal welfare and profitability are significant.

As a part of our visit all of the breeding ewes were examined and measurements were taken on a range of data point that included;

• Teat length
• Teat diameter
• Udder drop
• Udder attachment
• Udder length
• Teat position rear
• Teat position side
• Udder width
• Number of teats over 1cm in length
• If udder lumps were present
• If udder lesions were present

Each ewe also had a California Milk Test (CMT) performed to identify penside if mastitis was present and milk samples were also taken to allow an accurate somatic cell count to be understood.

Also while the ewes were being inspected the feet were checked for any abnormalities and signs of footrot and anything noted was scored.

Following today our fourth and final visit has been scheduled for after weaning when the whole process will be completed again. Then all of the data collected over both of the years that the project has been running will be passed to the geneticists of SRUC who will assess it and look for correlations that will enable Genomic Estimated Breeding Values (GEBV’s) to be produced.

As a result the Kimbolton Flock will be one of the first in the UK to be able to sell sheep with GEBV’s for hard to measure health related traits.

Pictured below is Will Sawday the Technical Manager of the Texel Sheep Society performing the data collection.

In order to ensure that the ewes produced enough milk for samples it was requested that the lambs be removed an hour before Will arrived. This was duly done but I still have the headache due to the amount of noise they made!

The attached Poster explains more about the project in summary, however if you prefer more information then you can read the attached document  that has more detail.

It never ceases to amaze me how fast the lambs grow each year. Born on average weighing 5-6Kg they grow at anything up to 600g per day in exceptional cases.

It’s fantastic to see them bouncing around the shed whilst their mums are fed and it also gives a good indication that they are fit and healthy too allowing you to concentrate on the many other tasks that need to be undertaken. But they do like to sleep too!

A critical part of our breeding programme is to ensure that we select for growth and conformation as our customers want to buy sheep that can pass these traits onto their offspring. This year has so far produced some pleasing shapes with meat in all the right places as the pictures below show – not bad for three weeks old.

Of course  we also try to ensure we retain Texel breed type too so we try to also ensure they are pretty too, in that way hopefully we can keep everyone happy!

Lambing began on 13th February (slightly earlier than the intended date of 17th February!) and the ewes are in full swing now. Due to the use of Artificial Insemination (AI) we synchronise the ewes to all come on heat at the same time, this means that we can lamb them within a concentrated period of time (typically 3 days) helping us plan labour and also meaning we don’t have to endure weeks and weeks with no sleep!  For this breeding season we achieved a hold rate of almost 80% which was fantastic. This means that the 20% who didn’t hold will lamb 17 days after the first batch as they have been caught by a sweeper ram.

The pictures below show a single and a set of triplets immediately after birth, straight out of the oven!

We have been pleased with the lambs so far and we hope that they continue as they have started.

We have just completed our pregnancy scanning and are pleased to report that we scanned at 170% for the Texel’s. The AI held very well and we look forward to lambing.

For the 2016 season we used the following Rams (click on name to open the relevant BASCO page);

Kimbolton Warrior
Kimbolton Wayfarer
Kimbolton Va Va Voom
Wallington Vigilante
Kimbolton Venturer
Goldies Supreme
Wallington Special Brew

In addition we also flushed two ewes sired by Avon Vale Real Deal. PPK1400400 who is sister to Va Va Voom and PPK1400422 whose Dam  bred Kimbolton White Knight (who was sired by Va Va Voom and was the 4th highest price Texel at the Welsh National Sale 2015). Unfortunately whilst these ewes flushed very well and produced 17 embryos between them only 3 embryos seem to have held, so let’s hope there is something extra special amongst them!

We hope that the careful natural and AI mating selections result in further improvement of our already impressive genetic gains. Each pairing has been made to compliment the Sire and Dam’s strengths and address any weakness eg fat depth. As a result the lambs produced should be correct, very fast growing and well muscled whilst retaining the Texel type.

On February 17th 2016 we will know more and I look forward to seeing the effect of selecting for easy lambing first hand (hopefully between 9.00 and 17.00!)

In the meanwhile we would like to wish all our Customers and Friends a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

The Kimbolton Flock has been announced as the Champion Flock in the Gloucester & Border Counties Texel Club Flock Competition for 2015.

Adrian Windsor from the Fern Flock judged the competition back in the Summer and travelled many miles through five counties looking at a wide selection of Texel Flocks.

Speaking after hearing the news of winning Paul Phillips from the Kimbolton Flock said “I was absolutely thrilled to have won the Small Flock Category of the Flock Competition as we came second last year. However I was delighted to then learn that we had won the overall Championship as competition is always strong.”

The Kimbolton Flock has now sold out of Rams for the 2015 breeding season and the final purchases have been delivered to their new homes.

This year we completed our version of the Three Nations selling Kimbolton Valiant for 2,100gn to Stephen Cobbald’s Lavenham Flock in England, a half share of 3,000gn Kimbolton Wayfarer to Deri Morgan​ for the Tynewydd Flock in Wales and the sale of Kimbolton Va Va Voom to John Elliot​ for the Roxburgh Flock on the Scottish Borders for a significant undisclosed four figure sum.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all purchasers (and under bidders) and to wish you good luck with your breeding programme, we hope that the Boys are hard at work and at the beginning of a long and profitable relationship with you!

Kimbolton Warrrior perfecting his technique!