Merinos at their best

After just four years of breeding Merino sheep on his stud farm, JH Hattingh of Lady Grey in the Eastern Cape showed some startling results, as this article revealed.

It has been significant over recent years just how often new Merino studs of only a few years’ standing have walked off with top laurels at shows and sales.

There are many reasons for this, but the most obvious and pleasing one is that which reflects the breeding potential of sheep from the older or more established studs. The position is that any prospective new breeder (provided he or she has the money) can select animals of such sound genotype from the established studs that he or she is virtually guaranteed of their prepotency.

But not all credit for the success of these studs can be given to the older breeders who supplied foundation stock. Merino stud breeding is probably the most competitive of all stud ventures in this country. Success is certainly dependent on more than simply buying the right animals and throwing them together haphazardly.

FULL CREDIT

This is where a few of these new breeders who have been so successful must get full credit for the contributing factors to sound breeding: knowledge, management, feeding, and improved farming and breeding techniques.