Triplet model creates new possibilities
Stockfarm|April 2021
Deon and Tina van Wyk’s dream of breeding a sheep ewe that regularly produces triplets throughout her productive life is delivering results. They hope that by the end of the year they will be able to make their sheep breeding model accessible to new small-scale producers who want to start a viable business.
Andries Gouws
Triplet model creates new possibilities

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.

Denne historien er fra April 2021-utgaven av Stockfarm.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra April 2021-utgaven av Stockfarm.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA STOCKFARMSe alt
Shongololo Boer Goat Stud: Only The Best Will Do
Stockfarm

Shongololo Boer Goat Stud: Only The Best Will Do

South African Boer goats have proven popular worldwide for their ability to improve indigenous goat breeds. In addition, Covid-19 restrictions necessitated the establishment of electronic auctions, making it easier for foreigners to acquire outstanding genetic material exported by agents via established channels.

time-read
5 mins  |
August 2021
Feed Additives: A Veterinary Perspective
Stockfarm

Feed Additives: A Veterinary Perspective

In an already volatile environment, dairy profit margins vary as milk prices and feed costs shift annually. Feed costs represent the largest input cost (an estimated 35 to 70% of the variable cost) in the production of milk. As a group of feed ingredients, feed additives can cause a desired physiological response in a non-nutrient way, such as pH shift, growth or metabolic modifier, and will usually be cost-beneficial.

time-read
4 mins  |
August 2021
Guard Against Lumpy Skin Disease
Stockfarm

Guard Against Lumpy Skin Disease

Most parts of the country received good rains during the rain season and producers are generally very optimistic. Wet seasons unfortunately come with their own set of challenges and veterinarians have cautioned livestock producers to keep an eye out for elevated biting insect loads, which may lead to conditions such as lumpy skin disease (LSD).

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2021
Climate-Related Hazards: How Smallholders Can Mitigate Its Consequences
Stockfarm

Climate-Related Hazards: How Smallholders Can Mitigate Its Consequences

Rainfed crop production remains the main source of food security and livelihoods for rural communities in South Africa but presents the challenge of climate variability due to its high dependence on weather variables such as rainfall and temperature.

time-read
2 mins  |
August 2021
Tips for a successful AI programme
Stockfarm

Tips for a successful AI programme

The success of an artificial insemination (AI) programme depends on several factors that are largely within the control of the producer. It is interesting that those producers who take a hands-on approach to their cattle and inspect them regularly are also the ones who achieve the greatest success. Before his passing, Stockfarm spoke to Koot Louw, a well-known reproduction technologist from Brandfort in the Free State, about his insights into and advice regarding the AI process.

time-read
2 mins  |
August 2021
Pay Attention To Orf In Your Flocks
Stockfarm

Pay Attention To Orf In Your Flocks

Some of our readers may have treated or heard of sheep or goats that have been infected with orf (vuilbek).

time-read
3 mins  |
July 2021
Sanele Mbele: Where Passion And Skill Meet
Stockfarm

Sanele Mbele: Where Passion And Skill Meet

Passion for farming runs strong in the Mbele family’s veins. Sanele Mbele, from the farm Rietspruit in the De Jagersdrift area near Dundee, has inherited this passion in huge dollops.

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2021
Land Reform: Case Studies In Kwazulu-Natal
Stockfarm

Land Reform: Case Studies In Kwazulu-Natal

Land reform in South Africa is complex. Land reform solutions are equally complex and within partnership and development models, this is no different – but there is hope. KwaZulu-Natal has several types of partnership models and the wide variation in farming systems, as well as their different needs, set each model up for different strengths and weaknesses.

time-read
7 mins  |
July 2021
Brahman Breeders In Limpopo Have A Winning Plan
Stockfarm

Brahman Breeders In Limpopo Have A Winning Plan

Several breeders from the Bosveld Brahman Club in Limpopo are applying genetic excellence and genotypic correctness to stimulate the demand for their bulls. At several of the last auctions, the minimum standard of bulls was raised to achieve this goal.

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2021
A Brahman Dream Comes True
Stockfarm

A Brahman Dream Comes True

For as long as he can remember, JP Mlangeni wanted to be a farmer. It might have taken a few years, from being a teacher and later a businessman, but his dream finally took shape and today he runs a fully-fledged breeding and commercial Brahman farming enterprise in Mpumalanga.

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2021