The Van Wyks run their Deonde Triplets Project on their farm outside Delmas in Mpumalanga. The project, which they launched around 19 months ago, holds great promise and can create opportunities for new producers who farm on a small piece of land and who want to gain a foothold in the industry.
The aim of the project is to determine whether this farming method can be profitable and if so, to make it available to producers as a business package. This ‘package’ will consist of a ram and a number of ewes that all carry the triplet gene, as well as an operating manual, estimated budget, and computer software.
Nuts and bolts of the project
To get the project started, the Van Wyks attended auctions all over the country looking for rams and ewes that were part of triplets and/or had triplets in their female lineage. They bought approximately 25 ewes and two rams that fitted the required profile.
Their current model comprises 64 ewes consisting of eight groups with eight ewes each, on an eight-month lambing cycle. So far the project has shown that a lambing percentage of 225% is achievable – that is 18 lambs per group per cycle. However, the long-term effect of this high performance on the ewes’ reproductive abilities will have to be determined over time.
The Van Wyks are extremely happy with their choice of SA Mutton Merinos, as the breed possesses excellent maternal traits and produces high-quality meat and wool.
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